Steam trains run into safety rule buffers

The future of heritage railways is being threatened by new safety requirements, according to steam enthusiasts.
Under Health and Safety Executive regulations, volunteers could have to pay bills running into thousands of pounds to keep their cherished schemes alive.


Ffestiniog Railway in Wales, which, like other societies, relies on the goodwill of volunteers
"Many of us feel that nothing would make safety authorities happier than to see us all closed down," David Morgan, the chairman of the Heritage Railway Association," told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. "The safest railway must be one on which a train never moves."

There are nearly 100 heritage railway societies, operating 527 miles of track. Run as a labour of love by enthusiasts, they aim to maintain the tradition of a bygone age. Last year, the societies carried around 12 million passengers, mostly on steam trains.


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More here from the BBC.
Steam trains face funding cutback
Steam railways in the South East have warned they face financial ruin due to changes in safety regulations.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4714090.stm