Headline News
■ Dartmouth leads the way out of lockdown as steam back for summer
■ Tributes paid to popular main line traction inspector Jim Smith
■ Sir Rod Stewart becomes patron of B17 Spirit of Sandringham builder
■ Steam action at Minehead for two weekends this summer
■ Heritage lines make new Restoring Your Railway Fund shortlist
JULY 23,2020, mayhavemarked either thebeginning of theendof the greatest crisis that theUKheritage railway sectorhas ever faced… or theendof thebeginning.
As the world faced its greatest hidden killer in living memory, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the lockdown restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid- 19 would be eased further.
That announcement lit the blue touch paper formany of the lines, who for four months had been deprived of income from ticket sales and retail outlets vital for their survival, and found themselves existing on donations ( News, page 12).
Despite their enthusiasm to run again, expert advice has been carefully sought from local councils and bodies like the Office of Rail and Road as to howbest to effect the most stringent social distancing measures with the utmost concern for the safety of their passengers.
TheDartmouth Steam Railway & Riverboat Companymay well have becomeamarket leader in this field as it went full steam ahead with preparations to restart its trains on Monday, July 6, twodays after pubs, restaurants, hotels, bed and breakfasts, cinemas, museums, galleries, libraries and theme parks were allowed to reopen.
With all but three staff laid off on furlough, managing director John Jones and head of engineering Paul Merrington between them spent weeks making around 200 bespoke frames with transparent screens and fixing them between the seating sections of the carriages.
An £ 800 fogmachine is being used to spray a sanitising solution, made from salt water, through each carriage at the end of every day’s services. Once the fog condenses into water droplets and falls on the seats, any virus or bacteria harmful or otherwise will be killed overnight, making deep cleansing far more thorough.
And there’smore. Theopportunity was taken to builda170ft platform extension at Paignton Queen’s Park station to accommodate an extra coach. In the past, when trains were one coach length too long for the platform, passengers had to walk through the next one to get off. Withsocial distancing the number one priority, that situation is nowunthinkable.
Adaptation
Furthermore, theability to add an extra coachmeant that the railway had a far better chanceofmaintaining levels of ticket sales, despitehaving to reduce seating in all carriages.
TheHeadof Steam Cafe at Queen’s Park has also been screened, while passengers on both the trains and river/ sea cruises have been instructed to wear a face covering to help reduce the risk of transmission.
Small was beautiful again as the Romney, Hythe& Dymchurchnamed July 4 for its restart, with transparent screens having been fitted in its carriages and a rate of other measures introduced. The same day – the Cleethorpes Coast, Evesham Vale and Wells& Walsingham light railways and the Perrygrove, Lappa Valley, North Bay, Ruislip Lido Moors Valley railways were all due back, although theWells & Walsingham said it would not run all the way toWalsingham until August.
TheNorth Norfolk Railway rescheduled its comeback services for a July 8 start, using compartment stock to run four trains a day nonstop from Sheringham to Holt. Passengers have to book in advance an isolated compartment for up to eight people, with each compartment thoroughly cleanedbetween journeys. The railway will maintain twometre distancing on and around stations to provide greater safety for visitors and staff.
While the Snowdon Mountain Railway reopened on July 10, the trains were diesel- hauled and ranonly from Llanberis to Clogwyn.
Pre- booking is a requisite for Swanage Railway services scheduled for a July 11 restart, with four- times- aday Swanage to Norden return trips, with passengers unable to board or alight at Norden, Corfe Castle, Harman’s Cross or Herston Halt. Capacity is strictly limited, with seat allocations observing social distancing regulations. As highlighted inNews, page 20, the Mid- Hants Railway was also aiming for July 11.
The Kent & East Sussex Railway plans to restart its passenger services on July 18. Trains will depart from Tenterden for Bodiam on Saturdays and Sundays at 10.40amand 1.15pm, comprisingamixture of compartment and open plan stock, with the former being offered to family groups and the latter adopting‘ zig- zag’ social distancing.
Locomotives rostered for the weekend trains are Southern Railway USA 0- 6- 0T No. 30070 Frank S. Ross and Hunslet 0- 6- 0ST No. 25 Northiam. GWR 0- 6- 0PT No. 1638 will be undertaking test runs after work on its axleboxes.
Competencies
TheGreat Central Railway aims to start up on July 25, after running several test trains to ensurethat all safety- critical competenciesare updated. However, itmaywell be that passengers will not be able to boardor alight at Leicester North, in view of theGovernment’s re- establishment of lockdownfor a fortnight fromJune 30, followingaspike in Covid- 19cases in that city.
The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway’s July 25 comeback services will comprise compartment coaches hauled by a diesel.
The SevernValley Railway’s restart began with the opening of the King & Castle pub at Kidderminster Town station and the Railwayman’s Arms at
No. 61264 may be further back, having had cracks discovered in its firebox corners that will need specialist welding. Trains will include twoMk. 1s previously placed on loan to the GloucestershireWarwickshire Railway and now recalled to the NYMR.
TheDean Forest Railway will also restart services on August 1, but passengers will be able to boardonly at Norchard and trains will not stop atWhitecroft or Lydney Town, with diesels used on one day of weekends and a diesel railcar used in midweek. TheChurnet Valley Railway hopes to start again the same day.
The Bluebell Railway has a provisional reopening date of Friday, August 7, to coincide with its 60th birthday, the arranged anniversary gala having already been cancelled. The provisional date has allowed time for some staff and volunteers to return to work in mid- July to carry out the necessary safety checks. It will initially run trains at weekends and then increase its weekday services if there is sufficient demand, and all tickets must be pre- booked, trains comprising compartment carriages.
Resumption
visit at one of the venue’s popular steam days when it is possible to resume running trains and reopen further facilities. At first, catering facilities will be limited to takeaways.
Broadland District Council threw the 15in gauge BureValley Railway a lifeline when members agreed to waive the railway’s rent payments until September because of its total loss of income. The railway then announced it would resume trains on July 11 with a limited steam- hauled service toWroxham at weekends, adding services fromTuesdays to Thursdays from August 1. On each train only alternate compartments will be in use and all compartments will be divided by clear screens, and accordingly, visitors were not required to wear face coverings.
Further reopenings
➜ Bridgnorth on July 4. Until lockdown began in March, the Railwayman’s Arms had been continuously open since 1861.
As reported last issue, the SVR is – provisionally – aiming to relaunch services on August 1, with two round trips of the 16- mile line from Kidderminster and one from Bridgnorth. The trains will comprise all- compartment coaches, with each six- seater compartment costing £ 75 – pre- booking is mandatory – and will stop only at Highley for the Engine House museum and visitor centre. Visitwww. svr. co. uk to confirmtrains are runningonparticular dates, and to book tickets.
Following the cancellation of the line’s hugely- popular Step Back to the 1940s weekend, the group behind them has launched two fundraising films to showcase a virtual version of the event, including specially filmed performances from many of the entertainers. They are available online through the Severn Valley Railway channel onYouTube.
TheNorth YorkshireMoors Railway will begin running services on Saturday, August 1 – YorkshireDay – but in two separate 60- minute shuttles, rather than the full length of the line or on toWhitby.
As part of a phased reopening, strictly pre- booked, non- stop steamhauled, services with limited capacity will operate between Pickering and Levisham, plus Grosmont and Goathland return seven daysaweek.
Staff will be cleaning carriages and compartments after each service and therewill be no on- board toilets. All booking offices, the Pickering tea room and gift shop, Grosmont’s gift shop and all facilities at Levisham and Goathland will be off limits.
Passengers will be asked to wear a face mask while moving around the railway and on the train, but they may be removedwhile seated in a compartment. They can book either a private six- seat compartment or travel in a standardTSO carriage with social distancing measures in place.
With wintermaintenance on its operating locomotive fleet all but completed before lockdown began, the reasonably- sized pool for service will include Nos. 30926 Repton, 45428 Eric Treacy, 65894 and Lambton
No. 29, with one or both of Nos. 30825 and 76079 not too far behind. LNER B1 previously announced that it would not run services until at least the end of August, has since announced a limited programme will nowstart on August 15.
The three- days- a- week round trips must be booked in advance. Running fromToddington station, they will stop at Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway, but not at Hayles Abbey Halt, Winchcombe or Gotherington.
The six- coach trains will comprise five compartment carriages, with each compartment available ataminimum cost of £ 50 for up to two people, with each additional person costing £ 10 up toamaximum total of six people.
After the longest shutdown in the line’s 36- year operatinghistory, many volunteers in operational roles, such as signalling, guards, traindrivers and station staff will need to regain their certificates of competency. Accordingly, the railway planned to run some‘ ghost trains’in advance to ensure the utmost safety for the public.
Didcot Railway Centrewas scheduled to reopen to visitors from Saturday, July 4, with a policy of limiting numbers and requiring tickets to be booked in advance for specific arrival times.
Initially, Open- Air DiscoveryDays will thereafter run on weekends andWednesdays to allowvisitors to explore the 21- acre sitewith special outdoor displays and photographic opportunities including steam engines, goods trains and a locomotive onthe turntable. The Engine Shed will be open with cab visits to GWR 4- 6- 0No. 5900 Hinderton Hall subject to a one- way system, as is the carriage and wagondisplay area. Some indoor facilities where space is very confined, such as the original airraid shelter, will remain closed initially.
Tickets for the Open- Air Discovery Days will also be valid for a second At the Kirklees LightRailway ( featured on pages 74- 77), staffwere brought back fromfurlough and volunteer activityhas resumedfor a July 11 restart. Adult visitors arebeing asked towear facemaskswhen travelling on the trains orwhen withinone to two metres of people fromoutside their social bubbles.
Talyllyn Railway general manager Stuart Williams hoped to run the first trains by the end of July or early August, but instead of carrying up to 700 passengers during the day, social distance restrictions might limit the number to 100.
TheGloucestershireWarwickshire Railway, which as reported last issue, TheSouth DevonRailwaywas looking at reopeningthe 13- acresite at Buckfastleigh station in late July, including the Dartmoor Otters& Buckfast Butterflies centre, and a return to possible railwayoperations in August. However, the Bodmin& Wenford Railwayhas said it will not reopen for thesummer.
Other announced reopenings: July 4, Ruislip Lido Railway, Seaton Tramway; July 5, Groudle Glen Railway; July10, SnowdonMountain Railway; July11, Crich Tramway Village; July 12, Isle ofWight Steam Railway; July15, Devon Railway Centre: July18, East Anglian Railway Museum; July 23, BeamishMuseum; July 25, Embsay& BoltonAbbeySteam Railway, NeneValleyRailway; August 1, EppingOngarRailway; August 2, Northampton& LamportRailway.
More lines will undoubtedly join the list afterwe close for press– but ensure to check with your chosen railway before travelling in case of unforeseen changes.