Hogwarts Express targeted

[DJC]

What about the countless carriages and stored vehicles that are vandalised every day?

Just because it's a special rake doesn't make it any worse.

I'm with Rai on this, it does make it worse for me because they're historical.

Its so depressing how little respect some people have these days.

[orudge]

Indeed, it's disgusting the way this sort of stuff still happens.

Catch the buggers and give 'em National Service.

[Ameecher]

Catch the buggers and give 'em National Service.

They'd just vandalise that or go AWOL.

[Born Acorn]

We can send them all to Australia again!

[Dave]

IMO, the real "vandalism" against railway equipment and infrastructure isn´t (and hadn´t been) done by single human beings (or small "crowds" of them) but from the railway companies themselves, in nearly every country.

Hmmm... Care to elaborate, Michael? I'm not entirely sure what you mean..?

[orudge]

Cutting services, etc, I'm guessing, maybe?

[michael blunck]

>> Care to elaborate, Michael?
> Cutting services, etc, I'm guessing, maybe?

Yeah, Beeching Axe, e.g.?

Or "Real Vandalism (tm)" like that?

regards
Michael

[doktorhonig]

Well, if they can recycle it, why not do it? They should of course leave some of them, they may be historic soon.

I had to look up "chav" in wikipedia, didn't know that before..

[Dave]

>> Care to elaborate, Michael?
> Cutting services, etc, I'm guessing, maybe?

Yeah, Beeching Axe, e.g.?

Don't get me started on Richard Beeching. I choke everytime someone mentions his name

In fairness, he did propose investment for a lot of things in the railways but it was the cuts that the government latched on to. And he was, of course, just doing his job.

Beeching failed to foresee passenger growth and that with some small investment lines that weren't profitable could become so.

Of course the real disaster of the Beeching Axe was the closure of the Great Central Mainline.

The b******

Or "Real Vandalism (tm)" like that?

Yes, I do see what you mean now. Does DB scrap a lot of trains?

Britain has a hand in some of this:

Well, if they can recycle it, why not do it? They should of course leave some of them, they may be historic soon.

We've sent several trains abroad - I think the Class 87 ended up in Hungary or Poland and we have some trains out in Spain, etc. We've sent some old EMUs out there as well, as well as rolling stock.

As for preservation, well... It's who offers the more money. In today's privatised Britain, at least, if a scrapyard offers more for a train than a preservation group the selling company are hardly going with the lower offer, are they?

I'm reminded of the Class 89 appeal (In jpmaster's sig) that required massive donations and support just to seal the deal from GNER.

Luckily they saved it - there was only ever one built. BADGER

Back to the point about these 'historical' carriages having had windows smashed...

They're mk2 rolling stock... Arriva Trains Wales used mk2 rolling stock on it's loco-hauled services in the valleys. Virgin occasionally use a mk2 set on their Birmingham New Street-Manchester Piccadilly 90-hauled diagram. I believe (and Ameecher will confirm this) that 'one' (formerly Anglia) use, or did use, mk2 rolling stock on their express services.

The carriages are hardly rare. I bet they didn't even know it was the rake used on the 'Hogwarts Express'. Like I said, it's probably used for many different tours.

[Martin]

Yeah, I see your point Dave about vandalism. But it's also true in this case that the West Coast Railway Company (and its employees) could suffer because of this as the Lancaster Today article says.

Perhaps ironically, Carnforth where this took place illustrates what Dave and Michael were saying, as it is a shadow of what it used to be due to cuts, partly Beeching, partly with the 70s upgrade of the West Coast Mainline as I understand it. A station which had I think six platforms and was a major junction station in its heyday now has just two, with the platforms on the WCML cut back and fenced off. But at least it is much better than it was a few years ago when it was also deserted and dilapidated - the restoration has been quite a success and by today's standards the train service isn't too bad for a town that size. (For those who are interested, quite a lot of info can be found at http://www.carnforth-station.co.uk/)

[SM9T8]

>> Care to elaborate, Michael?
> Cutting services, etc, I'm guessing, maybe?

Yeah, Beeching Axe, e.g.?

Don't get me started on Richard Beeching. I choke everytime someone mentions his name

In fairness, he did propose investment for a lot of things in the railways but it was the cuts that the government latched on to. And he was, of course, just doing his job.

Beeching failed to foresee passenger growth and that with some small investment lines that weren't profitable could become so.

Of course the real disaster of the Beeching Axe was the closure of the Great Central Mainline.

The b******

I rank the closure of the S&D up there to, as it ran through a part of the counrty where the roads are at best roman. If it was still around I could get to collage by train along a double track main line, as it is I have a hair rasing bus journey along narrow lanes.
If he's alive I say hang him, if he's dead I say dig him up and hang him, that is unless he repented and spent the rest of his life preserving railways.

[Martin]

He isn't alive, but let's not get carried away.

[Dave]

Like I said, Richard Beeching actually produced some ideas about creating and saving lines in his report, but the government ignored it.

I'm not going to comment on whether he was right to do so. Some lines NEEDED to be shut. The Bumblehole Line from Old Hill to Dudley, for example, regularly saw single railcars totally empty on both outs and returns.

[Martin]

Similarly, there was no way TWO branches to Morecambe were going to carry on.

[SkeedR]

Don't know about vandalism, but, some graffiti is quite nice. If i ever buy a house, i'll make sure all the graffiti artists know which walls to use and which walls not to use.

[Ameecher]

So graffiti looks nice? Nevermind the fact that most of the vandals/"artists" are putting their lives at risk to the wall/train that they feel needs a face lift...

Quite how the below LU trains managed to be graffitied what with all those live electric rails around the depots I don't know, but weirdy, you can't claim that train looks nice.

[jonnie47]

i agree it does look nice but its still petty vandalisim and a crime and with it being on the railways r tax money pays to clean it when they can be bothered

[m3henry]

nice...

Darwin Award:

A group of boys were bored and decided to go paint the trains in the local yard.
they climbed over three fences with signs on high voltage everywhere.
One of them did a sketch on the New coaches.
Another Did A big p***s on an electric train.
The third yob, unsatisfyed with the side, climbed ontop of the same electric train and did a very elaborate design on the whole roof, when he as finished he stood up...and was killed instantly by the live wire, the flash could be seen all around the town and the remains was just a shoe.

[Dave]

I'm not sure where you get these from but they're not amusing.

[m3henry]

darwin awards
but my exsample does show why railway vandalism is a really dumb idea