Swanage Railway General Discussion

Oh god not this discourse again?! Oh well, look forward to again in April.

 

does it matter where they tow it? The environmental and PR damage is still done. Seriously can you imagine showing that image to a classroom of climate conscious students. Time for a big re-think on Heritage Railways and one would imagine as far as fuel guzzling major emitters such as this not a moment too soon! Turn HR into a showcase of environmentally sound traction. Every month The Railway Press posts images of 15yr old EMUs being towed to the scrap heap and the mere mention of battery electric on these forums is enough to get one showered in unburnt diesel!!

 

April what is special about that then?

 

Doesn't matter when! The problem is still that continued use of heritage diesel traction is probably more at risk than steam. The exemptions that steam traction enjoys under UK clean air legislation do not apply to diesel emissions so, if air quality measurement shows that limits on particulates have been exceeded, pollution such as that shown in the start up photo could lead to prosecution. Location is relevant since diesel exhaust may constitute a nuisance to nearby occupiers ( whether or not the railway was there first) which could lead to a Local Authority prohibition notice.
Heritage diesel needs a culture change......... take practical steps to reduce emissions, avoid upsetting neighbours and, above all, stop celebrating events such as that shown in the photo. If not the use of heritage diesel traction may well be stopped.

 

Nothing. It just pops up every few months and April is when services usually ramp up. So April, August and Christmas for the same repeated clag chat.

 

That sort of suggests “no one learns”

Tom

 

Some owners do not have the knowledge or money to repair worn items, and some owners and drivers still think its clever to have a loco belching smoke when the power handle is pulled full open rapidly.

Lots of things one can do to avoid smoke pollution such as but not limited too
Always clean or fit new injector tips and nozzles if engine does start to smoke
Check peak pressures and exhaust temperatures and rectify if low or uneven
Water wash the turbo(s) if gas blades sooty
Drive the engine with compassion - its not necessary to give a good experience by driving on off full power digitally nor are such power outputs needed

Think out of the box to save money - We got nearly new cylinder heads c500 hours or less from Romania, they fitted straight out of the box all be it you have to accept metric studs on the rockers and fittings rather than BSF. We make all our own gaskets and O rings, I scarf joint the big crankcase door joint from sheet gasket material.

I started our 73 on Friday in -5C ( EE engine) and it was smoke free in a couple of minutes ditto the Class 10 (Mirlees Blackstone Engine) so it can be done.

Brian

 

The owner of 50026 states in a Facebook post 3 days ago that following a difficult start up in the cold, he is now 100% won over to fitting a pre heater and one will be fitted before next winter.

 

The big question is,Has anyone in Swanage actually complained to the Swanage Railway, It certainly seems to have created a lot of hot air on here!

 

Nat Pres is fuelled by hot air. And Wibble. But mostly hot air.

 

From where it seems to be located being started up, and the direction of the prevailing wind the exhaust is heading away from the nearest houses (which are the far side of some industrial units anyway) and out over fields. Surely, it had to be started at some point - and doing so when the exhaust will be blown away from the nearest built up area and into open space (and at a location that is well away from ready public access) would seem to be the better alternative?

Of course, taking actions to help reduce dirty start-ups would help - but without a pre-heater, I'm not sure what other alternatives there would be with a loco that has sat out of use in a stabling siding for a considerable number of months?

 

These days frequently people don’t complain directly. Posts are made on social media instead. Any decent organisation should be monitoring all forms of social media to see what the public and indeed their own staff are actually saying about their company.

 

The same question applies. What have those affected by that start been saying? Or has the conversation been restricted to just here - where I also note that a side effect of this has been a decision by the locomotive owner to purchase a pre-heater.

 

I think you are probably giving NP too much credit to think the owners decision was swayed by anything said on here.

 

Agreed - I should have been clearer that I was referring to that start-up and not the chat here.

 

Oh but he is now fitting a preheater!. Of course this site and social media influence decisions (we hope!). As HR struggle for numbers and relevancy "general discussions" are where POV are aired.
"The Media is the message" and obviously in this case it does get through!

 

What everyone has overlooked is that on the day in question Saturday 17th, 50026 was started up in freezing temperatures, which would create more smoke.