LONDON — Britain’s heritage railroads face massive costs, or the possibility of being shut down, in the wake of stringent new safety regulations resulting from the death of a passenger in 2016. The Telegraph reports that heritage railways...
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2019/07/22-costly-new-safety-rules-could-sideline-british-heritage-railways
Brian Schmidt, Editor, Classic Trains magazine
This is a bit of an unnessary panic. Check the comments from "across the pond" on the NewsWire story. Those called-for modifications ONLY apply to Heritage Railway trains operating off their home rails on British Rail lines. If they don't operate off home rails they don't need the mods.
The greater lesson is this is what the blind heavy hand of government bureaucracy, un-elected by anyone and unaccountable to anyone is capable of, both here, there, and everywhere. Look and learn, and remember.
Flintlock76The greater lesson is this is what the blind heavy hand of government bureaucracy, un-elected by anyone and unaccountable to anyone is capable of, both here, there, and everywhere.
Not the lesson at all, really: this is actually about not leaning out with photography 'red mist' when the rules (and common sense!) say 'no leaning out.' How would you prevent this ... really prevent it ... without going to positive measures that don't require constant vigilance with immediate, and possibly often-repeated, action?
Or perhaps we just keep going and let solicitors collect Large Money Damages for every person who disobeys the rules and is killed. Conductors, for instance. Once there's a demonstrated safety issue, expect to see "effective" action taken to show it will Never Happen Again. (As on D&S following the rush to justice regarding the 415 fire.) There may be very little leeway for honor-system-style tolerance then.
Simple fix.
"Mr. Passenger, you lean out the open window or the open Dutch door and you're off the train at the next station. Period."
"How you get home is your problem."
Why ruin the experience for everyone just because of the foolishness of a few? People riding a Heritage train, wherever it is, want to feel like they're on a train ride, not a trip to the local lock-up in a paddy wagon.
Bars on the windows? Like being in jail. Automatic window locks while the train is in motion? Oh yeah, put more stuff in the passenger cars to break down!
I can understand the safety issue but really, how far do you go? They might as well limit gasolene sales in Japan to a pint at a time because of what that maniac arsonist did last week.
And in the end, you can't legislate common-sense and you can't fix stupid, no matter what you do.
I know folks with the NYMR. It's nbd.
Now, if I were asked about this, I'd say there are easier 'effective' solutions. The most immediate (and I believe this has been discussed on RyPN in a slightly different context) is to install blocks that limit the window opening, and simple interlocks on the doors that require they be closed (or opened only with a coded key or emergency box) while the train is moving. (This presupposes alarm-type proximity switches and an audible alert/brake-valve connection would not be fully adequate...)
The simmering question in this country is 'how much more trespass and accident will American railroads tolerate before curtailing their special operations?' All it takes is the threat of massive insurance-coverage increase... even if that's more or less an excuse, as for CP recently concerning Steamtown.
Pity Schmidt seems to have missed the memo, or at least contacted the North York Moors people to confirm whether the hysterical sky's-falling predictions were accurate.
Overmod Now, if I were asked about this, I'd say there are easier 'effective' solutions. The most immediate (and I believe this has been discussed on RyPN in a slightly different context) is to install blocks that limit the window opening, and simple interlocks on the doors that require they be closed (or opened only with a coded key or emergency box) while the train is moving. (This presupposes alarm-type proximity switches and an audible alert/brake-valve connection would not be fully adequate...) The simmering question in this country is 'how much more trespass and accident will American railroads tolerate before curtailing their special operations?' All it takes is the threat of massive insurance-coverage increase... even if that's more or less an excuse, as for CP recently concerning Steamtown. I know folks with the NYMR. It's nbd. Pity Schmidt seems to have missed the memo, or at least contacted the North York Moors people to confirm whether the hysterical sky's-falling predictions were accurate.
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