Steam trains win bank holiday reprieve as Network Rail lifts fire-risk ban
Steam trains will be able to run on the mainline during one of the busiest weeks of the year after heavy rain eased concerns about the threat of track-side fires.
Network Rail lifted a steam ban on popular routes in North West England including the Settle & Carlisle and Cumbrian Coast lines, while the operator of the Jacobite train in Scotland said it would switch back to steam from diesel.
Amber alerts indicating a risk of fire across the wider network were meanwhile downgraded after downpours on Friday night soaked lineside vegetation that had been tinderbox dry.
An expert on Network Rail's special trains team said that months of minimal rainfall had created 'brown corridors' at substantial risk of being ignited by embers jettisoned by steam engines.
He said: 'The entire country has been at high alert, but some routes, particularly in the North West, have been forced to ban steam in recent weeks as the risk has just been too great.
'But with the weather turning and rain arriving Friday night and over the weekend, the risk is reducing and steam can once again run on our metals.'
This year has seen the driest start to spring in England since 1956, with half the expected rainfall in April and only a quarter of the long-term average in March.
The trend continued into May, with warnings of imminent hosepipe bans and a summer drought, and wildfires breaking out in areas including Cumbria, Derbyshire and Dorset.
Network Rail responded with a series of curbs on steam trains culminating in a 10-day blanket ban in the North West.
However, with the heatwave ending as low pressure systems bring rainy conditions, Network Rail eased the restrictions in time for the spring bank holiday and school break.
The decision was based on forecasts from MetDesk, which provides the firm with predictions of fire risk, ice and leaf fall, as well as weather forecasts for every 500 yards of track.
North West England was moved from black alert to red status for Saturday, which meant that a steam locomotive could lead a train using limited power, assisted by a diesel engine at the rear.
The risk level was dropped to amber on Sunday, simply requiring operators to exercise caution.
West Coast Railways, the biggest operator of steam and classic diesel trains on the national network, said the reprieve was vital going into the busiest months for charter operations.
James Shuttleworth, the firm's commercial manager, said that the rainfall meant the Jacobite train in the Highlands – dubbed the 'Hogwarts Express' for its appearances in the Harry Potter franchise – will also be able to return to steam traction from diesel.
With most of its steam engines based in Carnforth in North West England, the ban had threatened to leave the firm unable to haul trains even in parts of the country that were unaffected. One locomotive in service when the clampdown was announced had been unable to return to base and was abandoned to York.
Mr Shuttleworth said the spring had been the driest he had known since 1995, when the newly launched Jacobite service was forced to use diesels.
Steam operators responded to months of bans at the time with measures to limit fire risk, including spark arresters and grills on engines.
West Coast is now permitted to make its own decisions regarding appropriate traction for the Jacobite in conjunction with managers at Network Rail's Fort William depot.
Mr Shuttleworth said: 'You've got to be responsible. It's also about accessibility and whether the fire brigade would be able to get to the site of a potential fire.'
In Scotland and other upland areas, he said, there's also the risk of a lineside fire spreading to forestry plantations or seams of peat, with the latter potentially taking months to burn out.
West Coast, like other operators, makes clear to passengers that there will be no refund in the event of steam engines being unable to run or breaking down.
The reprieve came too late for the Northern Belle luxury dining train, which relied on diesel haulage over the Settle & Carlisle route on Saturday.
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