A post-coal future?
Welcome to NGW159 at the end of what has been a very busy month on the narrow gauge scene. In particular the weekend of 10th-11th July seemed to be chosen by just about every NG venue desperate to stage an event after a year and a half out of action – there were at least four Galas, and after so long with so little unusual activity to bring you we celebrate them in this issue with effectively an extended News Gallery section.
Myself, I wasn’t able to go to any of them, as I was served a three-line whip to attend a family wedding in Surrey that had previously been twice postponed by the pandemic. Frustratingly on our way to visit our grandson on the Sunday, we actually drove right past the front gate of Amberley museum, which was staging its Railway Gala, without being able to go in!
The wedding was one of two occasions this month when I was required to wear a suit – and as the picture of the other occasion on page 7 shows, a suit is by no means my natural attire!
The visit of the All-Party Pariamentary Group for Heritage Rail to the Welshpool & Llanfair was an interesitng occasion, and not just because I had my first ride on ‘my’ railway since 2019! (I feel ashamed to admit this, which was the result of a combination of various cirumstances).
As we report on page 7 HRA President Lord Faulkner, who presented awards during the
W&LLR visit, has been lobbying hard in the House of Lords to secure an exemption for heritage steam from restrictions in coal use, contained within a forthcoming environmental bill.
As the Covid pandemic recedes the issue of future coal supplies for heritage steam is resuming prominence, though in all honesty it’s never really gone away.
Cutting-room floor
While Government insists that its green agenda has no intention of harming the heritage movement and the millions it contirbutes to UK tourism, it is clear that coal is becoming an ever more touchy subject amongst the rule makers. A Department of Transport film crew accompanied the Parliamentarians to Welshpool, and we were firmly told we wren’t allowed to mention coal – when we suggested dropping the word into interviews, we were told we would just add to the editing the crew would have to do...
The heritage industry is not, however, simply complaining long and loud of the likely effects of restrictions on future coal supplies – it’s trying to do something about it, by researching alternatives.
I’m particularly pleased to include in this issue a detailed feature describing the most extensive trials of alternatives to traditional coal yet carried out on any UK heritage railway. And the line chosen to carry out these trials? The 15-inch gauge Bure Valley Railway in Norfolk, conducting tests with ‘bio-coals’ that the entire heritage steam movement, not just narrow gauge, will be studying closely.
As you will read in this issue the results of these tests were encouraging – chiefly they showed that bio-coal can replicate the Welsh steam coal we’ve been using for so long, providing steam production needed while producing less emissions and ash.
The problem, for now, is cost – bio-coal is much more expensive than traditional coal and one thing no heritage railway needs now is more big bills. Surely, however, this is a problem that can be overcome with the right backing from the people that hold the purse strings.
Importantly, railways making every effort to clean up their act sends a positive message to the wider world – we will follow future developments in this area closely.
“When we suggested dropping the word coal into interviews, we were told we would just add to the editing needed...”
Coming attractions
Meanwhile, enjoy your NGW and make sure you pick up next month’s issue when we start a three-part series describing the formative years of three ‘Hunslet homes’ at Llanberis, Bala and Bressingham. We were due to begin the series this month, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Llanberis Lake Railway, but then we were told of some more extensive information that would make the feature so much better, so of course we decided to wait – we do things properly on NGW!