IS IT TIME TO SINK OR SWIM?

Everyone has their darkest days, a day they regret, a day they wish had never occured.

For me it was during February this year when a visit to Manila brought me to the immense reality that railway preservation in the Philippines, by the society I personally had started the ball rolling with (along with friends Bill ad Harvey), had greatly failed the people of the Philippines.

The endless need for ego massaging, to take hold control of all railfan societies based on the Philippines and to be alongside managers and other dignatories at railway events, mean't that the wholesale scrapping of important items went unnoticed.

Indeed, the soon to be proclaimed new president of the 'Railways and Industrial Heritage Society Phils. Inc.' was horrified to learn of what I had found, not least due to the destruction of a couple of his personal favourites.

The soon to be out-going president (officially, but not in reality), too busy massaging his own importance, has since brushed it off saying that they decided to keep whatever "THEY" could hope to restore in their lifetime, without thought to other peoples lifetimes.

You see, socities are mean't to be full of OTHER people. A society works together to achieve a common goal.

Socities, including railway socities, require the usual heirachy at the top, but when these people fail to treat their members and others with respect, they soon find people leaving for other goals. Not even the appointing of a puppet president will curb this downturn - people seeing straight through the bulldust into the reality of what is still going on.

Railway preservation in the Philippines has been failed - Totally Failed.

No amount of ego, smoke screens, mud slinging, lies, lies or other carrying on will ever change this.

The question being put to a meeting of the PRHS this Friday is:

"Is there any reason to continue reservation in the Philippines, should there be a new more considerate society and how can things be done differently?"

Three questions, but three very important questions needing a lot of discussions.

It all comes down to whether or not what little is left needs to be preserved and is there a new team out there who has the capability of doing it?

A answer of 'NO' would be regretable, but fully understandable, given the total disgrace that has spewed forth since 2007.

Philippine Railway Preservation

Time To Sink Or Swim!

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"We decided to mark that which we could hope to

preserve in our lifetime"

Quote: Jaime Tiongson!

An interesting quote recieved yesterday during upset following

the showing of these shots.

So all that can be preserved in this persons lifetime is a few freight wagons and the dormatory car? Perhaps the observation car after a panic trip south.

Not even just three historic Madras cars could be done on

the very cheap labour available there?

Perhaps the last MCBP which was still in good condition and stored inside could have been easily kept?

Then there was the favourite of some local members, 7A-129 and 130.

Nobody seems to even know the status of the last two sleeping car survivors, perhaps even parts of them show in ther photos below.

Seems also an interesting quote as this reason was not an important concern when the 'H' program commenced on its very small scale. Plans were even mentioned of going to Caloocan to mark these cars, my being asked to come along and identify which should be kept.

Now we are left with the dormatory car, the observation car, the very important Marcos car (I hope), a number of 7As (many in far worse condition than the 7Es at scrapping and some modern day NR types.

The first three are indeed historically important, some very much so, but what about the every day items? The ones that Mr and Mrs

Filipino once travelled on and can relate to?

Suppose the next time we see them will be at the big roundhouse in the sky.

What about the people in the 'next lifetime' who would have had more time to restore these important items. Won't they be rightly pissed?

A PERSONAL VIEW!

This is my personal view and does not reflect that of the PRHS, or any of its members, whether or not they already agree with what I say.

This is not aimed at any society, more so the comments of an individual who tried to explain his inaction that lead to this event.

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~~~ RANDOM PICCIES ~~~

A random selection of shots found on the asawa's camera following the numerous camera hassles I experienced there.

View of Tayuman yard from Tutuban station.

New DMU pauses at Buendia station!

Speedo during test runs aimed at trying to reach 80kph.


Typhoon Tiongson taking some shots of a discovered MRR logo on the old 4w boxcar at Tayuman.
The logo appears on a bracket, or similar, near the top on the sides.

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