‘LIZZIE’ SOCIETY PINS ITS HOPES ON INSURANCE PAYOUT

stricken stanier ‘Pacific’ needs further cash injection before it can run on the main line again.

WITH its fundraising efforts falling short of target and public donations at barely a trickle, the cash-strapped 6201 Princess Elizabeth Locomotive Society is pinning its hopes on a £50,000plus insurance payout to help get its ‘Pacific’ back on the main line. The claim, for revenue lost when ‘Lizzie’ was unable to run last summer because of mechanical failures, is not guaranteed to pay out - but appears to be one of the few options available to the society, whose three public fundraising appeals have all but fizzled out. The emergency crowdfunding appeal (via the ‘Just Giving’ website) to raise £40,000 - including the £12,000 needed to pay for a boiler lift and examination - closed on Wednesday June 7 having raised just £1,745, or 4% of the total. The appeal ran for 120 days - the maximum allowed under ‘Just Giving’ rules - but only 53 people contributed, and during the whole of May, just £10 was donated. Two further cash appeals on the 6201 Society’s newly revamped website, for £12,900 to fund the purchase of 122 smoketubes, and for £7,100 to pay for a new blower valve and blower ring, have similarly seen scant progress. The smoketubes appeal has all but stalled on £6,020, while in early June, the blower valve and ring appeal was stuck on just £452. Princess Elizabeth Locomotive Society Chairman Clive Mojonnier says a minimum of £12,000 is needed to hire in a crane to lift the boiler and conduct the full examination that the group’s boiler insurers are now demanding, and until that target is reached, “the group is unable to carry out any further work on the locomotive.” With the crowdfunding appeal at less than a twentieth of that sum, the pending insurance claim has become of vital importance. Clive Mojonnier told Steam Railway in early June: “We’re waiting for the insurance company to come back to us on our claim for lost revenue. When that money comes in, we’ll proceed with lifting the boiler.” The 6201 chairman, who has faced criticism from some of his society’s own members, told Steam Railway in early June. “I don’t know why the appeals have come to a grinding halt. We’ve done what we can, but there’s no magic bullet. Everybody is asking for money, and we’re not top of the heap. “We’ve got decisions to make. Our directors are looking at the situation, but until we get some finance, we can’t move forward.” On his personal future, he remarked: “I’ve been with ‘Lizzie’ for 40 years; I’m not walking away now.” When asked if there was any prospect of the 6201 Society merging or amalgamating with the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust (owners of Butterley-based sister locomotive No. 46203 Princess Margaret Rose and ‘Coronation’ No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland), Mr Mojonnier said: “Anything is possible. But it hasn’t come to that yet.” PRCLT Chairman Graham Ousnam confirmed: “I don’t know how the rest of the trustees would react to that idea. Thus far, it isn’t something we’ve discussed, though that’s not to say we wouldn’t discuss it in the future.” Princess Elizabeth returned to the main line in August 2016, following a £280,000 four-year overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works - but the engine ran only 12 trips in 2016, and was withdrawn again in November following the discovery of weeping boiler tubes at its new ‘permanent’ home at Butterley. Chief Engineer Simon Scott - also chief engineer to Duchess of Sutherland - drew up a list of 25 ‘essential repairs’ that must be carried out before the Royal Train engine can run again. It includes repairs to cracks on all four firebox corners, firebox tubeplate and foundation ring rivet replacement, renewal of outside steam pipe elbows, and the replacement of a wasted section of the boiler barrel extension. It is said that another £100,000 is needed to complete the repairs.