OWNERSHIP OF LOCOMOTIVE 3801

Locomotive 3801 has been in the formal custody of the NSW Rail Transport Museum, in perpetuity, through a Deed from State Rail since 1978.

3801 has a special place in the NSW rail story - through generous donations from its members, the NSWRTM saved 3801 for the community in the 1960s. The NSWRTM has a long-standing interest in, and commitment to, the locomotive and its welfare. Under a 1986 agreement between State Rail, the NSWRTM and 3801 Limited, the locomotive is in the custody of 3801 Limited (together with some carriages owned by State Rail) until November 2006.

Since the announcement of our decision not to offer a new lease for locomotive 3801, there has been a considerable amount of misinformation about the NSWRTM's position. It has been suggested that we will park the loco in the shed and leave it there - that we do not have the capacity, or the will, to operate it. This is simply not true.

The NSWRTM is committed to ongoing public access to 3801, and while ever viable and achievable, to its sustainable operation. As the organisation that saved and operated the locomotive originally, the NSWRTM recognises its iconic status and has an enormous stake in it, and is pledged to act in its best interests. Public accessibility and sustainable operation are our key concerns and aims.

Given the current directions of the state's rail heritage and NSWRTM's refreshed vision - together with the likely results of the heritage review, the apparently looming need for a costly major overhaul, a need for a fresh assessment of the locomotive's future and a sustainable level of operation, and the need for consolidation of sites and activities - the NSWRTM's Board has decided not to enter into a new agreement for custody of the locomotive by 3801 Limited.

Having advised 3801 Limited of this decision in July 2005, we intend to work collaboratively with 3801 Limited to manage the transition of the locomotive back into the collection in the custody of the NSWRTM by November 2006.