Breaking out of the lockdown
Gareth Evanst alkst o a selectiono f heritagel inesa boutt heir experienceosf dealing with the Covid- 19c risisa nd howt hey1rep lanningt o reopen
Gareth Evans talks to a selection of heritage lines about their experiences of dealing with the Covid- 19 crisis and how they're planning to reopen their railways - and the factors they must consider in the weeks ahead.
0n bank holiday Sunday ( May 24), my fiancee Sarah and I enjoyed a coffee and a cake from the Nene Valley Railway ( NVR) - something we'd not done since lockdown was enforced on March 24. The NVR is Britain's first heritage line to reopen part of its customer- facing business during the Covid- 19 crisis - the refreshment kiosk at Overton.
On our four- mile walk around Nene Park, I caught up with the friendly volunteer team at Overton station. A one- way system was in operation on and off the platform. Tables were set up beneath the canopy with pre- packed cakes, sweets, crisps and a drinks fridge alongside - plus a Perspex screen and contactless card machine. Customers could enjoy their refreshments on one of the platform benches or picnic tables in the station's attractive gardens.
It was thought- provoking for how heritage lines can begin to reopen - something I'm sure many of us long for ( I mean that in a business way). Such has been the success of the weekend's trading that it is to continue every Saturday and Sunday - weather permitting.
Therefore, I decided it would be interesting to talk to a selection of railways about their experiences of Covid- 19 and their plans to reopen.
Nene Valley Railway
"Opening the refreshment kiosk at Overton was an experiment to test our systems - I'm pleased to say it all went as planned," said NVR director Phil Marshall.
"It was pretty much a normal weekend in terms of refreshments takings. There was no trade from the nearby campsite or trains - it was solely walkers and cyclists passing by. There seems to be a genuine desire to support the railway."
As for resuming operations, Phil said: "It's currently impossible to say when we're going to run trains. I'd like to think it would be by the summer holidays, but it depends on Government advice.
"The start- up costs are the crunch - the social distancing markers on the ground cost £ 3 each, for example. The NVR needs a £ 3000 budget to implement those measures. We could invest, only to find it's changed.
"It's essential to think out of the box. We expect we'll start with static events - such as having Thomas sat by the platform at Wansford, with Thomas whistling using its own steam or compressed air.
"With our static events, we may have to have some sort of time slots. Visitors will be able to book online when they want to come, so we can manage the numbers. We hope to be able to resume train services as soon as it safe to doso."
Santa trains provide vital revenue for many railways - the NVR is no different.
"We've planned for best and worst case scenarios - the key is how to operate profitably," explained Phil.
"Normally our Santa specials carry 500 people per train and we run five trains a day. This year however, it might be four trains per day to allow for enhanced cleaning - and capacity being reduced to 200 passengers per departure, which would still be profitable. The thing to consider is that our costs don't drop proportionately - our overheads such as coal, water, insurance and staff remain the same. These are big figures. We've planned ways to maintain customer satisfaction while keeping them safe.
"This year, Santa might be waving from a stage, but we will be running Santa steam trains. As soon as we're a little clearer on how we're going to do it, tickets will go on sale. We've got a good product and we want to keep it."
In terms of funding, Phil said: "We're grateful for the generous donations we've received so far. We've applied for everything we can. We've had £ 47,000 awarded through the National Lottery Heritage Fund's Heritage Emergency Fund. We've taken advantage of the furlough scheme - and we were awarded a £ 25,000 grant from Peterborough City Council.
"It's one thing ticking over when your staff are furloughed and costs are being covered by grants, the key to it is what happens when we come out of it - that transition phase - and how the Government handles that is the crunch point for the heritage railway sector.
"Lean times for heritage railways come in January to March - so not only have we got to recover from this year, we've also got to have enough revenue to carry us over until we get the money coming in again at Easter.
"It's going to be a challenging time. Reopening Overton has been a great first step. In a way, it feels like we're pioneering preservation again. Normally, the takings from this station are a little bonus to the weekend, whereas at the moment, every penny counts."
Looking to the future, Phil said: "Out of all this, we must revaluate what we're all doing. It's
Severn Valley
the age- old thing that we can spend too much time thinking about trains - now we've got to broaden our thinking. If heritage lines are to prosper, there has to be a more commercial focus - not just a full- size trainset.
"In many ways, we've got this fantastic asset that is the NVR, and in addition to travelling on the trains, people are also walking and cycling along the wonderful network of paths. We can put the station more at the heart of the community. There tends to be an automatic assumption that the station should only be open when we're running trains. This crisis is perhaps a little wake- up call of where there are other business opportunities. If we have willing volunteers, it could provide welcome additional revenue."
The Severn Valley Railway ( SVR) is tentatively working towards dates for running trains and reopening its popular pubs at Bridgnorth and Kidderminster.
Helen Smith, general manager said: "When I was working at Magna, a visitor attraction near Sheffield, we were flooded in 2007. We had a plan as soon as it happened - we could actually see the effects in front of us, and we knew exactly what we had to do to fix it; the insurance company paid out; and we recovered. With Covid- 19 however, it's so unknown - and everything's continually changing.
"At the SVR, when Covid- 19 first hit us, it was impossible to know how things were going to pan out. How can you make decisions when you don't have sufficient background information? Now, things have moved on considerably, and we've decided the best thing to do is to put a date in the diary and aim to reopen. If it gets put back, it gets put back - but it gives us something positive to aim for and everyone can work together towards that date.
"We've dealt with this whole situation in steps - when it first happened, it was all about fundraising to survive, i. e. how we're going to pay the bills. Looking at how much money we were losing, it would have been easy to focus on doom and gloom, but we resisted that.
"If we were an attraction that was failing badly, we'd be panicking trying to understand why it was happening - but with the coronavirus, we know it's beyond our control, and not the result of anything we're doing wrong. It's a matter of battening down the hatches and surviving until we can reopen, and being realistic that things will not be
normal for possibly another year or so."
Turning to the target reopening dates, Helen said: "The situation could change with little warning as it is dependent on Government guidance. However, we're aiming for July 4 for the pubs and August 1 for running trains - that's when the Prime Minister has indicated attractions will be able to open. We also hope to introduce catering and shops in the second week ofJuly.
"In the coming weeks I'll be calling back senior management and planning staff from furlough in readiness for reopening. We'll be welcoming back volunteers of all ages, as we prepare for reopening, but we will arrange this in a carefully managed way, so that it can be done safely."
Asked how services will operate, Helen said: "While it's not yet set in stone, our current plan envisages selling set journeys using compartment carriages, so you board at Kidderminster or Bewdley and you travel to Bridgnorth or an intermediate station; you return on the same carriage on the same train to your boarding station.
"Passengers would be required to pre- book to ensure we've got manageable numbers in terms of capacity, catering and on the platforms. However, it's important to get sufficient passengers to cover the operating costs and make a profit as we'll be in some considerable debt after this closure. We have to plan to repay it. While our fundraising efforts have done well, we have not covered the loss of income.
"We're hoping the social distancing rules will be reassessed - it would be extremely difficult to achieve 2m on a train.
"Visitors see a day out at the SVR to be an outdoor activity, so we anticipate they'll perceive it to be safer than an indoor activity. We'll have to be careful that we properly communicate what we're expecting. I anticipate we'll be expecting visitors to take personal responsibility for adhering to social distancing. That's what the main line operators are doing.
"We're not going to expect volunteers and staff to police it - we won't know who's from the same household. We have to show we're protecting everyone, but people should be allowed to enjoy their day out.
"We must ensure each step is fully considered
"Out of all this, we mustr evaluatew hat we'rea ll doing. It's the age- old thing that we can spend too much time thinkinga boutt rains- noww e'veg ot to broadeno ur thinking. I f heritagel inesa ret o prospert, h ere hast o be a morec ommerciaflo cus- notj ust a full- sizetr ainset"
and the correct tone is set across the railway. Some staff and volunteers will want stricter measures than others, but we must have uniform rules and systems in place.
"We're trying to ascertain who will still be visiting after we reopen. We're analysing more than 4,500 responses to our customer survey regarding expectations and confidence when we are able to resume operations. Clearly, the grandparents market will be impacted, as will group travel. I'm eager to find out whether people still want to do on- train dining."
Asked what funding options the SVR has taken up, Helen replied: "In addition to the furlough scheme, we've obtained a business rates holiday; and extended our overdraft; deferred some tax. We've applied for a CBILS ( Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) loan and for the National Lottery's Covid- 19 emergency appeal funding. We've applied for everything we can."
As for the future, Helen said: "It will be a period of time that will pass and we've got to get through it while not losing any of the skills we've got in the organisation. We must look to the future. I'm sure we'll be able to do it!"
North Yorkshire Moors
"You can take two options - get miserable or decide it's another challenge and face it. I've decided on the latter," said North Yorkshire Moors Railway ( NYMR) general manager Chris Price.
"We'll get through it. I believe the great British public will quickly migrate back to how they were as soon as the opportunity arises. It's not the end of preservation as we know it - we will clearly have to adapt. In over 60 years of preservation, we've always found a way - this crisis is no different."
Confirming the NYMR has a plan for reopening, Chris said: "Whether we do or not will depend on several parameters. One of the main things is it's got to financially stack up. If it does, too right we'll open!
"We're not going public with our hopedfor reopening date yet. We've taken the opportunity to carry out some of the low- cost infrastructure projects we were going to do next winter in case we have to open for longer this season. The trade- off with that is we won't have an operational railway available until July 20.
"We're looking at several different scenarios. We have to have an adaptive approach because the situation is changing on a daily basis. We've not completely ruled out a traditional method of opening if there is some initiative which mitigates social distancing - such as the 2m rule with the wearing of face masks, which would potentially allow us to open as close to normal as possible. We're also considering mandatory pre- bookings.
"We should be looking at other tourist attractions, such as Alton Towers - not just the heritage rail sector or national network. We've got to be realistic. The 2m rule isn't possible.
"That's why to a certain extent we're not rushing to come up with a method of opening. We're working on the processes, but we have to ensure we're adaptive. When we open, we have to not only consider the health and safety of everyone, but also provide reassurance to would- be travellers."
Turning to finances, Chris said: "Like everyone else, we took the Government's opportunity to support our wage bill with the furlough scheme as soon as we could. We've got five people on the ground and 12 working from home.
"We've got a railway that's currently turning over zero - it's normally in excess of £ 7 million per annum. You can imagine the challenges that brings with it.
"We've got no immediate cash- flow problem as we've got a handle on where our finances are. We know where the pinch- points are.
"We've got the bank's support, but if we take it, we've got to repay it at a cost. There are fundraising options - we have a few ideas up our sleeve we're examining. The fundraising is doing well - we've raised in excess of £ 300,000.
"We've been in negotiations with the National Lottery about our current projects, so we aren't looking at its Covid- 19 support scheme.
"We've converted some of our existing borrowing into the CBILS scheme, which is interest- free for a year. We've also got a payment holiday on our loans. We've benefited too from rate rebates from our local authorities. Basically if it's out there, we've gone for it."
As for staffing, Chris said: "We're yet to open the floodgates for having volunteers on- site - we've only had one or two as we see the need, such as the signal and telegraph work to get the line ready for handing back.
"In addition to two permanent way staff, we've got three members of staff at Grosmont shed. We will have four or five locomotives
available for traffic by the time we reopen, including some Whitby- registered ones, which will be enough."
Chris concluded: "As I said in my ' face to face' interview in HR last year, we have to ensure what we're doing in our sector is sustainable. We've welcomed the opportunity to look critically at ourselves - we've not been distracted running a railway.
"The biggest thing we're currently managing is uncertainty. We are getting there!"
Talyllyn
"We don't know when we'll be reopening yet," said Talyllyn Railway ( TR) general manager Stuart Williams.
"We are awaiting the latest Government advice. We do get a little heads up as Wales has tended to follow England in this crisis, albeit slightly delayed - it's going to roughly follow the same path, i. e. a gradual reintroduction.
"I know some standard gauge lines in England are planning to resume operations by early August, so I'm happy for a little Welsh narrow gauge railway to see how it goes. We certainly don't want to be first off the blocks. We must be sensitive to our local community. We're in no rush. We'll do it when it's right.
' Tm now more optimistic about running trains this season. In early May, I believed we were unlikely to see a train running this year. If other railways are operating and it works well, there should be no reason why we could not follow suit. It would be less capacity, more cost and extra hassle - but there's a need for a lot of people to see trains going up the Fathew Valley for their own mental wellbeing. If we can run and break even, then fine.
"I would like to think we can operate trains by mid- August, but that's a hope - we should be optimistic. We are bound by the Welsh Government, and whether we can operate our service within current guidelines. We can make some preparations now so we don't need to react quickly once the time comes to run a service.
"We're lucky at the TR in that we don't have corridor coaches - we have a door per set of seats. There are things we can do to fit the carriages out, so we can run a compartmentalised train if required and increase our capacity that way a little. However, I expect that by the time we in Wales have reached that point, something will have changed on social distancing. We have time to observe, learn and respond accordingly. We'll be ready.
"We're monitoring, assessing and preparing. We're introducing online training, but we did run trains in February, so it's not as if we've been without operations since last year."
As for finance, Stuart said: "Early on we had £ 25,000 from the business rates scheme, which was easy to apply for. The furlough scheme has been the saviour for so many businesses, especially the tourism sector. We have 21 of our 23 staff currently on furlough. The changes in the furlough scheme, to allow part- time work, means we can look at introducing retail and catering when the Welsh Government gives the go- ahead."
"Furlough is critical. It's guaranteed until the end of October - I hope it can continue for specific industries such as tourism. Such businesses tend to make money for five months and lose for seven months of the year. The first month we normally lose money is October - so if the furlough scheme ends, we've then got another six months of no money to get through. Even limited support for those months would enable us to continue as we are. Removal of all support will mean mass redundancies in the tourism sector, which is just what the Governments are trying to avoid.
"We started a weekly walkabout online. We thought it would only be for two or three weeks - but we're on week nine now. It's become increasingly professional and we are getting around 7000 people watching it - we can't ignore that level of engagement.
"Our Virtual Visit appeal has struck a chord too - it's not far short of £ 90,000. The support has been brilliant. The initial £ 75,000 target was based on us covering the first three months of costs. It's become apparent that as a tourist attraction, we will be the last to come out oflockdown. Therefore, we've increased the appeal target to £ 150,000. We've also got an auction - things money can't buy."
Details can be found at www. talyllyn. co. uk/ covid- 19- update
Ravenglass & Eskdale
The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway is planning to operate some trains in 2020, but it is awaiting further Government guidance.
"We believe we have a workable model," said Stuart Ross, general manager - visitor experience. "We've been looking at our timetable, which will be revised to allow time for cleaning.
"We found the guidance issued by ORR to be thought- provoking and helpful. The challenge is how to deal with social distancing on little trains. We also have to be careful about committing to modifications when the rules may change with little notice.
"We're planning to install screens in our coaches as a temporary measure. Without
that, we can't run trains economically - we'd be operating a 10- coach train with just
20 people.
"I think we'll be gentle with how we reopen - we'll be as sensitive and cautious as we can. This is to reassure the local communities around the railway that we are addressing their concerns about a large influx of tourists. We managed to run up to March 20 - the day pubs were forced to close."
Highlighting some of the positives, Stuart said: "This situation has allowed us to review all we do. We're wondering whether we need to run as many trains, for example. Also, off the back of not being able to trade, we've established an online shop.
"We ran a virtual gala on May 8- 10 - the feedback and levels of engagement were heartening.
"Our museum, which is a separate charity, received a £ 10,000 grant from the Arts Council's Covid- 19 crisis fund. It made up for the lack of donations, which meant the staff member is safe there. While not open to the public, the museum has managed to continue to function. It's gained a lot of information and photographs of the railway in the 1960s, 70s and 80s - so it's been a buoyant, positive place.
"A virtual pub quiz was held one Friday evening in aid of returning Bassett Lowke
4- 4- 2 Synolda to steam. Stage 2 of the project - the chassis - can now happen."
However, Stuart said a big worry is the loss of the coach tour market. "We're going to feel the impact of that. Among others, we've regularly welcomed coaches with David Urquhart Travel's clients - but the firm has announced it is to wind up its coach operation."
Stuart concluded: "When operations restart, we would like people to travel on our trains as soon as they are able to. Britain's heritage lines need all the support they can get."
South Devon
"We're now facing the biggest crisis since the railway was closed by BR in 1962 - it's that serious," a South Devon Railway spokesman warned.
"If we pull it off, it will effectively be the third time the railway's been saved. The majority of our staff are furloughed - a couple of people have been brought back to run the admin and finance functions. We're grateful for volunteers' efforts, particularly directors, some of whom have worked through the night on several occasions to get things right.
"Our engineering business has a limited number of staff and volunteers, who are working strictly within health and safety and social distance regulations doing the contract work. The engineering business can bring in revenue, but it's by no means enough to safeguard the railway.
"All expenditure has been carefully examined. We're looking at the options. We have weekly virtual planning meetings. We're entirely in the hands of Government as to what, when or if things might change.
"We're keeping a careful eye on Santa trains - it's 10% of our income stream. Another 10% comes from the group travel market. It's a vital source of revenue - it provides regular,
easy midweek traffic, particularly during the early and late season. We've worked hard to grow that segment and it's sad to see it crash and burn. I hope coach travel can resume promptly."
Cleethorpes Coast
"For seasonal tourism businesses, the lockdown couldn't have come at a worst time," said Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway ( CCLR) director John Kerr.
"We'd spent a lot in readiness to reopen for April - such as painting, track work, cleaning and marketing. A lot of the £ 10,000 Government grant we had early in lockdown went straight to paying the bills of the upgrades - yet we've been unable to get payback as we've not had any customers.
"Therefore, we're aiming to raise £ 10,000 by crowdfunding www. crowdfunder. co. uk/ keepusontrack. We're offering a host of incentives to donors. Without support, it's going to knock everything we've put into the railway back by one- two years."
Restrictions permitting, as of May 28, the CCLR hopes to reopen in July with a skeleton staff.
"We won't consider running if we believe we'll be putting visitors or staff at risk. In light of all that, we also realise that we have to keep going - we celebrated our 70th anniversary two years ago, which showed the support our railway has."
John added: "Because our Signalbox Inn is the smallest pub on the planet, we have a large beer garden. We will open that as soon as we're permitted, which will support the railway.
"Our full- time staff are furloughed, ensuring they have income. If people want us to be here for years to come, a small donation would be a gratefully received."
"Wheno perationrse startw, e wouldl ikep eoplet o travelo n ourt rainsa ss oona st heya rea blet o. Britain'hs eritageli nes needa llt he support heyc ang et."
Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland
The Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways has furloughed 92 out of97 full- time staff, while 40 seasonal staff who were due to start have all be laid off.
"We've so far been unable to access other grants - although there remains a chance we may be successful in the second round of grants by Heritage Lottery Fund and Welsh Government," said the line's general manager Paul Lewin.
Asked about plans for reopening, Paul replied: "As of May 27, the Welsh Government has given no indication as to when it may be possible to open tourism or leisure attractions.
"The current 2m arrangements for social distancing means railways of all types can only operate at 10- 15% capacity. Nobody can make money out of running trains with that few passengers.
"It remains to be seen what package of measures will be developed. For example, train operator Go Via Thameslink is currently trialling a spray which can be applied to the inside of carriages which protects the surfaces from the virus for 30 days. If it succeeds, that could be revolutionary for our sector.
"If we see a solution which makes sense where we could run trains where they would at least break even, then we'll consider our position."
Turning to the line's popular Spooners pub, Paul said: "If you've got small pubs where the capacity is much reduced, you can't make money. Our catering offer relies on a strong flow of customers on the trains. While there is a small amount oflocal trade, there's vigorous competition for it. There's no point in reopening to make heavier losses than you're making while you're closed."
Paul concluded: "A small number of staff are working on engineering projects alongside the essential care and maintenance work. Our online shop is bringing a small but persistent flow of orders, for which we're very grateful." Ifill
( Packs of 10 £ 5.50, plus £ 3.60 p& p). Order on line from www.festrail.co.uk/shop/ or telephone 01766 516034.
WHILE heritage railways throughout Britain are left wondering what the summer season may bring, the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways has jumped ahead to release its 2020 Christmas cards, featuring two new designs.
The first illustrates a Ffestiniog Railway train returning to Porthmadog from Blaenau Ffestiniog, with one assumes, a post- Christmass ervice. D ouble Fairlie 0- 44- 0T David Lloyd Georgeis depicted arriving at Boston Lodge Halt- one of the line's first- class Pullman observation carriages is immediately behind the locomotive.
A particularly nice touch is the inclusion of a robin in the foreground on top of a post in the bottom left- hand corner.
The second design features NGG16 articulated Garratt
No. 143 at the Welsh Highland Railway's Caernar fonterminus - the town's famous castle dominating the skyline.
The fact that the locomotive carries a Santa special headboard leaves one in no doubt that this scene depicts the run up to Christmas.
The host of welcome detail includes a group of passengers suitably attired; a child being hauled by its parents on a sledge; festive wreaths on the railings; a Christmas tree at the station building's platform entrance; a railway operating staff member on the platform; and a photographer pointing his camera towards the footplate. Not to be forgotten is the snowman behind the 2- 6- 2+ 2- 6- 2T on the trackbed towards Bangor.
The wonderful works of art are based on original watercolours by Richard Marsh. Each pack of 10 cards and envelopes contains five of each design. The greeting inside is bi- lingual
( Welsh/ English') Nadolig Llawena Blwyddyn Newydd Dda' and ' With Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year'.
The attractive designs will appeal to enthusiasts and non- enthusiasts alike, helping to support the F& WHR financially, as well as raising awareness of these scenic Welsh lines. APPEALING DESIGNS