Hogwarts Express operator scrambles to survive crackdown on traditional carriages

Stringent new rules on door locks prompts merger between West Coast Railways and Riviera Trains

The operator of the “Hogwarts Express” steam train has merged with a rival in an effort to survive a safety clampdown on traditional railway carriages.
West Coast Railways will take over Riviera Trains to gain a fleet of coaches that are compliant with stringent new rules on door locks.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) ordered West Coast to switch to central-locking carriages last year after banning doors with locks that could be operated by passengers.
The restriction affected the 1950s-era Mark 1 coaches used on the Jacobite train, commonly known as the Hogwarts Express for its appearances in the Harry Potter films.
West Coast had previously said that the ORR ruling threatened to end steam-hauled services on the main line, with tourists and Harry Potter fans alike unlikely to be attracted to modern coaching stock.
The Jacobite route crosses the Glenfinnan viaduct and was made famous in the movie versions of the JK Rowling books. Some of the now outlawed Mark 1 carriages were used in filming.
West Coast, Britain’s biggest operator of classic steam and diesel trains, has now reached a compromise by purchasing Riviera’s 60 Mark 2 coaches.
While dating from the 1960s and lacking some of the feel of the wood-panelled stock outlawed by the ORR, the Riviera carriages still have some historic appeal and are fitted with central-locking doors.
The value of the deal wasn’t disclosed. However, it is likely to have come at a fraction of the estimated £7m cost for West Coast of fitting new locks across its fleet.
James Shuttleworth, West Coast’s commercial manager, said: “The ambience and the atmosphere of the train are better served by the use of Mark 1s, there’s no doubt. And there’s no physical reason why we can’t still use them other than the locking regulations.
“But this deal with Riviera at least guarantees the availability of rolling stock and gives us more trains to run.”
The Jacobite has operated every summer for 30 years along the 41-mile West Highland line between Fort William and Mallaig. It was this year forced to delay the start of its summer timetable by several weeks as West Coast fought the ORR ruling.
Services eventually began with a cobbled together collection of Mark 2 train coaches, though passenger numbers for the year are expected to be well below the usual 110,000.
Other trains operated by West Coast include the Cumbrian Mountain Express and Dalesman services over the Settle and Carlisle line. It also operates the nine-day Great Britain rail tour, costing almost £4,000 for a premier berth.
Mr Shuttleworth said West Coast will continue to lobby the ORR for an extension to an exemption from the central-locking rule that had been in place for the previous two decades.
He said: “We either press for an exemption for the Mark 1s, fit central door locking or simply not use them again, which would be a pity.”
The ORR has said Mark 1 coaches aren’t safe because passengers could open doors while the train is moving.
Mr Shuttleworth argued that stewards on the Jacobite bolted each door after passengers had boarded, making the train perfectly safe.
Mark 1 carriages are in everyday use on dozens of private heritage railways across Britain. However, running speeds are limited to 25 mph, meaning the central locking rule doesn’t apply. The Jacobite operates at up to 40 mph.
The newly acquired carriages will be moved from the Riviera’s base at Burton-upon-Trent to West Coast’s headquarters in Carnforth, Lancashire, which was once home to the Flying Scotsman.
It’s not clear whether they’ll be repainted from a blue and grey colour scheme into West Coast’s trademark maroon, which replicates the British Rail livery of the 1950s.
The Riviera purchase doesn’t offer a complete solution to West Coast’s problems: the way the fleet brakes make them incompatible with some of the company’s steam locomotives. However, so-called Black Five locomotives used on the Jacobite can haul the stock.