Fire Risk

When I was a kid there were still thousands of steam locomotives on the network, working day in and day out, without diesel assistance. I know that we have the effects of climate change and this year an unprecedented hot, dry summer, but back in the day there were plenty of summers that, these days, would have brought about an immediate steam ban. The elephant in the room is Network Rail's (and their predecessor's) chronic mismanagement of the lineside environment. You only have to look back at books of photographs taken before the end of steam to see the main reason for today's problems. There wouldn't be the same fire risk if the network was managed as it was in those days.

 

It's not just fire risk, look at vegetation strikes are affecting some of the rolling stock, it won't be long before a window is broken and then maybe something will be done.

 

A big problem is that they've let it get so far out of hand that the cost would now be prohibitive and the green lobby would be seeking all kinds of injunctions to stop it anyway. I was driving to Bingley last year and noticed that where the Aire Valley line runs alongside the A650 they have cut down a lot of trees on the embankment that were threatening the OLE, but left all the smaller ones that will pose the same problem in a very few years.

 

They did it in Kent a few years ago on some of the gradients, I think they must have employed someone with an honours degree in the bleedin' obvious who thought that there is no problem with leaf fall if there are no trees and bushes, The 'great Network Rail Chainsaw Massacre' resulted in Sole St and most of Martim Mill Bank around Walmer cleared but needless to say it was never maintained and Sole St is now as bad as before.