NRM COULD FACE PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS TO EXPLAIN ‘GIVEAWAY’ OF UNIQUE LSWR ‘T3’ 4-4-0
Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins asks why the National Railway Museum has ‘given away the family silver’.
THAT THE ‘T3’ HAS ESSENTIALLY BEEN PRIVATISED WITHOUT PUBLIC CONSULTATION IS A SERIOUS MATTER WHICH NEEDS FURTHER INVESTIGATION
THE National Railway Museum may have to explain its policy on locomotive disposals to Parliament, following its controversial decision to give away LSWR ‘T3’ 4‑4‑0 No. 563 to the Swanage Railway. The Adams locomotive moved to Dorset in April (SR466). Kelvin Hopkins, former Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Labour MP for Luton North, has declared his intention to press for answers from the NRM in the House of Commons, if he is returned to Westminster following the General Election of June 8. The pro‑steam politician attests: “I believe 100% in historically important artefacts being owned by the nation. That the ‘T3’ has essentially been privatised without public consultation is a serious matter which needs further investigation. They are giving away the family silver.” Kelvin Hopkins, an unashamed lifetime railway enthusiast, says in a letter to Steam Railway: “This is now the perfect opportunity for the NRM to set the record straight and, more importantly, clarify with absolute detail and transparency what the policy will be in future in terms of due diligence, because the most worrying aspect of this episode appears to me to be the speed, after announcement, with which the gifting of the ‘T3’ occurred. “The Museum should not simply be guided by its own ethics policy, it should stick to every letter of it if it involves disposal of a national asset to the private sector.” (See Mailbag, page 92).
Declaring his intention to consult on the issue with York’s own MP - whoever that may be after the General Election - Mr Hopkins stressed: “There are many questions that need to be answered. Why are they keeping the Japanese ‘Bullet train’, and getting rid of the ‘T3’? Is the NRM somehow saying that the ‘T3’ is no longer relevant? To me, seeing it at the museum was always a real ‘wow’ moment - and now that has been lost. “If the Museum has space issues, surely long-term loans are the solution? And how much is the ‘T3’ worth? We need to know how much it was insured for, because it is now off the books - and someone else has benefited from it.” Kelvin Hopkins was elected MP for Luton North in 1997 and has increased his majority at every election since.