The South Devon Railway Thread

Indoors is defined in the regulations as: "a place is indoors if it would be considered to be enclosed or substantially enclosed for the purposes of section 2 of the Health Act 2006, under the Smoke Free (Premises and Enforcement) Regulations 2006." As you are not allowed to smoke on a train under the 2006 regulations these are indoors.

 

I guess some railways will have seen that railways were able to 'get away with' (for want of a better expression's running in tier 3 at the end of last year when rules were similar to step 2, and so they are willing to take the risk that the same will be true this time around. Mind you, Matt Hancock went on This Morning this week and said people could now travel anywhere in the country as long as they didn't stay the night, which is contrary to the current advice of stay local, so it's not like the government know their own rules...

 

Steve raises a very valid concern. Electing to be classed as a simple transport provider does not sit comfortably with claims from the heritage rail sector for support from the Culture Recovery Fund nor is it easily reconcilable with charitable status for those railways that are charities or sustained by charities. If heritage railways are merely transport operators it's arguable that, like the TOC's ,they need never have closed during the pandemic. The reality is that most are keen to emphasize their recreational/entertainment potential attractions.
It's instructive to read the DCMS guidance especially its use of the word "primarily". The logical interpretation, as Steve implies , is that even if they operate A to B services. if the primary purpose is recreational then they should stay closed until Step 3. It's also just guidance not the Law.
Tom suggests that heritage railways will have checked the legality of opening from 12th April. The problem is that the legal position is far from clear.
The latest Coronavirus legislation (which ,as the Law, will always trump guidance even from DCMS) runs to 99 pages (Yes, really, 99 pages and that's before cross references to other legislation!). From that it is clear that what are referred to as "other heritage attractions" are subject to the requirement that indoor facilities at outdoor venues should remain closed until Stage 3. Consequently there seems to be no dispute that tea rooms etc. cannot fully re-open till then. The key question is whether a carriage is an indoor facility, like a tea room? Indeed how do you justify sticking passengers inside a closed carriage whilst accepting it would be illegal to allow the same passengers inside an indoor tea room?
Bizarrely as Steve correctly identifies that depends on interpretation of the Health Act 2006 and implementing regulations dealing with prohibition of smoking in premises. The Health Act drew a distinction between premises, referred to in section 2, and vehicles, referred to in section 5. The latest Coronavirus Law defines "outdoor" by reference to Section 2 only i.e only to premises and not vehicles. That looks very much like an oversight rather than an intentional exemption for heritage railways.
Does the Government really intend that, unlike other competing outdoor visitor attractions with indoor facilities, heritage railways should be able to operate public services from April 12th? Examination of the spirit and intent of the Law suggests probably not. Reliance on a legal loophole may be possible but, as others have pointed out, it depends ultimately on whether a railway's local health authority interpret the legislation the same way.

 

And people thought there wouldn't be enough work for locos

 

None of them are going to the West Somerset though are they?

 

Where did I ever say long term hire?

 

WSR or otherwise, plenty of locos wanting to earn a keep this year and plenty of railways willing to take on, as has been seen already.

 

According to the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway website 5526 is there for April and May with 6412 from late May onwards.

Have I got where the locos are/will be correct?
L92 - Gwili
1369 - South Devon plus a visit to Plym Valley Railway in June/July
5526 - Chinnor then?
5542 - South Devon
6412 - Chinnor from May

 

Pure speculation on my end, but it wouldn't surprise me if 5526 was at the SDR in June/July so that they have two engines whilst 1369 is at the Plym Valley.

 

A good publicity film has been made for the railway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Mn4-bLjw1KU

 

Exceptionally good marketing, 782,000 views on Farcebook in 24 hours and 10,000 on YouTube. I hope it gives all involved a useful boost.

 

A discussion on a discord thread about GWR 'excursion' carriages made me remember they have two of those on the SDR. Which promts me to ask: what is the status of 1285 and 1295 plus the other GWR carriages? In fact have the SDR got on top of the repairs needed on the carriages on the line?

 

Only having time for a round trip from Totnes I didn't have much time at Buckfastleigh, but long enough to watch either an 08 or 09 shunting stock out of the way to allow GWR5542 to run through the station.

Does anyone know the identity of the shunter? Looked to have some BR blue showing through and an old Britiah Railways emblem, but no visible number or name. Checked the website and it shows an 09 at the line but says its in BR green.

Thanks in advance.

 

Brilliant visuals and location sound. Pity about the music spoiling it. Why do film makers do it?!

 

Because in this case the film is telling more of a story narrative, and music helps with the continuity and the flow of that. It probably could have been done equally well without music, but for a lot of people music like that will add something to the video. I personally found the vibe and beat of the music really helped add that comedic edge to it and helped with the flow. I think otherwise all the different shot cuts and changes in ambient noise, without clever blending done on the audio part, would make it feel much jumpier with the frequency of changing shots.

 

We must agree to differ here!

 

And having been warned about the music I won't watch the video at all. If they're seeking my custom and/or donations they've just lost their chance.

 

Watch it with the sound muted as the visuals are very good.