Lockdown hits heritage railways hard

THE 2020 programme of steam and diesel galas has been decimated as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, with many events already cancelled or postponed and others likely to be.

All lines that were due to open to the public at or before Easter have had to delay doing so, and some have even closed to volunteers for the time being.

For many heritage lines, this has had a major impact on their finances, and a number of appeals have been set up. The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, for example, has launched its ‘Worth Saving’ appeal, stating “the cancellation of our passenger trains, events and the closure of our commercial outlets will hit us hard”. Presently, the line has cancelled all services and events until the end of May, so the Diesel

Gala on June 26-28 may still go ahead, depending on the situation.

BIG LOSSES

Other lines that have set up appeals include the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which says it could lose up to £1 million, and the Severn Valley Railway, which says it needs to find £250,000 over the next three months or it may not survive.

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway has suffered another problem, with repairs being needed to a landslip at Gotherington, while the East Lancashire Railway has had to contend with a burglary of around £10,000 worth of brass and copper loco parts which occurred within hours of the site’s closure. Additional security measures have now been put in place.

One of the first major events in the diesel calendar to be postponed was the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway’s gala on March 27-29. Even before the cancellation, it had been announced that No. 58023 would be unable to attend due to transit move issues. The line is hoping to reschedule the event for a new date in the autumn.

The Swanage and Severn Valley Railways are also looking at new dates later in the year. It is possible the Severn Valley may use its autumn ‘home fleet’ gala slot at the beginning of October for a larger event.

As well as the railways themselves, the cancellation of events, running days and the closure of sites has also had an impact on locomotive and rolling stock owners.

For example, the Deltic Preservation Society’s No. 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier had already moved to Freightliner’s Midland Road depot for tyre turning, after which it was planned to go directly to Chinnor. Instead, arrangements had to be made for it to return to the DPS depot at Barrow Hill, which has since been closed to volunteers until June 30.

The visit of Class 24 No. D5054 (24054) to the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is now likely to take place in August, following the cancellation of the line’s April gala.