So whats the big deal?
I think once we claim membership of that strange old fan club known as 'being a Rail Enthusiast', we often sit back and wonder - why do we care so much? why do we worry about a lump of metal with some coal and water in it?
Well we find ourselves back in our childhood, or teens, or chewing Werthers Originals, and taking notice of those influential people on the television. Yep Dick Strawbridge. Well no, not this time Dick but your cult status is assured.
It was 'Train Now Departing' which summed it up best for us. Steam locomotives take us back to the time that all you cared about was that 'your beans on toast were on the table for breakfast'. The resounding thud of the mortgage bill was not even on the overdraft radar. This was coming from a man who had sweated out his own grit, eaten it in a sandwich and sweated it out again rebuilding 'Port Line' to its former glory.
So it is curious what enables a Steam Locomotive to enter the realms of iconic status, does it have to achieve a certain greatness or record?
Or can we simply 'Like it'?
There is a love from the British of the underdog, the one that is not claiming the headlines from a multi million pound refurbishment. The Leicester City, the Donald Trump - well you get the point.
We will today claim that 4771 'Green Arrow' is our Leicester City. The one that will never come back, the one that will never claim the title. But one day, in rainy Stoke it somehow manages to capture everyone's imagination.
Now from our recent Postings on The BM Facebook Page that it is all over for Green Arrow in the fact that the NRM have said it is.
Green Arrow is destined in fact to become the 'Leicester City' for real. It will be the focal part of the new NRM Museum at Leicester North. A fully laden steaming Green Arrow means no centrepiece for a multi million pound investment in Leicester and the Great Central Railway.
'If someone has a big enough cheque book then it will happen'
This is our saving grace, this is our Claudio Ranieri pulling out of the bag for Leicester nab the Double in 2017. Its a long shot, its a very long shot but at least that is an option that is bounded around and makes clear sense to us without big cheque books.
£9.5M investment, £39M to the local economy over 5 years. That's what is at stake with pulling Green Arrow away from the Great Central Museum.
Our Opinion? The centrepiece of this museum should always have been 'Butler Henderson', a true Great Central descendant. It is merely demoted to the sidelines of all press interest in what will be a startling Museum, its seeming history cast aside like Craig Logan in the Bros reunion.
We are disappointed that Green Arrow has been thrown in as bait for the focal point of a brand new museum. Someone out there knows the appeal of this V2, knows the star appeal that will attract in the mass funding to a brand new museum. Perhaps it is purely being used as an Apple Green LNER Locomotive trading card.
Ask someone you know who doesn't get Trains. Test them on the 'Trains' they know.
Show them the V2 and ask what it is.
Show them Butler Henderson and ask again.
We will already claim to be Billy Big Bollocks by knowing the answer here: The V2 is 'Flying Scotsman', the Director Class is 'a Train?'.
Here comes the Pickle that even Branston would remove from Tesco online - Is it a forgone conclusion that the V2 is done and dusty in a Museum for all time?
Quite captivating and spellbinding article,steam engines ruled the whole world for a long time..I'm delighted they are back.thank you very much for sharing.keep posting.
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