WTHT EXPANSION ON THE CORUS RAIL SITE.

The last bloom train August 16th 2006 Copyright Edwin George.

Consultants

Richard Lindsay is acting as unpaid consultant to look into planning matters and other issues. He agrees that the idea has great potential but it will need much work from us to make it happen. As well as looking around the site and investigating the route and possible siting of stations, etc, he has had contact with Richard Smith of Kendal (who is involved with Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway and the Windermere branch), Cumbria Highways, Allerdale planners, Corus and others. Corus is also positive, and confirms that it will have to leave the site in a good condition for the future benefit of the town - this could include a legacy towards the railway.However Richard cautioned that we would need to work with other attractions to develop the railway and would need a committed team of volunteers (and possibly paid staff) to run it. Allerdale Council won’t comment on planning issues until White Young Green issue their report on the future of the site and the wider Derwent Howe area on 24th July 2006.

Networking - Regeneration, NRM & NWDA

Meeting organised by James Beresford of the NWDA were held on 20th April and 4th July along with regeneration manager Rob Rimmer and representatives from the Science Museum and National Railway Museum. NWDA has commissioned a master plan for the Corus site, but also including the wider Derwent Howe area. This is being prepared by Stuart Cowperthwaite and phase 1 is to be ready by the end of July. This will cover site appraisal, ownership issues, land condition, coastal erosion and similar issues. In order to make the most of any heritage value of the site, the consultants were asked to undertake a heritage audit of buildings & plant on the site. Having established this base, and considered options for development, phase 2 will cover development, planning, environmental and other issues.

There was a feeling that any visitor attraction (visitors include people in the area for any reason, not just as tourists) should be part of a "string of pearls" along the coast, working with and complementing other venues from Hadrians Wall, through the coastal towns to Ravenglass and beyond. It was agreed that four areas of any potential attraction would be covered in the report - the visitor economy, community & green spaces, industrial & rail heritage, and funding. In order to make the most of the "visitor experience", any attraction would have to work with other assets that the town possesses such as the river, the sea, and the Shore Hills. Apparently no other potential buyer has laid claim to any of the Corus site, so the consultants are working with a blank sheet .

What sort of Attraction

It was clear that our proposed railway and a "visitor attraction" could be two separate entities, working in co-operation. Discussion of what is appropriate and feasible led towards something unique, that takes advantage of the area’s history and existing "assets". A purely railway based attraction is unlikely to thrive on its own. Discussion of successful venues like Eureka at Halifax, The Eden Project, and Snibston Discovery Park at Coalville led to talk of the need for a unique attraction, and ideas were noted.

Our Railway

Regarding our own ideas for the site, Alistair was asked to put forward our case for a railway operating from Salterbeck to the harbour, either as its own attraction, or in connection with a bigger rail/steel museum type of centre or other unrelated attraction. Some were not entirely convinced that this would work, but there was support from others around the table that it could, provided the right approach was taken in line with a well-thought-out public/private partnership. As we already appreciated, the scheme would have to have educational, employment & training elements in order to "tick the right boxes" with funders. It was agreed that a preserved railway in Workington as proposed by WTHT would work on its own, but would thrive better with positive destinations at each end of the line, eg visitor centre and marina. These would be separate pearls in the string! We can still develop the railway as a stand alone project, but some finance could be obtained towards our efforts if a big attraction was also built. The NRM would be supportive, much material would be available on loan for display, but capital & revenue funding would have to come from other sources. NWDA has funds will be available for part of this.

What lessons can we learn from others?

Lessons can be learned from the success of Locomotion , the NRMs satellite museum at Shildon. Shildon is a historically important railway town that was in need of regeneration. The regeneration body and local authority were very supportive of Locomotion, and continue to give revenue support to this free-entry museum. It gets 150,000 visitors a year, with free entry.The Weardale Railway tried to run before it could walk. They had lots of local support and grants, but took on too many paid staff which caused fatal cash flow problems. A new company is reviving the line, but good planning would avoided the need for this.

For the centre and the railway as separate items, there is much to learn from others. Andrew Scott referred to similarities with Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway which survives in an industrial setting (see page 17). Lessons can also be learned from Preston Docks Railway (see page 16).

The numbers of visitors (which is not necessarily the same as the number of passengers) drawn by a selection of other railways and museums include typical figures shown, though these may not all be up-to-date:

Darlington Railway Museum 21,000 visitors p.a.
Foxfield Railway 15,000
Northampton & Lamport Rly 22,000
South Tynedale Railway 22,000
Tanfield Railway 30,000

Government Visit to Workington

Alistair Darling MP, of the Department of Trade & Industry, visited Workington on 14 July to discuss regeneration issues, thoiugh we have not yet had any feedback. Reports of the regeneration meetings attended by WTHT will be given to Mr Darling and we have asked WTHT member and local MP Tony Cunningham if there is anything else we can do to bring our plans to Mr Darling's attention.

Conclusion

We are pleased that our ideas are being progressed further, even to the extent that certain previously sceptical individuals now seem more convinced that a preserved railway can work, even though we have chosen "the least attractive 2 miles of railway on the Cumbrian coast"! Yes, this is true, but it is the only 2 miles that is currently surplus to needs and available for development. Andrew Scott of the NRM confirmed that our idea can work, and further support was given from John Robinson & Raymond O’Neill. We can learn from the experiences of other preserved lines, such as the L & H: At under three miles long, the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway is prevented from extending by road developments that have occurred since BR closed the branch. But is has found a very nice market for itself, linking in the the Windermere Steamers, offering daily connecting services from 1st April to 29th October, and through fares. Journey time is £4.90 return for the sedate journey of about 3 miles (18 minutes) each way. The main centre of activity is at Haverthwaite, where stock is stabled, workshops are located, and the usual booking office, gift shop & cafe are based. Halfway along the unarguably scenic line is Newby Bridge halt, a beautifully maintained single platform seeing little traffic of its own.At Lakeside terminus, the overall roof has disappeared and the trains just use the one platform nearest the lake. But the signal box is still operational (even with some lower quadrant signals) and there is still a second platform alongside the run-round loop, though this is fenced off to separate it from the Aquarium of the Lakes. One booking office here, apparently operated by the steamer company, sells tickets for trains and ferries. There is a gift shop and cafe, but again, these appear not to be run by the railway.

The three staff on the train carry out all station operations. When the train arrives in the station, it stops short of the buffer-stops crossover. The fireman uncouples the loco, then the driver propels it forward to the buffers. The fireman walks to the ground frame at the buffer stops, releases the lock with the token key to allow the loco to run round, then resets the road for the next train. Meanwhile, the guard has unlocked the signalbox and set the signals and points at the station throat for the loco to complete the run round, resetting them for departure before locking up again. After the loco has recoupled, all is set for the return to Haverthwaite.