The complete steam news magazine

Heritage Railway Opinion - 15 April

Not only did the sell-out train raise a substantial amount of money for this excellent cause, but also it raised the profile of both the heritage sector and the rail industry in the public view, and cannot have done anything but good in the longer term.

If you were one of the many thousands of linesiders who turned out to see the train, and have not yet donated, full details are available in our Main Line News section.

Earlier in the month, the landmark visit of Oliver Cromwell to the North Norfolk Railway – by rail, not low loader – spoke volumes for the tenacity of Julian Birley, Steve Ashling and the team who installed the budget-price level crossing for just £140,000, removing one of the greatest blockages in preservation. Despite the fact it was a murky working day out of season, more than 8000 people turned out to see the spectacle.

How many, I wonder, were local residents who had always taken the heritage line for granted, seeing it develop from a cluster of brightly coloured industrial tank engines gathered around Sheringham station, and until now hardly given it a second thought?

Just as the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway ‘made’ Sheringham the resort, the heritage line will now reinvent it, with the town becoming a ‘must visit’ for charter operators – even though they will at present be restricted to just 12 a year.

Elsewhere, there has been much to applaud in the past month. The Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway opened its extension to Manuel; and two hitherto diesel-only lines, the Ecclesbourne Valley and Royal Deeside Railways, obtained permanent steam for the first time.

Compare and contrast the sterling efforts of those who made these events happen with those of the parasites who have repeatedly ransacked the Churnet Valley Railway for scrap metal, along with those who see parked heritage coaches everywhere as a ripe target for overnight graffiti forays.

When these individuals cause wanton damage to heritage railways, they are kicking us all. Parked locomotives and rolling stock are in theory just as much a historical asset as a castle, stately home or ancient monument. They are also part of the past which has been saved for the benefit of future generations of the general public to enjoy, operated by people who give their time and expertise for nothing, and who are forever struggling to meet the day-to-day running costs of their railway.

Yes, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway may be Britain’s most popular heritage line and last year carried a record 350,000 passengers despite the recession, proving beyond doubt that it is now an essential component of the local economy. Yet it still had to rely on substantial public donations, not to mention grant aid, to replace Bridge 30 if it was to remain open, as highlighted by Peter Kelly in this issue.

Rarely in this sector is there any slack: the rising costs of coal and diesel fuel and ongoing maintenance see to that. We cannot afford to accommodate the scrap metal thief who thinks the best way to beat the credit crunch is to trample on someone else, and indeed, by tampering with railway infrastructure, place lives in jeopardy.

With the general election a few weeks away, I would like candidates to say what they genuinely propose to do to address this problem.

My view is that should the offenders be caught, they should immediately forfeit any vehicles and tools used in such thefts, plus an identical value of their own property, with any remainder of the cost of rectifying the damage and their supervision being made up in unpaid manual labour at the same venue.

Affordable weekly instalment fines and paltry token compensation orders in magistrates courts is a waste of everybody’s time: the basic purpose of the law is to protect the victim, not accommodate the offender. It is high time this nuisance was ended once and for all by making a few high-profile examples of members of this sub culture, and showing them that hitting soft targets will never again be an acceptable risk.

Robin Jones
Editor