STEAM RETURNS, BUT NO UNIFIED VIEW ON FACE COVERINGS

In-cab signalling for ‘A1’ and ‘5MT’

I WANT TO GET IT RIGHT FIRST TIME

KELLY OSBORNE, RAILWAY TOURING COMPANY

It’s back! At just after 7.50am on July 15 Britannia broke the famine – with the first public main line steam since March. Just 2½ hours later, the ‘Jacobite’ followed from Fort William at 10.15am. With those first moves from Crewe (Saphos) and in the West Highlands (West Coast), the ‘Covid steam ban’ is over. As gricers, we can rightly enjoy the moment.

But the results of all this are very far from over. Income slashed, overhauls delayed, differing views on legislation and how to move forward… and more cancellations. Oh… and a ravaged economy and talk of a possible second coronavirus wave worse than the first. Sorry.

Yet all this has also shown us the value of what we have – or at least what we’ve had until now. If I’d suggested a year ago that we’d soon be celebrating a day when just the ‘Jacobite’ and one other train ran… well, would you have taken the idea seriously?

It will be a long time – if ever – before things are back to ‘normal’. This is not over. But we are celebrating the first steps, and we should be. Indeed sometimes it’s not only about vast numbers: what benefit rucks of trains if all are the same, monotonous?

Rarity has its own quality – and special trains have once again become… very special.

July 15 marked a new start. It’s OK to smile.

SEEKING CLARITY

Where next? Railway Touring Company boss Kelly Osborne has said her outfit hopes to start trains from August 8 – but is “still looking for clarity and guidance before we make the decision.”

The problem? The new law on face coverings on public transport, which caught the charter movement by surprise just a few weeks ago (SR508). It’s not just RTC; Steam Dreams boss David Buck described the legislation on July 15 as

“a very serious impediment”.

Plus, although the rules that launched on June 15 only cover England, Scotland has since introduced its own version, and Wales is expected to follow by July 27. Everyone will have to formulate a view.

So first, some good news. Following extensive back room consultation, there’s now general unanimity that – despite initial fears – dining on trains will be OK. But that is also pretty much where a unified view ends.

Locomotive Services and its related promoters Saphos and Statesman have been the most confident. The Crewe argument – despite previous Department for Transport contentions to the contrary (SR507) – is that charters are “a leisure and hospitality product and certainly not public transport.”

That is important – because on it hangs whether the new rules even apply. The Crewe view is that prior to July 4’s opening of the leisure sector (provided it meets ‘Covid Secure’ guidelines) “leisure travel has been prohibited, and, although we are able to comply with current guidelines, we have not operated charter services.”

The Hosking family accepts that face coverings “would indeed be required” if Covid requirements couldn’t be met – but with perspex screens, social distanced seating plans and so on, “this is not the case”.

Given this, “and due to the strict controls we have in place”, LSL says it “will not require customers to wear face coverings when seated in our Statesman or Saphos trains.”

As you know, its first train ran on July 15 – right as these words were being written.

But others are taking a different line – and for some, deadlines are pressing. Last issue, Steam Dreams’ David Buck described the face coverings law as “a hasty bit of legislation”, argued that “we should not be classified as public transport” – and said he hoped and expected “that an exemption will be granted”.

But chafe as he might, right now he’s decided that he needs to accept it. And his view of this as “a very serious impediment” is not just gut feel – he’s surveyed passengers and asked. The result: “A very significant number of our customers would not wish to travel wearing face coverings.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly then, all this has what he describes as “a very significant impact on our decision making process”. And that process is pretty urgent: as things stand, and despite the cancellation of the ‘Windsors’ (see separate story), he still has ambitions to restart trains in August.

RTC is in a similar place: “I don’t want to rush this, and want to get it right first time” said Kelly on July 15. “We’ll make a final decision two weeks out.”

So, what is the DfT’s view? The department has issued various guidelines – but in July SR asked two simple questions, in an attempt to gain absolute clarity: 1) Face coverings aboard charter trains – yes or no?

2) Regardless of above, dining trains – yes or no?

As yet, we’ve had no formal answer…

JOHN COOPER-SMITH We can smile at steam’s return – but there was sadness too about Britannia’s first post-lockdown run. For the smokebox wreath was for one of main line steam’s true gents: DB Cargo Traction Inspector Jim Smith, who died in June. Jim was there for some of the movement’s most memorable moments such as 2002’s Royal Train with Duchess of Sutherland, and more recently Tornado’s 100mph trial run. But those lucky enough to know this out and out steam man will also remember his unfailingly courteous and humorous good company – not least at the annual enginemen’s reunion he organised for years. On July 15, No. 70000 drags its ‘Fellsman’ from the 1-in-100 onto a brief stretch of level north of Helwith Bridge on the ‘S&C’ as LSL’s debut post-lockdown special heads for Carlisle from Crewe. RIP Jim. A full tribute is on page 32.