sound, esteem engine coming to
rest in an old film.
You might wonder what the
connection is from that
technology to today's war in
Ukraine.
The price of coal has
skyrocketed since Russia's
invasion.
In turn that has challenged some
of Britain's living and
breathing museums.
The country's heritage railway
lines.
From south western England,
special correspondent Malcolm
brabant reports.
>> They're burning through money
at the swanage railway, as is
every historic line in the land
which gave birth to steam
trains. The locomotive hauling
today's service is a 1940s
vintage express, back to robust
health after a $400,000 refit.
In total there are 150 heritage
railway lines in Britain and all
of them are facing the same
problems. This is the start of
the new season and they're all
banking on good visitor numbers
to help them survive.
>> We've had to work very hard
to address the impacts of the
pandemic and coming out of that,
we've still got major challenges
ahead of us.
>> Leading the effort to keep
this living museum on the right
track is Gavin Johns, who has
more than 30 years experience
with Britain's modern rail
network.
>> We've got two challenges.
One, rising costs and the
impacts of those rising costs on
our customers. So our own costs
are going up significantly, most
notably coal.
>> Three years ago, the daily
spend on coal was $670. Today,
it's 1600.
>> Coal is a major issue for us
because before the war in
Ukraine, we were sourcing our
coal from Russia. So we very
quickly had to work with our
supplier to switch the source of
the coal.
>> Can you ever go back to
Russian coal?
>> I think it's very unlikely
that we will go back to Russian
coal supplies. We've been
working hard to find new
sources. I think for the time
being that we'll stick with the.
>> Johns says that ethical
considerations and not just
sanctions dictate the railways
stance. Although costs have
more than doubled, it'll try to
absorb the hit and not raise
ticket prices because visitors
are also struggling financially.
The hope is that more passengers
like Matt Collins will turn up
for a steam fix.
>> Marvel at what steam engines
were at the time. Basically,
controlled explosions. A real
lesson in engineering. And it's
really evocative. The smells,
the sights and the sounds as you
travel on these trains. And it
just gives you an insight into
what the victorians did for us.
>> While steam engines pump out
carbon dioxide along with water
vapour, the biggest
environmental impact of the
locomotive age was to encourage
air pollution by other heavy
industries.
Today the influence of heritage
lines on climate change is
negligible. The railways insist
they're using cleaner coal where
possible and are trying to
reduce their carbon footprint
elsewhere.
In swanage, aficionados like
Suzanne Wiseman, have no qualms
about keeping steam alive.
>> It means a lot to me because
I was brought up in the steam
railway era and we were just
saying, actually, I remember
standing on the railway bridge
just watching them go under, and
the driver used to always give
us a peep and wave and it's just
nice just keeping a bit of the
British heritage going. I think
people all over the world love
us for our history and this is a
big part of it.
>> This heritage line benefits
from being in a region that's
popular with vacationers and day
trippers. Nevertheless, it's
laid off a handful of permanent
staff. Other railways have been
harder hit and have been forced
to make more drastic cuts.
>> Railways have been using
timber, steel for all the
repairs, track renewals,
locomotive and carriage renewals
and so on. So the cost of these
sorts of commodities have all
shot up. So yeah, there are some
railways at risk. Absolutely.
>> As chief executive of the
heritage railway association,
Steve oates has an overview of
the sector's myriad problems. So
how would you categorize it?
>> It's tough. It's looking
tricky because the economic
challenges that everybody is
facing and the cost of living
crisis, which is affecting
potential visitors, it's almost
like a double or triple whammy.
>> Third class travel is a
concept that many British people
can now grasp as their living
standards decline and they cut
back on luxuries. But oates
hopes that the allure of steam
will prevail.
>> I think people will
reluctantly put hands in pockets
as they did during covid. But it
is a risk. There's no question
about it that there is a risk.
And railways do need to be
really careful about this.
>> Even the popular bluebell
line 130 miles east of swanage
is not immune. It relies on
volunteers like Patricia beale,
who spent a lifetime working on
modern railways.
>> It's something that gets in
your blood. I mean, I love
railways and steam engines, the
smell and just the general
ambiance. Steam engines are
living creatures. Or they appear
to be living creatures. They
breathe.
>> Love and tender care have
helped this terrier class
locomotive survive its
contemporaries. Now, 150 years
old, this is the little engine
that could help pull the blue
bell over the economic mountain.
The railway's chairman is Paul
churchman.
>> Morning. Everything okay?
Ready for a busy day? Hopefully,
yes. Good. Not looking. Say
about it now. Hopefully we
should have enough people in
today. We're working very hard,
but we have to be realistic in
that it's going to be very
challenging.
>> The bluebell's costs have
also doubled because of the war
in Ukraine. Even though this
coal doesn't come from Russia.
>> Last year wasn't that good
because of the rising costs and
the softening of revenue. We
expect to post a loss for last
year. This year we probably will
post a loss again, but we are
taking actions to get our
business to break even for 2020.
>> The bluebell and other lines
can no longer rely on pure
nostalgia as a crowd puller.
They need to wrench young people
away from the screens of their
devices. 19 year old Luke
Hopgood, no longer volunteers,
but keeps coming back.
>> There's just old fashioned
stations and it's just very
traditional and it's just a very
authentic feel about it.
This station is a favorite with
film producers. It featured in
the Downton abbey series, but
the bluebell can't rest on its
laurels.
>> People don't want to just
come for a train ride anymore.
It needs to be so much more than
that. You need to have the added
value to the day out in the
visitor experience.
>> We've got a sitting gala
coming up in a few weeks with
some great engines coming, which
we know will attract
enthusiasts.
>> The swanage line was axed
from the British network in
1972. Gavin Johns has no
intention of letting it die a
second time.
>> We've got a great set of
volunteers who help the railway
out. We've got a great set of
staff that work really hard to
keep things moving and I think
that with our special events and
with the determination, we've
got a really good chance of
surviving.
>> This summer in a new
initiative, this heritage diesel
train will connect to mainline
services for the first time in
50 years. The message from all
150 historic railways is the
same.
>> Come here. Spend your money.
Help us survive. Enjoy the
experience we have. It is
unique.
Can they make it? They think
they can. They think they can.
For the pbs newshour, I'm
Malcolm brabant in southern
England.