Recommissioning after Coronavirus

Interesting point. There may be some 'issues' and not only in boiler inspection as a 'catch up' game has to be played

 

Have seen elsewhere that the Cumbres & Toltec narrow gauge line in the USA is planning to reopen in mid June and that they are limiting the number of passengers carried in each car to 12 persons or 10 persons depending on the class of travel.

 

Not quite. More that mainline trains are running with open vehicles and separation measures applied, and that the impact on bus drivers seems to be disproportionate to that on other modes, so the focus on compartment stock seems disproportionate.


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Here's a few thoughts to ponder, when the heritage section reopens - and I think we all agree it will be a "dip your toe in the waters to test it jobbie"- how many volunteers will still feel comfortable dealing with the general public, or actually return to active volunteering.
I'm thinking of the "front of house staff" the station staff, TTI's, guards etc. Also they will need training/ guidelines on any new systems which may need to be introduced.

 

I think it is likely that the customers will feel uncomfortable sharing open carriages with other groups, at least initially. So a focus on compartment stock may help, where possible.

 

Interesting, as I'd personally find the use of a narrow corridor where I would struggle not to touch shared services extremely offputting.

 

I've only ever heard of this 'normal practice' on this website - I've never seen or heard of it on either of the heritage lines I have worked on nor have I ever seen it in any book.

On which lines is this normal and when / why did the practice start?

Mods feel free to split thread if needs be!

 

It's been many years since I was directly involved at Didcot, but it was standard practise there to test the safety valves at the start of each day's running. I see no reason why that would have changed.

 

HSE guidance is that, where possible you should keep up with statutory examinations, such as with pressure vessels, during the present crisis. They say:

"The law for Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) and Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR) remain in place...........for businesses that are currently closed, ie they have either elected or been required to do so to meet COVID-19 related government advice or restrictions, you should still give access to visiting inspectors to undertake thorough examinations."

I think one of the reasons is to minimise any backlog once some form of normality returns. Boiler inspectors are generally available to do this, subject to the usual precautions of social distancing, etc.

 

The NYMR's standing instructions require the testing of safety valves, along with water gauges, injectors, brakes and sanders.:

TESTING OF LOCO EQUIPMENT Water gauges both tender and boiler must be tested as part of the preparation process or if you are relieving a loco in traffic. Both injectors and the safety valves must be tested. A full brake test and testing of the sanding gear must be carried out before leaving the Shed. Train Heating apparatus must be tested between 1st October and 31st March.

I'm sure that it was a standing instruction in BR days but I can't immediately find a reference to it. The safety valves are as important as the water gauges and injectors and I'm sure that you test them.

 

It’s probably because at the start of the day they test it as the rest of the day they don’t need a large boiler pressure to run on as it doesn’t go far . But on proper railways it’s more likely they will have it higher up and they will go off lots of times. So they know they work anyway.

 

Fair point - I was thinking about compartments with doors onto the platform. In reality this is one of those questions for which there is no right answer.

 

It's also a question of whether you have suitable stock, and whether that stock is (or can be made to be) available for traffic. We have non-corridor stock, but not enough that we could run a service only using it - at least not for an extended period. Sooner or later the need for examinations would intrude.

It did occur to me that for many railways, mid week is often quite reliant on coach party traffic, which, given the demographic, might be the most reluctant to restart. So if there is any return at all, perhaps it might be a very limited weekend-only service. But the economics are all wrong for many lines, since a lot of the costs are fixed regardless of the level of service: the variable part of the costs is not especially big, so the whole model is dependent on getting certain passenger volumes through the booking hall.

Tom

 

Rather than all the speculation about what the public may do (I know this is Nat Pres ) maybe some of the larger railways with more advance computer databases of existing customers might start to survey a sample of these customers to see what sort of services people might be willing to use and when. Whilst things like face masks may work for train rides it may be very different for dining services. I also wonder whether there may be different public reactions relating to the length of ride and range of attractions with places such as Didcot having socially distanced visitors watching the demonstration trains whilst customers avoid the obvious risks of taking rides on longer lines.

 

A small centre like the S&D could be good if they were aloud to run by the railway they were on as they could do short breakvans with a family on each end of it then swap them over. The rule would be you couldn’t get back on until everyone else had had a go and you’d have to go in a line to wait like asdas

 

Thanks for the reply Steve - your sentence there is the first written reference I've seen, and this afternoon I've checked the BR handbook, the SR and LMS versions and a similar GWR publication, along with Locomotive Management from the 1940s.

All of these of course reference the importance of testing gauge glasses and injectors during daily prep (and yes, our railway mandates this).

I'm interested in the point of divergence - if this was a later BR steam era instruction, one would have expected it to filter down into heritage railways universally. It's a bit like staff and ticket, but that was a different thread and still further off topic!

 

Ironically though, organised coach parties would be close to ideal for re-opening traffic, giving advance booking, controlled numbers, predictable arrival times.....

 

With staff furloughed there won't be anyone to prep a boiler for the inspector.
Pat