Britain's heritage rail sector has expressed its support for their counterparts in Ukraine as they face huge difficulties in protecting their country's railway heritage.
At the Annual General Meeting of the Heritage Railway Association (HRA) on 9th March, members voted unanimously to record or promote heritage railways in Ukraine. They also took the opportunity to express support for their efforts, and earnestly pray and hope for their ultimate success.
Responding to requests from HRA members, the trade body also considered what advice it could give to organisations planning and running military re-enactment events during the conflict in Ukraine. After due consideration by the HRA board, member railways are being advised that military re-enactment and ‘war weekend' style events should not go ahead during 2022, or for as long as the conflict in Ukraine continues.
The HRA is also asking members to consider whether it is appropriate that such re-enactment events should be run in future years.
The New Europe Railway Heritage Trust (NERHT) helps railway preservation in the region. Welcoming the resolution, Stephen Wiggs, Chairman of the NERHT, said “It is incredibly sad that our friends in Ukraine are facing such terrible suffering. For almost 20 years we in NERHT have supported several Ukrainian railway projects and we are really grateful to the British preserved railways and museums and those in HRA who have worked with us.
“If and when normal conditions return, my colleagues and I will make a special effort to help Ukraine, and we will welcome all the aid we can get from Britain's railway heritage community to do this.”
Heritage Railway Association Chief Executive, Steve Oates, said: “A small number of members had already taken unilateral decisions that they were uneasy about military re-enactment style events in the light of the war in Ukraine. The HRA also received requests for advice from railways with concerns that such an event could cause unintended anguish to visitors of Ukrainian heritage.
“In light of the huge suffering being seen in Ukraine, we fully support those member railways that have decided to alter or rearrange their events. And we felt that it was only right that our advice to members should be updated to reflect the current situation.
“Our heritage railways are powerful educational tools for a number of eras in British history and fundamentally that will not change. But nobody would want to cause unintended anguish at a time like this.”
Why not just have a 1940s weekend. Various kinds of dress including military
I would have thought that our heritage railways would have enough to do encouraging people to travel on them.
These 1940 themed events are extremely popular amongst people who attend preserved railways.
The other thought is that the Heritage Railway Association is entering into areas of politics and using organisations, who should be apolitical , to be mothpieces for politics.
People attend preserved railway (and other tourist attractions) to escape such issues.
British people are mature enough to decide what type of event they wish to visit, without having these “cancelled” by such organisations, who have done for their own reasons.
Virtue signalling has now spread to our Heritage Railways . Political correctness, an insidious mindset like ‘cancel culture ‘ gripping the ‘woke’ minds .
What has happened to maturity of thought?
Worst of all they will kill whatever fun that was left in preserved railways (and life if they get their way).
Won’t being going to Severn Valley and North York Moors any time soon.