Access all areas - should the public be allowed behind the scenes?

I travel 90 miles to my chosen railway, often at least once a week in the operating season. However I know I'm lucky to be in a place where I can do this.

 

I’m happy to be proven wrong, but I’m not aware of any plans at the moment. The 2012 share issue (4 objectives including improvements to Bridgnorth) included “The possibility of a new footbridge over the line at the north end of Bridgnorth Station (supplementing the existing south end footbridge) … connecting the two platforms and providing access to a new first floor public viewing gallery in the SVR’s locomotive workshops (referred to below as ‘SteamWorks’), with the possibility of an extending link to the overflow car park behind the Works.”

The overall plans for Bridgnorth including SteamWorks were rightly criticised as detrimental to the heritage appearance of the station and it was the SVR’s least successful share issue, raising only £2m of the £4m sought. It resulted in the establishment of a Heritage Committee and a lengthy rethink.

The 2016 share issue (£2.5m, all relating to improvements to Bridgnorth) included four objectives; a new buffet building to replace the old portacabin, a new car park, refurbishing the existing station building including the shop and Railwayman’s Arms, and installing the turntable. A fifth longer term objective, in the prospectus but not part of the share issue, is an accommodation building for volunteers to replace the coaches in George’s siding.

Of the first 4, the turntable (which has been an objective for decades) is probably closest to a 'nice to have' rather than a necessity, as would be a viewing gallery. However I suspect retro-fitting a viewing gallery into an existing building would not be cheap, hence why it was not included in the later share issue on top of the other objectives.

 

I'm sure you know better than me on this one. I chatted for some time with a 'local' at Highley just last month who said he was a share holder but I know no more. He mentioned a few projects that the railway had on the back burner subject to funds and this was one.

 

A Works viewing galley is probably still on the long term 'money no object' list along with a number of other projects mentioned in the past, of which the canopy for Kidderminster platform springs to mind, particularly on wet days!

On the more general question of "should the public be allowed behind the scenes" at the SVR more often than at galas and the dedicated behind the scenes weekend, how far do you take it? Steam enthusiasts want to see in the Bridgnorth works, but equally diesel enthusiasts would like access to the TMD, and those who want to cop every loco on a single visit would also want access to the Carriage Shed where several locos are stored. I have seen escorted parties in the Works area and the TMD on operational days in the past, so I assume it is possible by prior arrangement. However I don’t think it is realistic to turn up unannounced and assume staff can drop everything to provide guided tours of a potentially hazardous environment at a moments notice.

 

The Ffestiniog has announced today that they are getting Lottery support for a multimillion pound project which partly includes allowing visitors to access Boston Lodge, with access to the old running shed and tours of the workshops

See https://www.festrail.co.uk/content/publish/news/590.shtml

 

Take a pen and some paper - you'll be able to learn a load of new words! Won't be able to put any of them here though!

 

The same could be said of any workshop As regards open access, No way!! Railway places of work can be dangerous places, even when you know what you are doing, add into the mix public who may distract you at the wrong moment , and then you have health and safety to bear in mind so no welding, or grinding, or you have to have closed off areas away from the public where such operations are done

 

Open access for all is a straight no. Imagine digging out a firebox with a red hot klinker shovel, be committed to throwing out the door and below is standing a member of public who's come for a look around. Most railways have open pits in loco yards for prep and disposal. If you wanted open access they would need to covered by a spare loco or proper taped off because you can guarantee someone going for a look and in they go. I attended the GC model event in the summer, went for a wander around Loughborough and, this is not a dig at the GC whatsoever, there were 3 or 4 guys working on 5305 taking the mechanical lubricators off with people wandering up and down the very tight aisle. For special events where you know you are going to get people moving around there should be a limited if not total stop on work unless part of a demonstration.
Theft and casing the joint has also been mentioned previously.

Controlled supervised visits by a trained member of staff is the safest way, along with Open house weekends. Every railway works as business. To clean up Bridgnorth works, Kidderminster C & W for open house weekend takes all day beforehand. Thats up to 30 members of paid staff who have to stop what they are doing for the business and set everything up.
Railway works are classed as industrial environments and should be treated as such.


To reply to Robin. The turntable is the "sexy" item for the money from 2016. Its benefits may not be to the SVR home fleet but more to incoming railtours and the benefit that has.

 

Maybe I need to stress that I for one don't have any expectation to just wander around on my own at rail installations all though some here seem to have made this as an assumption that this is what this thread is about. It was more about the up-sell opportunity and an interest in keeping revenue on-railway rather than have visitors spend their monies elsewhere.
Being able to view from safe areas and safe distance is good, as is escorted visits where this provides advantage to the business.
At this year's LSL open day at Crewe as an example, all steam engines on site were readily visible and viewable with those inside behind barriers preventing anyone from 'milling about' or 'staking the joint' or falling over fireboxes.
Equally though, if there are heritage railways out there that want to discourage interested supporters from seeing certain locos under restoration or overhaul then they could perhaps be open with this policy and I'm sure the situation will be respected and reflected.

 

I think that escorted "Behind the Scenes" tours are the best option. A small group easier to manage and causing minimum disruption in the sense of suspending work while they pass. The opportunity to raise a little extra revenue from fees charged for such tours. The conversations with the escort can also usefully lead to new working volunteers being recruited, which would be less likely with uncontrolled access up to a barrier.

Further I would say even though I am a working volunteer at a heritage railway, my grades involve access to operating areas, but I wouldn't dream of wandering about in the engineering areas without gaining permission from the PIC.
(My grades include running line access, but only for my duties, I wouldn't wander along the lineside without a good operating reason.)