Making it happen again 70 years on
MAY 14 saw the Talyllyn Railway mark 70 years since it was taken over by volunteers, marking the start of the world's operational heritage railway movement. Here in 2021, our armies of staff and volunteers are having to do it all over again because of the Covid pandemic, the biggest threat to the sector in seven decades of ground-breaking history – and they are doing it magnificently.
In the days before going to press, my inbox became a treasure trove of stunning pictures from Britain's top trackside photographers, with not only heritage railways but main line tours starting to go full steam ahead once more. That alone justified our decision to increase our size to a record 116 pages as we aim to present readers with the biggest and best coverage of the preservation scene, which despite the setbacks of the pandemic, is giving a clear impression of being as vibrant as ever.
The response of our heritage lines to the wartime situation presented by coronavirus and the necessary lockdown continues to be utterly commendable, with the innovative implementations of social distancing measures setting a shining example to all. While lines have been closed, volunteers have been hard at work completing ancillary projects for the future betterment of their line.
It has been said that the 1953 Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt drew on the experience of the Talyllyn pioneers and broadcast the concept of ordinary people saving“their”railway to a worldwide audience, thereby widening the foundations of the preservation movement. It was 17 years later, in a country which had been devoid of main line steam for two years, that The Railway Children had arguably a greater impact in enlightening the general public to the success of preservation and making the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway a household name, which it still enjoys to this day.
We look forward to the sequel to the hugely-acclaimed 1970 movie now being filmed on the same line, with Jenny Agutter returning to play the same character.
The never-say-die response of the new management of the Llangollen Railway also cannot be but applauded. Having to watch the heartbreaking sale of much of this beautiful line's rolling stock by auction as a result of financial problems in one department long preceding Covid, the Llangollen Railway Trust is pulling out all the stops to aim for a summer reopening, and in doing so deserves our full support.
Elsewhere, I have been left astonished by threats to close the Wells Harbour Railway. Not only has this splendid little line become a trademark of Wells-next-the-Sea since it was laid 46 years ago, but it provides genuine‘green'transport in taking visitors from the town to the beach, thereby tackling road traffic congestion at peak periods, and I therefore urge the powers that be to do all they can to pull out every last stop to save this very useful attraction.
This issue of Heritage Railway contains our biggest-ever news section. To ensure that you are up to speed with essential developments in the sector as they happen, turn to page 30 and look at our subscription offers.
“The Railway Children had arguably a greater impact in enlightening the general public to the success of preservation and making the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway a household name, which it still
enjoys to this day.”