Because she is female......

I think so. One of the southern railways managed to do this a while back, but it's still a rare event, so well done Didcot!

 

Didn't the Dean Forest do this some time ago?

 

The Spa Valley has done it

 

Swanage ran with an all female loco crew, but not guard.

 

I think the GCR could manage an all-female train crew (driver, fireman, guard) although I'm unsure if the fireman I'm thinking of is still 'in ticket' as I haven't seen her on the footplate in a while (she's still on the GCR though).

Going back to the question about owner's clauses restricting particular drivers, I think a better approach would be a clause which holds the host railway responsible for any damage caused during operation other than by normal wear & tear. This puts the onus on the railway to ensure competence (which they should be doing anyway) and hopefully protects the owning group. I would personally be less worried about anything I owned getting damaged if I was confident that the damage would be put right at the operator's expense. Coupled with the right to an owner's representative on the footplate, who is able to report back any concerns, that should cover most things.

Saying that, it's interesting that diesel crews have to be passed on each class whereas steam crews generally don't. I can well imagine that a Deltic is somewhat unlike a class 20 to drive, but are (say) a 26 and a 33 all that different? (I've no idea, by the way). Since you can (apparently, theoretically) pass out as a steam driver on 0-6-0 industrials and then drive a Bulleid the next day, I can well understand why some owners would have some concerns.

Taking a car analogy, I passed my test in a Fiesta and didn't rush out to buy a Ferrari the next day; there are people who do and they usually end up wrapped around a tree.

Phil

 

...Although I should add that the female driver concerned would probably find the very notion of arranging an all-female crew offensive!

 

Hello,

still completely OT

At the tramway museum at Crich there are eight female ops staff (that was as per mid-September, could be nine now) all of which held conducting (guarding) licences, four of which also held driving licences and two a licence as duty inspector. So a full service of three tramcars can be run with no male staff at all. Unfortunately that's insufficient for a 1940s event, which would be most adequate in my view.

Kind regards

Christoph

 

Don't forget Phil, there is also a female signalman- and another currently training (who is a second man too I believe).

A piece of useless information- the first passenger train for the public to be hauled by 60163 (rather than the covenanters' trains) was signalled from Loughborough by a female signalman. As far as I am concerned gender is irrelevant- you can either do the job or you can't. I'll leave it up to any train crew that have been signalled by me on the GCR to decide accordingly!

 

Talyllyn fielded an all-lady train crew in 2003 for the Queen's Jubilee - all named Elizabeth (driver, fireman, guard and guard's assistant). Our first all female footplate crew was quite a few years earlier.

 

Hull Trains? Or doesn't it count if it's non-heritage? They've run trains where driver, guard, and all the catering staff were female. As is the new MD.

 

I think that one of HT's catering team (a young lady) became one of their drivers within a couple of year's employment, which is quite an achievement for anyone.