Summary
After a break of over a month and following recent heavy rainfall, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) has resumed steam operation on its 14-mile Cotswold line between Cheltenham and Broadway. Thanks to summer heatwaves and nearly 60 days without rain, the GWSR operated a ‘fire risk timetable’ from July 16 using its fleet of heritage diesel locomotives.
Details
This followed an announcement by Network Rail, which banned the use of steam locomotives on the national network because of the risk of sparks triggering a wildfire. Rebecca Denyer, business services manager at the GWSR , said: “The safety of our visitors and volunteers is, of course, our number one priority.
We are also very conscious of our responsibility to our neighbours, which includes farms and woodland owners alongside our railway. “Hundreds of wildfires developed across the UK over this exceptionally dry summer, some of which consumed properties and in some instances claimed life.
This pushed emergency services to the limit, so the last thing we wanted to be responsible for was yet another wildfire in the Cotswolds.
“Our travelling visitors have been extremely understanding and appreciate the action we have taken, while our diesel services – using historic locomotives dating from the late 1950s to the early 1970s – have been appreciated by the growing number of people who feel nostalgia for the early days of diesel traction on the UK’s railway network.” The GWSR has, meanwhile, modified its home fleet of steam locomotives to improve spark-arresting capabilities and reduce the risk of hot ashes being released from ashpans, as well as improving ashpan sprinkling systems that spray water onto ash and cinders falling through the fire grate.
Rebecca added: “Expert opinion suggests that this summer has not been a ‘one-off’ as temperature records are repeatedly broken and we can expect more frequent heatwaves in the future. We are therefore doing all we can to ensure that we can continue to operate steam locomotives as much as possible. “However, working on a steam locomotive is, of course, very hot work.
We may occasionally have to withdraw steam on hot days to protect our volunteers.” The railway also has water routinely available for travellers who may suffer from the heat, particularly as the historic carriages are not air-conditioned. “If temperatures significantly exceed 30 degrees C, we may decide to withdraw services altogether to protect both volunteers and visitors,” added Rebecca.
The GWSR is one of the leading tourist attractions in the Cotswolds, carrying over 100,000 passengers annually and is thus an important contributor to the local tourist economy.
Report source: Punchline Gloucester
