Future max speed of heritage railways

The solution lies with the individual railway. Don't keep extending and extending. Keep your inner gricer under control!

PH

 

I'm not saying re-engineer the line for faster speeds, I actually agree that the speed is appropriate and the thought of all the additional work to add a few extra mph seems mad. I was however responding to your question "has anyone complained or not visited.
The answer was yes (even though I'm an enthusiast, so surely there will be a great deal more examples from Joe Public).

 

To be fair to the WSR, the original aim was to return the service back to Taunton (but that's a whole different discussion...)

 

Not all visitors "require" the whole line, like enthusiasts might. They travel for as long as they want and then come back again.

 

The beauty of a line like the WSR is that you don't have to do the whole bit (although most do and they thoroughly enjoy it) so you can tailor your visit to suit you (time, money, little one's patience and so on).

The WSR is a proper railway which runs between B and M, with the choice of a C, S, W, D, W, W, B and a D in between. Sometimes we even offer to run to N.

The WSR has never "extended". It has always been as long as it is.

Steve

 

Doesn't sound particularly good from the business point of view. As an example, the Swanage Railway (which I have no connection with) carries considerably more people over a much shorter distance.

PH

 

I think the business analysis needs to be a bit more depth than that!

And there's more to a railway business than passengers.

What railways are you connected with, Paul?

Steve

 

You'll just have to light your pipe and have a dream. Running at plus 25 mph will mean providing TPWS for all stop signals AND all locos, including visiting locos, will have to be fitted, even if they don't run at that speed because that is the law.

 

Not really. Numbers carried are the basic statistic for tourist railways. Second comes the size and cost of the effort needed to achieve the carryings. You need to look at the thread "Winners and Losers in 2015". Some of the trends (because each line compiles its figures differently) are more significant than the actual figures themselves. Particularly so with the WSR.

PH

 

Hello,
Just to add to the mix

Would be great to be in a brake van at 45/50mph on an unfitted goods!


Nick

 

I'm sure you are right. Even though I don't agree

What specific trends do you see with the WSR, particularly?

Did I miss your mention of the names of the railways you are connected with?

Steve

 

Paul is associated with a standard-gauge railway that runs from nowhere to nowhere via nowhere; has no intention of extending even though there is an obvious extension to a seaside town about a mile distant; has no restaurant cars; a single governing organisation combining membership body, charity and operator; runs only wooden carriages; and measures its daily coal consumption in bucket-fulls loads rather than tons. And he wouldn't have it any other way ...


Tom

 

And neither would I

 

To be fair Tom, not only does Paul not want the nowhere to nowhere railway to not extend to the seaside, judging by another thread he's actively in favour of the SWT franchised line (that brings passengers from the seaside to one end of the line) being shut and replaced by buses.

 

Yes, the rest of my post also stated cons to doing high speed running on a heritage railway but in theory it is a nice idea!

 

How long did BL to MD take in BR Steam days compared with now?

 

Ermmm. Yes there is a trend with the passenger numbers - they have fallen but now steadied. But the trend has been not just in the last two years. So nothing to do with the "squabbles" (which most of the WSR's visitors know nothing). I don't follow your assertion that being "too long" is contributing to a trend of "losing business". Given that it has been the same length since 1979, and enjoyed some fabulous results during that time, on what grounds does the length now lead to a reduction in numbers? I'm really interested to know your workings. But we are now moving away from the thread's topic so maybe a PM might be fairer to all.

Just a thought on the thread's actual topic, I think a small increase in the 25mph limit would help a tad and if the time comes for a regular non-heritage passenger service over the branch then an increase would certainly help the business case; who would fund the necessary upgrades is another matter...

Steve