Give us the steam we pay for

Referring to your article in SR530 regarding coal supplies prompting railways to cut steam services, while we are all appreciative of the problems of supplies and costs, by cutting steam services and substituting diesel haulage, I would think that the railways would be cutting their own throats.

Several times in the past, I have travelled long distances to travel on a heritage railway steam service, only to be disappointed to arrive and find that diesels have been substituted. Of course,

engine failure and so on can’t all be the fault of the railways; indeed, when this has happened on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, they have very kindly sent a free set of tickets for another day. However, most enthusiasts and families come to ride a vintage steam train, as advertised, and diesel substitution amounts almost to fraud. The inevitable response would be, ‘Well, I won’t be going there again’. So, come on steam railways, give us the products that we are paying for and the product we go there to expect. Even if the cost is higher and more difficult to provide,

your customers are worth it. I applaud everyone who has banned double-heading; this is an extravagance that we all could do without.

Warren Blythe, by email

Ed: I think you’re being a tad harsh there, Warren. Railways are marginal businesses, and significant increases in coal prices pose a serious threat to their sustainability. Running fewer steam services and increasing the use of diesels helps balance the books, and most railways advertise what motive power will be hauling their services well in advance, so nobody should be caught out. If we want our railways to

survive long-term, temporary diesel substitution is something we have to accept while coal prices remain prohibitively high – better to have fewer steam days than no steam days at all, surely?