diff --git a/src/g_game.cpp b/src/g_game.cpp
index 77cc53a76..0d22065a7 100644
--- a/src/g_game.cpp
+++ b/src/g_game.cpp
@@ -1840,7 +1840,7 @@ void G_DoLoadGame ()
 
 	SaveVersion = 0;
 
-	void *data = info->CacheLump();
+	void *data = info->Lock();
 	FSerializer arc(nullptr);
 	if (!arc.OpenReader((const char *)data, info->LumpSize))
 	{
@@ -1916,7 +1916,7 @@ void G_DoLoadGame ()
 		return;
 	}
 
-	data = info->CacheLump();
+	data = info->Lock();
 	if (!arc.OpenReader((const char *)data, info->LumpSize))
 	{
 		LoadGameError("TXT_SGINFOERR");
diff --git a/src/gamedata/resourcefiles/resourcefile.cpp b/src/gamedata/resourcefiles/resourcefile.cpp
index ae136e9b6..347c25388 100644
--- a/src/gamedata/resourcefiles/resourcefile.cpp
+++ b/src/gamedata/resourcefiles/resourcefile.cpp
@@ -58,13 +58,13 @@ public:
 	FLumpReader(FResourceLump *src)
 		: MemoryReader(NULL, src->LumpSize), source(src)
 	{
-		src->CacheLump();
+		src->Lock();
 		bufptr = src->Cache;
 	}
 
 	~FLumpReader()
 	{
-		source->ReleaseCache();
+		source->Unlock();
 	}
 };
 
@@ -163,9 +163,9 @@ void FResourceLump::CheckEmbedded()
 FCompressedBuffer FResourceLump::GetRawData()
 {
 	FCompressedBuffer cbuf = { (unsigned)LumpSize, (unsigned)LumpSize, METHOD_STORED, 0, 0, new char[LumpSize] };
-	memcpy(cbuf.mBuffer, CacheLump(), LumpSize);
+	memcpy(cbuf.mBuffer, Lock(), LumpSize);
+	Unlock();
 	cbuf.mCRC32 = crc32(0, (uint8_t*)cbuf.mBuffer, LumpSize);
-	ReleaseCache();
 	return cbuf;
 }
 
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ FileReader FResourceLump::NewReader()
 //
 //==========================================================================
 
-void *FResourceLump::CacheLump()
+void *FResourceLump::Lock()
 {
 	if (Cache != NULL)
 	{
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ void *FResourceLump::CacheLump()
 //
 //==========================================================================
 
-int FResourceLump::ReleaseCache()
+int FResourceLump::Unlock()
 {
 	if (LumpSize > 0 && RefCount > 0)
 	{
diff --git a/src/gamedata/resourcefiles/resourcefile.h b/src/gamedata/resourcefiles/resourcefile.h
index d0a0e40c3..fcf244040 100644
--- a/src/gamedata/resourcefiles/resourcefile.h
+++ b/src/gamedata/resourcefiles/resourcefile.h
@@ -102,9 +102,11 @@ public:
 	void CheckEmbedded();
 	virtual FCompressedBuffer GetRawData();
 
-	void *CacheLump();
-	int ReleaseCache();
+	void *Lock(); // validates the cache and increases the refcount.
+	int Unlock(); // decreases the refcount and frees the buffer
 
+	unsigned Size() const{ return LumpSize; }
+	int LockCount() const { return RefCount; }
 	const char* getName() { return FullName.GetChars(); }
 
 protected:
diff --git a/src/menu/loadsavemenu.cpp b/src/menu/loadsavemenu.cpp
index 86a7dafbb..ac14bd985 100644
--- a/src/menu/loadsavemenu.cpp
+++ b/src/menu/loadsavemenu.cpp
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ void FSavegameManager::ReadSaveStrings()
 				// I_FindName only returns the file's name and not its full path
 				FString filepath = G_BuildSaveName(I_FindName(&c_file), -1);
 
-				FResourceFile *savegame = FResourceFile::OpenResourceFile(filepath, true, true);
+				std::unique_ptr<FResourceFile> savegame(FResourceFile::OpenResourceFile(filepath, true, true));
 				if (savegame != nullptr)
 				{
 					bool oldVer = false;
@@ -179,10 +179,9 @@ void FSavegameManager::ReadSaveStrings()
 					if (info == nullptr)
 					{
 						// savegame info not found. This is not a savegame so leave it alone.
-						delete savegame;
 						continue;
 					}
-					void *data = info->CacheLump();
+					void *data = info->Lock();
 					FSerializer arc(nullptr);
 					if (arc.OpenReader((const char *)data, info->LumpSize))
 					{
@@ -197,7 +196,6 @@ void FSavegameManager::ReadSaveStrings()
 						{
 							// different engine or newer version:
 							// not our business. Leave it alone.
-							delete savegame;
 							continue;
 						}
 
@@ -213,7 +211,6 @@ void FSavegameManager::ReadSaveStrings()
 						else
 						{
 							// different game. Skip this.
-							delete savegame;
 							continue;
 						}
 
@@ -223,7 +220,6 @@ void FSavegameManager::ReadSaveStrings()
 						node->bMissingWads = missing;
 						node->SaveTitle = title;
 						InsertSaveNode(node);
-						delete savegame;
 					}
 
 				}
@@ -472,7 +468,7 @@ unsigned FSavegameManager::ExtractSaveData(int index)
 			// this should not happen because the file has already been verified.
 			return index;
 		}
-		void *data = info->CacheLump();
+		void *data = info->Lock();
 		FSerializer arc(nullptr);
 		if (arc.OpenReader((const char *)data, info->LumpSize))
 		{
@@ -494,10 +490,9 @@ unsigned FSavegameManager::ExtractSaveData(int index)
 
 				picreader.OpenMemoryArray([=](TArray<uint8_t> &array)
 				{
-					auto cache = pic->CacheLump();
+					auto cache = pic->Lock();
 					array.Resize(pic->LumpSize);
 					memcpy(&array[0], cache, pic->LumpSize);
-					pic->ReleaseCache();
 					return true;
 				});
 				PNGHandle *png = M_VerifyPNG(picreader);