‘Night Ferry’ revival at Locomotion

Railways receive heritage lottery support to aid Covid-19 fightback

is no doubt there is still a lot of nervousness among the public.

“I think it will take a few weeks to build up again.

“The need to book in advance seems to be an issue. We are developing a system to achieve the same ends that will be available right up until boarding time, though pre-booking is still recommended.

“Fundamentally though, I think we have a good and safe system in place. We just need everyone to come and visit now.

The railway was due to run its first dining train on July 19, with all the food preparation done off the train, and additional measures such as seat-back screens between groups.

Diesel-hauled services also got underway at the Swanage Railway on July 11, running four times a day through to July 31.

The five-coach trains ran four times a day, starting and ending at Swanage, and did not call at Herston Halt, Harman’s Cross or Corfe Castle stations, with passengers not being able to join the trains at Norden.

The following day – July

12 – marked the Isle of Wight Steam Railway’s (IoWSR) return to service after one of the longest breaks to the operating timetable in almost 50 years.

Like the North Norfolk Railway, the IoWSR’s vintage rolling stock offers separate compartments for passengers, and trains run non-stop over the full length of the line.

The layout of Havenstreet station has also been changed to allow people to move around more freely.

‘Great day out’

General manager Steve Backhouse said: “There have been some changes to ensure everyone’s safety, but we’re confident our visitors can enjoy a great day out.

“Our carriages offer separate compartments for travel along the entire track, and our staff are on-hand to open and close the doors. So it feels like first class for everyone.”

Elsewhere, the Kent & East Sussex Railway returned to operation on July 18, having introduced what it described as “a rigorous cleaning regime”, contactless bookings, and social distancing in place around the site and in its ‘open’ carriages.

Tickets have to be pre-booked and passengers can only join and alight at Tenterden station. Face coverings are also mandatory.

The East Somerset Railway also started running trains again the same day with visiting 2-6-2T No. 4555, while the Great Central Railway was expected to follow suit on July 25, running a trial train for members on

July 19.

The Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway was also planning to resume operations on July 25.

Further preserved lines and museums were expected to reopen during late-July and early-August – a full list of the railways and their reopening dates can be found in the Headline News section on page 9.

A NUMBER of heritage railways have had their coronavirus survival hopes boosted by grant awards from the National Heritage Lottery Fund’s

‘Heritage Emergency Fund’ (HEF), specifically aimed at keeping the businesses running through the post-lockdown period.

The largest grant received by any line was the £250,000 given to the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) to help it survive in the immediate future as it prepares to reopen on August 1.

The funding is in addition to the £750,000 the SVR raised through its own Fight Back Fund, along with sale of SVR shares.

The Caledonian Railway, at Brechin, was the recipient of a £115,500 award from the

HEF, which is in addition to the £96,000 grant from the 3rd Sector Resilience Fund and £10,000 from Angus Council.

The fund has also given smaller, yet no less significant grants, to other preserved lines, including the Wensleydale Railway (£50,000), Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (£50,000), Bala Lake Railway (£40,000), Nene Valley Railway (£47,000), Bressingham (£46,700), Strathspey Railway (£45,500), Isle of Wight Steam Railway (£39,300), Buckinghamshire Railway Centre (£30,500), Colne Valley Railway (£29,800), the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (£25,200), the RPSI at Whitehead (£19,500), and Didcot Railway Centre (£9,900).

The Llangollen Railway has received £70,000 from the Welsh Government to help it survive the Covid-19 crisis.

Winston Churchill