‘Western’ diesel pair to go carbon neutral

Western Locomotive Association becomes first British diesel locomotive owning group to offset carbon emissions.

THE Western Locomotive Association (WLA) has become the inaugural diesel locomotive group in the British Isles to offset its carbon emissions. Based on the Severn Valley Railway (SVR), the WLA owns ‘Westerns’ No. D1062 Western Courier and No. D1013 Western Ranger – and it is now working with a specialist rewilding charity, which is planting trees in the Scottish Highlands to offset its carbon emissions.

The Talyllyn Railway became Britain’s first heritage line to offset its carbon emissions earlier this summer.

“One of our board members put it quite bluntly,” said the WLA’s press officer Paul Finch. “He said our engines are ‘60-year-old gas-guzzling machines’ – so we decided to take action now, to offset the carbon emissions they produce. “A Class 52 consumes one gallon of fuel per mile, and an average running day on the

SVR is 64 miles. We plan to operate on 20 days per year. We know that each gallon of diesel fuel burnt produces 10.9kg of carbon dioxide, so if you crunch the numbers, we’ll produce around 15 tonnes per annum.”

The group turned to the charity Trees for Life, to set up ‘Whizzo Woods’ grove, reflecting the nickname for Class 52s. The grove is located in Glen Affric, approximately 15 miles west of Loch Ness, where Trees for Life has been rewilding for 25 years.

To offset one metric tonne of carbon, 4.19 trees need to be planted, so the objective is to plant a minimum of 62 trees per annum.

To finance this the WLA has set up a direct debit mandate with Trees for Life to purchase half of these trees per annum, with the balance purchased through donations.

After the first four months, 62 trees have already been planted. The WLA can be supported in this initiative by purchasing trees through its on-line store at £6 per tree. They will also benefit from Gift Aid when trees are purchased in this way. Trees can of course also be paid for directly through Trees for Life for planting in Whizzo Woods.

Meanwhile, No. D1062 Western Courier is being prepared for a number of visits to other heritage railways.