Heritage Railways near death experience, back from the brink

Seeking help please, I am current writing up my PhD on the sustainability of heritage railways while I have a list of all closed heritage railways, what I am not sure is, if I have a full list of close call or near-death experiences in which the railway came close to failure but has since recovered, the most recent example being the West Somerset's voluntary closure and reopening. Can you please recall any heritage railways that in your opinion has came close to closure or was temporary closed but was brought back from the brink.

Ideally with date and cause of the problem and how recovered.

Thanks in advance

Robin

 

East Somerset Railway

 

Swanage and Mid Hants late 80's early nineties?

 

The NYMR a couple of times over the years.
Seems secure at the moment though.

 

The Severn Valley could potentially have folded after the 2007 storm damage. The repair cost was almost 4 times the insurance cover, but the shortfall was funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Advantage West Midlands, the Heritage Lottery Fund and many other generous individuals and groups.

https://www.svrwiki.com/2007_Storm_Damage

A similar situation happened with the GWSR and Chicken Curve a few years later.

 

You might like to take a look at"memoirs of a Railway Volunteer, parts 3 and 4 in Bullhead Memories.

 

Chasewaters various ups, downs,a further downs and ups are available online.

 

Teifi Valley .... now there's a case study and a half!

 

Fairbourne Railway sailed close to the wind I recall, Wiki suggests it was in the early 1990s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairbourne_Railway. I seem to recall proposals to re-gauge the line during this period but I can't recall details.

Patrick

 

Very recently possibility of Llangollen.
Telford (not financial) a few years ago?
Currently Weardale and Dartmoor
Wensleydale pre Aysgarth sale esp after landslip?
Colne Valley when up for sale

 

Bowes

 

I think the Great Central was close in 1976/7 when BR wanted about £3000 per month to retain the track and again in 2000(?) when David Clarke died as he had guaranteed the overdraft facility.

 

I'd second Bowes. Still fighting back.

 

Given the challenges faced by preserved railways, and the issues that arise from time to time, is there any chance of the thesis, once complete, being more widely available?


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Peak Rail?
Dart Valley?

Might be easier to compile a list of railways that have never been in trouble!

 

Indeed, I gather that most have come close to going belly up at some stage

 

The IOWSR in the early to mid 1990s was in great difficulties due to the struggles to open the extension to Smallbrook.

 

KESR 1999/2000. Large sums were being received, including a Millennium Commission grant, and spent on the Bodiam extension. Spending somehow got out of control, the railway found itself with large debts and had to take a large bank loan and launch a member appeal at short notice just at the moment the extension was about to open.
It is also a matter of public record that the (volunteer) finance director was convicted and fined for defrauding the railway during this period although the amount involved was a small proportion of the railway’s debts.

 

I also recall that the GCR was posting large losses year after year. Don't know how this was resolved.

 

Sittingbourne and Kemsley came very close about 10 years ago. Something to do with concrete viaduct issues?