Enabling Railtours to freight lines.

[yorksrob]

Obviously, we all know how much it costs to build a fully operational station these days.

Getting away from the usual discussions around reopenings etc, I was wondering if it might be possible at places such as Fowey, to erect a cheap, scaffolding platform for the use of railtours etc. Obviously such structures have been used temporarily in the past, for example at Workington North and at railway depot open days (at Chart Leacon for example).

Having such a structure semi-permanently built at somewhere such as Fowey, could unlock some of the branches potential for railtours etc and be a boon to the countries holiday industry.

 

[JonathanH]

I think that rather than 'railtours' you are referring to a 'pop up' service of some kind. The problem would be getting approval to use a freight line for passengers, accessibility facilities at the temporary platform, the requirement for passenger information and continued access for freight operations.

Setting a temporary service up as a 'railtour' isn't a way of circumventing modern requirements and regulations for the railway - it is apparent that it is easier to run through railtour operations onto preserved railways - eg Kingswear, Swanage, Watchet - than onto freight lines such as Fowey.

 

[yorksrob]

Actually, I wasn't thinking of a pop-up service, although I know this has been suggested for Fowey. I was thinking specifically of railtours, which can and do take in freight lines - it's just that their appeal to "normals" would be a lot greater if they could actually detrain and visit the destination.

 

[Gloster]

In addition to all the railway technical problems, there are other more general ones. With Fowey, where are you going to put the halt? Imerys (or whoever it is) wouldn’t want visitors traipsing through the port area (and complaining about everything below the knee turning white), but the nearest place with access other than by boat looks like being Golant. This sort of problem is likely to repeat itself at many locations.

 

[JonathanH]

I was thinking specifically of railtours, which can and do take in freight lines - it's just that their appeal to "normals" would be a lot greater if they could actually detrain and visit the destination.

For a one off trip however it is even less likely to justify the cost of setting up the platform and how many desirable places to visit are at the end of freight lines?

There are admittedly pictures regularly posted in Branch Line News of people 'exploring' at the end of a freight branch during tours in the 70s and 80s. I think the problem nowadays is that even if it were acceptable from a health and safety perspective, the infrastructure on the freight branches has been rationalised and is now such that most end at the gates of an industrial complex that really wouldn't be an appropriate place to detrain passengers. [The official photographer is typically allowed off to take the pictures for the railtour promoter.]

 

[Dai Corner]

For a one off trip however it is even less likely to justify the cost of setting up the platform and how many desirable places to visit are at the end of freight lines?

Actually I think a fair number of railtour participants would find a tour of industrial premises at the end of a freight line interesting. There may be more who'd rather press on and visit further obscure lines though. There's also the question of whether the owners of said premises would be willing to host such a tour.

 

[JonathanH]

Actually I think a fair number of railtour participants would find a tour of industrial premises at the end of a freight line interesting. There may be more who'd rather press on and visit further obscure lines though. There's also the question of whether the owners of said premises would be willing to host such a tour.

Yes, I agree - I suspect the owners wouldn't generally be willing and there is, of course, the issue of who pays for the scaffold platform.

 

[zwk500]

Getting away from the usual discussions around reopenings etc, I was wondering if it might be possible at places such as Fowey, to erect a cheap, scaffolding platform for the use of railtours etc. Obviously such structures have been used temporarily in the past, for example at Workington North and at railway depot open days (at Chart Leacon for example).

Having such a structure semi-permanently built at somewhere such as Fowey, could unlock some of the branches potential for railtours etc and be a boon to the countries holiday industry.

In theory, yes. However in reality, the safety and liability issues of permitting access to a non-passenger location, the gauging issues of a lightweight platform constructed quickly, and the fact that generally demand for railtours into freight terminals is usually measured in trains per year, means it's not really worth anybody's time.

 

[JonathanH]

demand for railtours into freight terminals is usually measured in trains per year

Or trains per generation in some cases.

 

[Doctor Fegg]

There was a cheap scaffolding platform at Honeybourne a couple of years back for the Class 230 service to a rail expo at Long Marston, so it can be done.

 

[JonathanH]

There was a cheap scaffolding platform at Honeybourne a couple of years back for the Class 230 service to a rail expo at Long Marston, so it can be done.

That wasn't for the general public though - access to the rail expo was limited to industry professionals - moreover wasn't it connected to the normal platform? It is difficult to see how a scaffold platform could be acceptable for the general public at a standalone location.

There is a picture of the makeshift platform at Honeybourne here.

Class 230 010 at Honeybourne

Rail Live 2021

www.flickr.com

 

[30907]

There was a cheap scaffolding platform at Honeybourne a couple of years back for the Class 230 service to a rail expo at Long Marston, so it can be done.

Earlier this year IIRC?