DISMAY OVER DROPLIGHTS

I read with a growing sense of foreboding the article on droplight window dangers (SR496).

Photographs of trains in the various magazines show enthusiasts looking out of droplight windows, and this forms an essential part of the experience and creates a superb atmosphere, especially at galas. If this were to be taken away, what is left is a sanitised version for day trippers who are, of course, very welcome, but many of whom may not be regular visitors to railways.

Many railways have already decided to discontinue lineside photographic passes or are reviewing their viability, and there is a real risk that the people who really care about the railways and who sometimes provide a useful function by reporting safety issues may be lost.

I am considering whether to discontinue membership of several railways for these reasons.

The number of injuries caused by leaning from droplight windows or from lineside photographic activities on heritage lines is just about zero, and those deaths and injuries that have occurred are mainly owing to third-party action, (e.g. failure to observe warning lights at crossings).

Please don’t get me wrong, health and safety organisations are the good guys and have prevented many injuries and deaths over the years by prohibiting dangerous working practices which may otherwise be implemented by unscrupulous employers. The death which gave rise to the article was a terrible tragedy, but it was a very rare event and there comes a point where individuals must take responsibility for their own safety. John Jones,

Pevensey Bay, East Sussex