The complete steam news magazine

Heritage Railway Opinion - 8 July

Sixty two years after nationalisation, you can still travel behind classic GWR locomotives on the main line, not only on specials but on regular timetabled services, in the form of Tyseley’s ‘Shakespeare Express’, of which a new season has started.

Not only can you sample the delights of the GWR main line express, but also several examples of the company’s idyllic rural branch lines are still with us, thanks to the preservation movement.

The Swindon empire remained determinedly independent after the ‘Big Four’ companies were merged into one, insisting on its own form of modern traction, the diesel hydraulics, echoing Brunel’s choice of broad gauge with its many superior attributes over the increasingly widespread standard gauge of his day. The Western Region diesels can still turn in a magnificent display, as seen at the West Somerset Railway’s 1960s weekend in June (see News pages), and one of them, Western Champion, is still a regular performer on the national network.

Whereas 2009 belonged to apple green courtesy of Tornado and the magnificent boost it has given to the movement, this year is decidedly Brunswick green.

Many lines have hit new heights with their GWR 175 anniversary galas, not least of all the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway. Producing a triumph in the face of adversity after losing the southern tip of its line due to the Gotherington landslip, it ran public trains on the northern extension towards Broadway, the net result being the most successful event in its history.

Smaller venues like the Swindon & Cricklade Railway with its splendid two-weekend GWR 175 gala showcased the greater potential that lies untapped here.

The Dean Forest Railway has been able to go one better and mark its 200th anniversary, reminding us that a splendid GW sylvan steam experience awaits those who take the trouble to visit Lydney.

Flying in the face of recession, GWR 175 has been a magnificent success in drawing the crowds.

However, we are going to need many more events like it in the years of austerity that lie ahead if the movement is to not only continue to progress but to avoid slipping backwards.

It is easy to say that our heritage lines will have a headstart over other tourist attractions in that those which offer a station-to-station service are exempt from VAT, whatever the rate, because they are providing a public service. That is true, but any advantages gained will be offset not only by the rising costs of fuel and many other overheads.

In an economy where money is likely to remain tight for the next few years, will there still be sufficient numbers of volunteers offering their spare time to run our heritage lines, or will they need to devote their energies to earning second incomes elsewhere to pay higher tax bills brought about by the country’s financial plight?

Mid-Sussex District Council, which a quarter of a century ago opposed any northern extension of the Bluebell Railway, must be commended for the £50,000 grant given to the East Grinstead project, recognising the fact that a steam presence in the town will (not might) boost tourism and the local economy. Yet how many other forms of grant aid that we have enjoyed in recent years will dry up?

The cost of holding the 2012 Olympic Games soared within the space of a few months under the last government, which chose to raid the Heritage Lottery Fund for extra cash in a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. No doubt the games will do much for Britain and in particular London’s prestige, but for the sake of an event lasting a few weeks, how much will the heritage sector in all its forms, not just railways and transport, lose out in the much longer term?

Events like GWR 175 have clearly grabbed the public imagination, despite the memories of the last BR main line steam in 1968 becoming increasingly distant. While such events have shown that the heritage sector has both the will and the ability to survive against the financial odds, we are going to need many more like them in the five years ahead.

Robin Jones
Editor