On A Personal Note
Let your editor Introduce himself!
Born in 1968 in the South Yorkshire town of Rotherham, I have always had an interest in travel and particularly that of the Railways. It was not until 2006 that I first encountered a Wagons-Lits coach, this being at the Nene Valley Railway to which I had just become a working member.
Parked in the cutting away from the station was 2975, the blue coach caught my curiosity along with the plaque on its side, after a few initial enquiries I took a walk into the cutting and let myself in. The coach was in a rather dilapidated condition complete with its musty smell, but it instantly captivated me and set me on my quest to restore it to its former beauty. Shortly after I made my acquaintance with 3916, forlorn at the back of the yard, ash stacked around it and dead rats inside.
Here were two coaches, but I still knew nothing of the company, or if any coaches elsewhere still existed. A quick internet search focused me on the VSOE, and finding Mrs Sherwood's book in our second hand book shop, this became my first source of information. At around the same time George Behrend published a small article in the railways journal regarding the sleeping car 3916, George became my next point of contact and my introduction to his many books on the subject of Wagons-Lits.
With a basic knowledge of Wagons-Lits established, my next route was to travel around Europe and view as many coaches as possible, to date this has been 51 coaches, the results of this quest you can now view on this web site.
The next two short sentences have been much quoted but have stood the test of time but never the less, are the founding principles of this society;
"Knowledge is for sharing"
"We are but custodians of what we own"
With this in mind the information that I have been freely given I publish here on this web site for the education and enjoyment of any one across the globe, in the hope that it will inspire or continue to inspire you to support and cherish the historical cars and artifacts that remain where ever they are located.
The construction and maintenance of this web site and much of the work on the cars at the Nene Valley is carried out by young people, proving that responsible custodian ship of knowledge and assets can pass from generation to generation.
It is likely that around 200 classic cars built before 1955 still exist, of which around 50 are well cared for either in revenue earning service with such organisations as the VSOE or well protected and maintained in museums and heritage railways across Europe. This leaves around 75% of the cars languishing in various points of Europe and beyond, many are rapidly reaching the critical stage, while some are beyond hope.
My view is that the time has come to collate as much information as we can, regarding the condition of the remaining cars and establish the historic value of each. In the ideal world every car would be saved, realistically the focus has to be on those that can be given a sustainable future, perhaps in earning a living (Restaurant cars) and those of real historic importance (few of the class remaining).
This year (2010) is the 30th year since the last Night Ferry service ran. It is a matter of concern that only one F class car has a secure future, the one in the NRM collection at York. It is likely that only four other cars remain all in very poor condition, at least one of these must be a high priority to truly preserve, for many years Britain's only international train. Click the following link to one of the remaining coaches; Wagon-Lits 3987.
Although not Wagons-Lits again of historic importance is possibly the last remaining Night Ferry mail Van rotting away in France, this must be a strong candidate for true preservation. Click here for images of this van.
The Fourgon is also an endangered species, very few remain, to the best of my knowledge not one of these important vehicles is under sheltered accommodation.
My own priority is to achieve under cover accommodation for the two cars at the Nene Valley as soon as possible, if funding proves possible this will be in a World class museum (See Here) where they can be both protected and displayed for the enjoyment of many generations in the future. I have to be realistic on what additional work I can undertake, project managing two cars and the society is demanding, but I do have some practical scope to assist in the preservation of the Ferry Van and possibly a Ferry car. If anyone else is interested particularly any one based in Northern France please contact myself.
My plea where ever in the world you are, is that if you have an interest in Wagons-lits, then please lend your support and encourage others likewise, in order to secure the preservation of these historic vehicles for future generations. When possible providing both practical and financial assistance, joining this society is one way you can assist in this work(link to join society), a strong active society can do more than an individual as it opens the door to grant funding, although match funding is always a prerequisite.
I hope that you will enjoy this web site and contribute where ever you can, the knowledge that you have is important to others. As a good custodian of that knowledge, then please pass it on, by letting us publish it here. Any information and particularly pictures that can be published on this web site, please send to Mr Daniel Todd by Clicking Here.
Please ensure your information is accurate, past locations and sightings are important to us, as from that information we can often trace the cars current location and establish its condition.
Phil Marshall
Wansford
1st Jan 2010
