Preservation movement, Growth

The doom and gloom merchants have been predicting that lines will go bust and close and that saturation of the market has been reached since Michael Draper back in the 1980s, yet there have been no significant closures to date, and all the signs suggest that our heritage railways may be one of the few industries to benefit from the current recession, as more people opt to holiday in the UK. It's a fickle business, and the berst way of making oneself look daft is to make predictions!

 

The Dartmoor Railway is another example of a line with the potential for freight/heritage/limited commuter services.

 

I still believe that the future will see more goods transported by rail unless there is something more economical, like sea or canal for some bulk goods for which speed isn't a priority. We currently live in a ridiculous broken society where we have next day delivery of all sorts of useless overpackaged stuff because we want it now! It is not sustainable, especially if the oil starts to rocket in price again and I believe that many of our heritage railways, which are now purely education and entertainment venues, will take on more and more of role of being the artieries of Britain as heritage lines expand and road transport becomes more and more unaffordable. If you had suggested this to me even 3 years ago I would have laughed at you but I've stopped laughing now and I'm paying attention.

 

I think you are right about this. This recession/depressiom call it what you will has changed everything, and there is no going back to how it was before. If heritage Railways can tender a price under the rates of road transport, they will be given the contract I am sure of it.

Regards
Chris

 

Maybe it’s about time that speed link was reinstated on the national network again and preserved railways could tap in to this market by offering loading areas on there premises for local businesses.

 

I can't see freight returning to preserved lines other than in the very limited circumstances described already where a preserved railway offers access to a site that would be immpossible by other means or would cause too much disruption to traffic as has been the case on the WSR (spent ballast operations -which is a commercial venture with a third party - not withstanding).
The problem is preserved lines are not a network. At most the preserved railway could convey goods over 20 miles or so.

The only way freight is going to return to the railways and help preserved lines is if a network operator makes a bid to get back into small freight operations and then lets sub-contracts to all the preserved lines. But then imagine asking staff to man parcels sheds and goods offices on a night shift!

 

I certainly can... I was born in 1974 and my earliest memories of steam are of LNER, LMS and even L&Y liveries at Carnforth.

Phil

 

Fair comment, aldfort. However, I think the WSR's first stone contract (Minehead) in particular was won on commercial grounds against strong competition. The environmental aspects did help but in the cold light of day it is £sd that matters. The second (Doniford) and third (Leigh) contracts certainly gave the WSR the edge on access issues. The Norton contract, again, was won by astute commercial thinking by WSR folks. The WSR is greatly helped by having a main line connection. That connection did not land in the Railway's laps, and considerable enterprise and investment by the Railway was required to make it happen. There is no doubt that commercial enterprise in all areas of railway working is required these days to help make a success of the business.

Steve
(WSW)

 

Steve I fully agree that WSR has exploited the revenue earning opportunities that have arisen and long my they continue to do so. But it's a long way from a freight service of the type the OP posted about. Personally I can think of nothing nicer than running a pickup goods from Norton to Minehead and then chugging back gently to Bishops Lydeard. The SEC 6 is all very well but it would be nice to do it for real.