The West Somerset Railway on the Web

 Fund raising for no 5542 via E-Bay

Jon Tooke reports on a novel find-raising project A few months ago I was given a huge load of ex BR equipment and kit that either myself or my colleagues on the WSR could make use of. The range of this equipment was vast with items ranging from as small as a wallet for ID cards up to full uniforms and waterproof clothing. Once I had sorted it all out there was far more there than first anticipated, and I had to find a place to store it all and devise a method of disposing of all the said stock that I had recently acquired. As luck would (or would not) have it, a couple of weeks beforehand, whilst I was been working on the WSR in my capacity as a guard, 5542 was failed at Williton station with piston faults. Reading the reports of the damage and the repair costs, I struck upon the idea of raising funds to help the 5542 group. Even though I could not raise any where near the sums required to facilitate repairs to the loco even for this type of fault, as that well known supermarket says ‘every little helps’. I have been buying and selling all matter of things over the past few years on the Internet auction site, Ebay. It has been likened to carbooting from the warmth and luxury of your own home! Before I listed items for sale on Ebay, I offered the items to fellow contributors from the www.wsr.org.uk discussion site, Topica. A few items such as BR equipment bags, flags, jackets and trousers went to trainee guards and other WSR colleagues All the remaining items were listed for sale on Ebay under a heading which made it clear that all the items being offered for sale were to raise much needed funds for the 5542 group, I also added a couple of links to their site and the unofficial WSR website so that would be purchasers could follow the railway and news of the steam locomotive. Interest in the items was great with many of the items selling for more than anticipated, but likewise some went for less. So is life! The selling prices ranged from 99pence, up to £35.00p. Obviously some items were sought after, and these saw much competitive bidding and counterbidding by would-be purchasers. One item that saw such interest was a brand new unused railway workers tie, which eventually sold for £9.00p! Buyers paid all P+P costs, helping to keep the costs to myself and 5542 fund to a minimum and therefore maximising the fund raising. Many items were purchased from workers on other heritage railways spread the length and breadth of the UK, and there were a great many wishes of good luck and other such like sentiments for the fund raising and for the locomotive. Some very kind individuals even included a donation on top of their final bid amount in their payment for the item they won! Bearing in mind the range of the final selling prices, the total amount raised, including donations to the fund, was a very pleasing £254.55p, a figure that contains the same numbers as the locomotive! I am hoping to make a grand handing over of the cheque to Mr John Wood, the chairman of the 5542 fund over the weekend of the forthcoming Autumn steam gala on the railway. I would like to thank Richard for the donation of all the equipment, and I would like to thank all those who purchased items and who made donations (far too many to list here, but they know who they are!), and who made the whole thing possible. Thanks also to Lesley (present Mrs Tooke) for putting up with all the equipment and kit around the house, plus all the cardboard boxes and sticking tape and labels!!! Big thanks to John Wood and the rest of the 5542 group, without whom or their dedication there would be no locomotive, and I’d be stuck with a shed full of railway kit and equipment!!!