Is there such a thing as too many heritage railways?

Quite so. Preservation is full of compromises.

 

Alright then:

1) There's more corridor than non corridor coaches around preserved in the first place because in general, non corridor coaches were earlier period, so any surviving take more effort to restore.

2) They tend to have an awful lot of doors! This is a pain for both restoration and maintenance and when in service making sure they're all shut.

3) They make it harder to inspect tickets unless you have enough folk on the platform, so require more staff than just 1 TTI on a train.

None of these reasons make non corridor coaches completely unsuitable for heritage use as certain railways have clearly proved, but it does make it harder and less attractive to do so.

 

The SVR has LNER Tourist Open Third 24105, converted to include space for four wheelchair users. It had already been fitted with double doors on one side when part of the ER Emergency Control Train, so these were kept.

 

All this can be and is coped with. The benefit to "authenticity" and any real feeling of "heritage" is immense.

PH

 

As someone who was at the North Norfolks Diesel Gala this year, coming out of Holt in a Mk1 sub I suddenly needed a pee! Not being able to just go and empty my bladder was a huge inconvenience (pardon the pun) those 2 1/2 miles with every little jolt were bloody long! Yes no corridor stock is rather nice but it's no good when you really need to use the facilities and there a mile or so away and that semaphore is horizontal!

 

I didn't say it was insurmountable, although for some railways 1) probably is on the whole, merely there are practical reasons why they're not as widely used. Plus of course there are some railways where corridor stock is more authentic...

 

To put it bluntly (hopefully not unkindly) "go before you go". Just as would be the case on a bus journey.

PH

 

And what happens when your need to go happens just after the Guard has given the RA?

 

i dare say there has been many a passenger who has been very relieved to find a toilet on the train, not everyone has a strong bladder, and that late night authentic smell and wet floor on your br non compartment coach isn't exactly what passengers want to re create .

 

Quite! Reminds me of a Simon Mayo confession of a challenge caught shirt on the train who decided the only solution was to stand on the table and open the window! :O his few fellow passengers disapproved, but not as much as those waiting on the platform as the train went through!

 

It's a tricky one isn't it? One would have thought the NNR with stations only 10 minutes apart would be a railway that could get away without onboard loos but having taken a 3 year old nephew there I can vouch for the fact that even that can be risky

 

Very much depends if you regard yourself as a "tourist" railway or a "heritage"one. I think the former is, in many cases, the more honest term.

PH

 

Plus Paul have you ever been to Holt? Because wouldn't it be nice to have a footbridge there!

 

Not really, if there's none for sale and you haven't got the money/staff arrangements it doesn't really matter whether a railway would like to or not!

 

if it wasnt for tourists your railway probably would be still only running to wooton and not have half the facilities you have, we all rely on tourists, they dont have to come to a preserved railway there are plenty of other attractions only to willing to take their money, you have to be both, Tourist friendly and historically accurate as far as you can, by that i mean things like refreshment blocks made to look like they are part of the station ambiance

 

Coming soon I believe...but not soon enough if you're caught short

 

It's one of the things you think about before boarding. A bit like ensuring you have enough money for the fare before leaving home.

PH

 

you have never had the handle drop on you then, , then watched as a passenger rushes out with his child straight into the loo !! children never ever go before they go, they wait that second before departure time then scream Mummy i need to pee !!

 

Read my post above about Holt Station, you've obviously never spent any time there!

 

As one of the restorers of that sub, I thank you sir for putting up with the inconvenience and not emptying!!

Hopefully if you come again, there will be a full 4 coach suburban set, which will include two vehicles where as a fare paying passenger you will be granted access to....working facilities!

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