Jacobite / Glenfinnan Viaduct

[miniman]

A few minutes of video from the Fort William to Mallaig line, across Glenfinnan Viaduct (the "Harry Potter Viaduct"!)

[Mabbs9]

Thanks. I'll be walking under there on the way up to Knoydart in a few weeks. I'm going to be able to see it through the rain and low cloud.

[littleredrooster]

We've done lots of the steam train runs in the UK over the years, and the Jacobite is undoubtedly the most scenic. Breathtaking, and, for the most part, cannot be seen by any other means as it follows a slightly different route to the road. Fantastic fish 'n chips in Mallaig too!

[Foliage]

I done this, it was alright.

[ianrb]

Mabbs9 said:

Thanks. I'll be walking under there on the way up to Knoydart in a few weeks. I'm going to be able to see it through the rain and low cloud.

That's a pleasant stroll! Years since I last did it.

[andy_s]

Mabbs9 said:

Thanks. I'll be walking under there on the way up to Knoydart in a few weeks. I'm going to be able to see it through the rain and low cloud.

Fantastic - I did the Cape Wrath Ultra a few years ago - it's a fantastic route with fantastic views of clag....actually we were lucky with the weather, beautiful & remote - enjoy.

[Cotty]

Just found out that they lost a High Court challenge against a rail regulator over the safety of doors on its carriages.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24008365.harry...

Funny it was never a problem when millions of commuters including me used the old slam door trains.

[vikingaero]

Cotty said:

Just found out that they lost a High Court challenge against a rail regulator over the safety of doors on its carriages.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24008365.harry...

Funny it was never a problem when millions of commuters including me used the old slam door trains.

Different elves n' safety back then. Whilst you had the odd person leaning out of a slam door train in the 70's and 80's, here you have scores of people leaning out ot these slam doors at the same time, over a viaduct and possibly someone else leaning against the door handle...

I learnt the hard way not to lean out of slam doors one summer when I got whipped by an overgrown tree.

[mac96]

vikingaero said:

Cotty said:

Just found out that they lost a High Court challenge against a rail regulator over the safety of doors on its carriages.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24008365.harry...

Funny it was never a problem when millions of commuters including me used the old slam door trains.

Different elves n' safety back then. Whilst you had the odd person leaning out of a slam door train in the 70's and 80's, here you have scores of people leaning out ot these slam doors at the same time, over a viaduct and possibly someone else leaning against the door handle...

I learnt the hard way not to lean out of slam doors one summer when I got whipped by an overgrown tree.

Passengers in London used to know not to stand near the platform edge as well, unless they wanted to be naturally selected out by a passing open door. That in built knowledge is now gone.

[gotoPzero]

Any tips for the Jacobite train - thinking of booking as a birthday treat for the mrs.

Would be in September.

[sherman]

gotoPzero said:

Any tips for the Jacobite train - thinking of booking as a birthday treat for the mrs.

Would be in September.

Not heard much since this but they were moaning it would cost a fortune to set up the new safety systems.

BBC News - Harry Potter train operator loses High Court door safety challenge
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-i...

Edited by sherman on Sunday 25th February 17:56

[gotoPzero]

They are still selling tickets so I assume its going to get sorted? Defo be booking with a credit card though!

[Cotty]

gotoPzero said:

They are still selling tickets so I assume its going to get sorted? Defo be booking with a credit card though!

I think they were looking at borrowing compliant carriages

[gotoPzero]

Oh right, thanks for the heads up. I think I might hang fire then.

[sherman]

Jacobite suspended

https://www.railwayherald.com/uknews/wcr-suspends-...

[Earthdweller]

It’s all a bit nanny state gone too far really

At one time every train in the country was slam door and people weren’t dying in droves falling out of the trains or opening the doors when they were doing 125 down the WCML

Seriously we can’t now trust adults not to open the doors on moving trains ?

[alangla]

Earthdweller said:

It’s all a bit nanny state gone too far really

At one time every train in the country was slam door and people weren’t dying in droves falling out of the trains or opening the doors when they were doing 125 down the WCML

Seriously we can’t now trust adults not to open the doors on moving trains ?

They were. That’s why Central Door Locking was introduced. Mk3 coach doors on the WCML did have a habit of coming open at 110mph, especially in the Tamworth area IIRC.

Edit: found the document I was looking for: https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?d...

HSE document paraphrased slightly said:

Between 1984 & 1991 records were found of 270 incidents of passengers falling from slam doors. In 155 of these incidents the person was fatally injured. In 1991 there were 21 fatal falls from train doors

Page 45.
That’s why unlocked slam doors have no place on the modern railway.

Edited by alangla on Thursday 21st March 19:09

Edited by alangla on Thursday 21st March 19:34

[sherman]

Earthdweller said:

It’s all a bit nanny state gone too far really

At one time every train in the country was slam door and people weren’t dying in droves falling out of the trains or opening the doors when they were doing 125 down the WCML

Seriously we can’t now trust adults not to open the doors on moving trains ?

The General public are stupid
Tourists are even worse when it comes to preserving their own life if they can get that perfect holiday snsp.

[Boringvolvodriver]

sherman said:

Earthdweller said:

It’s all a bit nanny state gone too far really

At one time every train in the country was slam door and people weren’t dying in droves falling out of the trains or opening the doors when they were doing 125 down the WCML

Seriously we can’t now trust adults not to open the doors on moving trains ?

The General public are stupid
Tourists are even worse when it comes to preserving their own life if they can get that perfect holiday snsp.

Interesting - I was on a train in Sri Lanka where the guard was actually opening the doors so people could lean out and get that perfect picture! The difference might have been that the train was going relatively slowly on a single track line.

They have a different view to H&S as well, to get to a famous bridge and a view point you have to walk along the train track which was a bit hairy when the train came along (again very slowly) and not a lot of room trackside……..

[Jader1973]

Part of the issue is that those of us who understand old trains know the dangers of leaning on the door / out the window.

However the Jacobite is primarily a tourist attraction, for people from all over the world. They have zero experience of dodgy old BR coaches so the risk is much higher.


I suspected they’d get suspended…again. You’d need to be daft to book with them and commit to time in FW given the cancellation record.