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EDITORIAL
Editor: Chris Milner Deputy editor: Gary Boyd-Hope Consultant editor: Nick Pigott Senior correspondent: Ben Jones Designer: Tim Pipes Picture desk: Paul Fincham and Jonathan Schofield Publisher: Tim Hartley Production editors: Nigel Devereux and Sarah Wilkinson Editorial assistant: Jane Skayman Classic Traction News: Peter Nicholson Operations News: Ashley Butlin Narrow Gauge News: Cliff Thomas Metro News: Paul Bickerdyke World News: Keith Fender By post: The Railway Magazine, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529589 Fax: 01507 371066 Email: railway@mortons.co.uk © 2020 Mortons Media ISSN 0033-8923
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This issue was published on February 5, 2020. The next will be on sale on March 4, 2020.
It’s about time there was a major rethink on infrastructure and climate change...
T
he new year has begun much as the old one ended, with HS2 again hitting the headlines and becoming a hot topic in the press and on social media. A decision on the Oakervee report over the project’s future is imminent, and debate over whether HS2 should be built or not has been re-ignited following Lord Berkeley’s critical report. The Government is aiming to remove diesel trains from the network by 2040, but is being pressed to achieve that transition earlier. Whether it is road, rail or air, Government policies on emissions are somewhat disjointed, particularly in the light of cancelling electrification schemes, which although costly, would have a far greater future benefit as well as a long-term impact on emission reductions. Neither is the playing field level when it comes to motoring. Successive Chancellors of the Exchequer have frozen fuel duty and not passed on inflationary rises since 2013, yet rail passengers have endured a fare rise of almost 20% in the same period. Fair? There are too many domestic flights in the UK, the majority duplicating rail journeys of fewer than 300 miles – Leeds, Manchester or Newcastle to Southampton; Edinburgh to Manchester; Birmingham to Glasgow and Inverness to Birmingham are a few examples of where modal shift can reap benefits. Neither does it help when the cost of a flight is often less than half the rail fare. It’s simply not right and does not encourage travellers to make a green choice. It just shows how skewed focus on the environment has become. In Europe, there are an increasing number of passengers taking trains between cities rather that flying, so why can’t that happen here, too? It can, but it needs to be led from the front by the Government, with train operators and the public supporting the switch. In Germany (and Sweden, too), the Green Party is advocating making rail travel far more attractive through more trains, reliable timetables and cheaper tickets, with the aim that domestic flights will be obsolete by 2035. That’s some target. Yet in the UK, the Green Party comes out wholly against HS2 and high-speed rail, and completely ignores the fact future rail projects have the genuine ability to act as a catalyst in getting people off the road, out of planes and onto trains. It has to be a win-win, yet people remain baffled why so many environmentalists are so opposed to new railway lines, such as HS2? Crucial to the debate is people travel and commute further than before. Gone are the well-paid local jobs as factories and offices close. People travel longer distances to where the work is, but want to live between one and two hours from big cities and enjoy a better standard of life. In many cases, rail helps them achieve their aspirations, but if routes are at capacity, then building new can be the only option – as in the case of HS2. Some of HS2’s opponents are calling for money
TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Editor’s Comment
to be spent on ‘local trains’, but if the inter-city trains are not moved to a separate line, there can be no more local trains, simply because the capacity does not exist on a constrained infrastructure peppered with bottlenecks. Neither can you reverse a Beeching closure as easily as some would have you believe, because junctions and stations are unlikely to have train path or platform capacity anymore. Rail helps to regenerate areas, too. When HS1 was being planned through Kent, there were extensive protests. Now it’s an accepted part of the landscape – and flourishing. Since 2010, the line has seen year-on-year growth on domestic high-speed services of 11%. HS1 has been so successful (too successful some say) that by 2025 the trains will be full and new stock will be needed. It’s that kind of success that a high-speed line can generate. Blogger ‘Ian Visits’ (www.ianvisits.co.uk) recently wrote: “On average, cars generate seven times more CO2 than a railway trip, and if action isn’t taken to improve the railways, which are straining to cope with demand, then we’ll push more people onto motorways instead.” As this country grows and expands, the rail infrastructure has to grow with it, but if every major rail scheme is accompanied by vehement protests and objections, then nothing will ever be built. The country will stagnate, nothing will change, and it will lead to gridlock on the roads. Additionally, if HS2 is cancelled, there is no guarantee any of the money earmarked would be used to benefit railway improvements along the path the line would have taken. New lines and further electrification are becoming vital for the country. There is a need to build a robust railway infrastructure both for now and for the future – as the children of our children will not thank us for stifling their future aspirations. If that means compromise – a word not usually found in the vocabulary of groups opposing major projects – it must be the way forward. There is the ‘do nothing’ philosophy, continually applying sticking plaster while sweating the assets for longer. That’ll only result in more overcrowding, poor reliability, declining performance and ultimately frustrated passengers, who will switch to road and thereby create more pollution? Or do we bite the bullet and get on with creating a railway fit for the 21st century, including HS2 and associated lines? I know what my choice would be. CHRIS MILNER, Editor
February 2020 • The Railway Magazine • 3
Contents
February 2020. No. 1,427. Vol 166. A journal of record since 1897.
Headline News
Network Rail has released computer-generated images of its revised plan to reconstruct and realign the West of England main line between Dawlish and Teignmouth. NETWORK RAIL
Northern and SWR on the brink,TPE cuts services to overcome reliability issues, 1,500 non-compliant vehicles remain as new PRM rules come into force, HS2 report leaked again as political row intensifies, L&Y saddletank returns to steam at East Lancs.
On the cover
MAIN IMAGES: Visiting ‘K1’ 2-6-0 No. 62005 passes Rabbit Bridge at the Great Central Railway with a Timelinee Events photo charter on January 15. The Peppercorn Mogul was one of the stars of the line’s Winter Steam Gala on January 24-26 (see page 73). ROBERT FALCONER
INSET 1: The Tom Coleman story. INSET 2: Getting a fair deal for disabled rail users. INSET 3: Behind the scenes at the Tanfield Railway.
Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 66 Steam & Heritage
Great Central to restore Thornbury Castle, appeal to steam two ‘Manors’, second GWR 0-6-2T for Swindon & Cricklade, Weardale and Dartmoor railways for sale, ‘KE1’ on the comeback trail.
72 Industrial Steam 74 Irish News 76 Narrow Gauge 78 Heritage Trams 80 Metro 82 Network 84 Freight The boiler of ‘King’ No. 6024 King Edward I is checked for clearances after being lowered into the frames at Minehead on January 9. MARTYN BANE/6024PS
86 World 89 Classic Traction 94 Railtours 96 Railtours Portfolio 98 Traction & Stock Europe’s newest international railway – the ‘CEVA’ link between Geneva and Annemasse in France – opened on December 15. Swiss ‘Léman Express’‘Flirt’ No. 522 219 calls at Chêne-Bourg on the first day of public service. GORDON WISEMAN
Greater Anglia inter-city ‘Flirts’ enter service as first ‘720’ arrives, WM Class 196 on test in Czech Republic, Grand Central begins Blackpool driver training, three ‘802s’ accepted by Hull Trains.
104 Stock Update 105 Operations
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61 Panorama 64 From The RM Archives 112 Meetings 121 Reader Services 122 Crossword & Where Is It
With the use of Class 20s by DRS coming to an end, Pathfinder Tours ran a‘Class 20 Farewell’tour from Bristol on January 18, with the Class 20s taking over the tour at York. Here, Nos. 20302 and 20305 cross Knaresborough Viaduct on their way to Leeds. CHRIS MILNER
Hawksworth ‘Modified Hall’ No. 6989 Wightwick Hall simmers away at Shackerstone station on the Battlefield Line during a 30742 Charters evening shoot on January 11. KENNY FELSTEAD
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Features 14 Virgin Demise
27 Failing our Disabled Passengers?
In the second of our two-part look at customer service on today’s railway, Nicola Fox considers the needs of disabled passengers and the often inconsistent service they receive.
Graeme Pickering visits this former colliery railway in the north-east of England, which stands proudly by its claim to be the oldest in the world.
20 Are You Really Being Served?
Customer service professional Fraser Pithie delivers his personal take on the current rail system, particularly focusing on how it performs when things go wrong.
32 To Catch the Train, First Catch the Wind
Phil Mathison reports on a project to re-create the Spurn Landship, which was used on the military railway at Spurn Point in East Yorkshire, and last ran almost 70 years ago.
Draughtsman and designer Tom Coleman was a quiet, unassuming man, who was behind the design of many classic LMS locomotives. Tim Hillier-Graves puts the spotlight on his fascinating life story.
VIRGIN LEGACY: Practice & Performance - p14
SAILING AWAY: Spurn ‘landship’ re-creation - p32
TENACIOUS TANFIELD: Industrial preservation - p36
John Heaton analyses the legacy of Virgin Trains’ performance during its 22-year involvement with the West Coast Main Line and shorter spells on CrossCountry and East Coast routes.
36 Tanfield: The World’s Oldest Railway
42 Coleman’s Coronation
February 2020 • The Railway Magazine • 5
FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SERVICE
FAILING OUR
DISABLED PASSENGERS Major changes to mobility regulations in respect of rail vehicles took effect from January 1, but despite 10 years notice, the industry has been slow to introduce new accessible trains. Adaptation of stations to meet the needs of passengers with disabilities – both visible and invisible – has also become protracted. Nicola Fox reports on a disappointing situation.
A
t the time of writing it is the end of 2019 and Twitter is full of depressingly similar examples of disabled passengers being left on trains, made uncomfortable by poorly trained staff and made to feel like second class citizens. How and why are we still failing our disabled passengers? Making rail travel accessible is so much more than providing ramps, (though they are of course very important) it comprises multiple elements. From the type of information screens used to the size and material of handrails, the use of braille signs, colour contrast on doors, audible alarms for closing doors and so much more, the specifications for rolling stock are tailored to attempt to meet the needs of all passengers. Sadly, not all units are currently compliant, despite the January 1, 2020 deadline, a fact not helping our disabled passengers feel valued as customers. However, most of the UK’s rolling stock is moving in the right direction to ensure not only compliance but passenger comfort and satisfaction. When so much effort goes into designing the stock to meet rail vehicle accessibility regulations (RVAR), why are so many disabled passengers on record as saying the rail industry makes them feel like second class citizens?
Twitter snapshot
At this juncture, it is worth pointing out although some disability advocates make a point to acknowledge the days when their travel is stress free, mostly when the system works, we tend not to hear about it. The occasions that make the headlines are when it fails. Rail Delivery Group (RDG) accessibility and inclusion manager Dominic Lund-Conlon commented: “Twitter is a very small snapshot of millions of journeys that we do every day, 9 in 10 customers (data gathered from customers who pre-book) are satisfied with the assistance we provide.” Nonetheless, that statistic does mean that 10% of customers are not happy, with incidents leaving disabled passengers not only dissatisfied with their experience but often very upset. Dominic is quick to highlight this is not acceptable. “Everyone should be satisfied – if not really happy – so where issues occur it’s right that we found out what led to that and
then we put in the fix, record it and make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Dr Hannah Barham-Brown travels by rail between Leeds and London at least once a week. Like many people who travel, her trains are often booked less than 24 hours in advance, so she is unable to book assistance. As a wheelchair user, she requires a ramp to move between the platform and the train, yet despite the hardware being available, Hannah says she has often been left on a train at the end of her return journey. “The last month or so has been particularly bad, I’ll get left on a train once a week. I will do two journeys and get left on one.” Accessibility should be getting better not worse, yet communications breakdown. Hannah said King’s Cross staff phone ahead to Leeds, who “just deny all knowledge of the calls”. Hannah’s case is not an isolated one. Paralympian Sophie Christiansen shared a video in August 2019 of another passenger holding the doors open, to prevent the train from leaving with her on it after the guard failed to show up with the ramp.
“It’s not acceptable that someone who is very independent ends up in tears on a train because of the stress of a simple journey”
Above: A passenger is wheeled up the ramp into ‘Pacer’ No. 142015 at Middlesbrough station on October 3, 2019. The availability of staff and a ramp for the wheelchair can often prove to be an issue, particularly when travel assistance communications fail. CHRIS MILNER
BASICACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS ■ Cannot refuse someone or charge extra because of their disability. ■ Must guarantee to accommodate a disabled traveller if notice is given. ■ Must make every effort to accommodate them even when no notice is given. ■ Must provide help with moving passengers and/or luggage around the station, getting on and off and loading/ unloading luggage. ■ Must provide information in accessible formats. ■ Must train their staff in disability awareness and specifics such as handling equipment. ■ Must provide adequate compensation for any lost or damaged equipment ■ Must allow registered assistance dogs to travel on buses and coaches
Information provided by the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers
February 2020 • The Railway Magazine • 27
RSH ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No. 49 digs in for the climb up the 1-in50, steepening to 1-in-36, from Causey towards Andrews House hauling a rake of coal waggons. FERNDALE MEDIA
PHOTOGRAPHY FOCUS
WHEN BLACK AND WHITE IS BETTER
In addition to capturing images of Britain’s railways in his own unique style, self-taught professional photographer Jack Boskett has taken pictures of royalty, leading actors and entertainers. His portfolio also covers weddings, landscapes and commercial photography. The RM is delighted to showcase some of Jack’s more artistic work using heritage railways to re-create a bygone era in black and white.
TUNNEL VISION: BR ‘4MT’ 4-6-0 No. 75078 is captured on a short freight train entering Mytholmes Tunnel on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, in roughly the same
spot as the paper chase scene where the runner broke his leg in The Railway Children film starring Jenny Agutter. This is quite a tight spot to get the camera low down so I was on ‘all fours’, almost touching the water to ensure the tunnel mouth filled the frame completely. 14-24mm lens, 1/500 second, F/6.3, ISO 500.
February 2020 • The Railway Magazine • 53
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