stanThe Swindon and Cricklade Railway (S&CR) has announced that it is working in partnership with local security providers Tops Security, a Banham Group company, to protect its heritage railway.
Blunsdon station, near Swindon, Wiltshire, where the Railway is based, has recently been the target of several antisocial behaviour offences, including trespass, arson, graffiti and theft. To safeguard the iconic railway site and the irreplaceable artefacts that form part of the railway's heritage, S&CR have enlisted Swindon-based Tops Security to provide them with robust security solutions.
Working together, the two Swindon companies hope to deter crime at the site, by protecting all possessions, buildings and stored rolling stock through both physical and digital state-of-the-art security systems The newly-installed CCTV camera system is monitored constantly through Banham's in-house Alarm Receiving Centre, which will enable the police to be alerted if damaging activity is detected.
In May 2016, a rare ‘Thumper' Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) was destroyed by an arson attack, with the value of the damage at that time estimated at £100,000. This had devastating repercussions to S&CR, a UK-registered charity, which relies heavily on public funding and volunteers to provide their services to railway enthusiasts across the country, including train rides, special weekend events and memorable visits.
The Swindon and Cricklade Railway, which last month held a Class 03 Day, is always seeking volunteers in all aspects from catering, restoring, and assisting in the running of the trains, and asks people who are interested in doing so to contact Volunteer Coordinator, Julie Dent at volunteer@swindon-cricklade-railway.org
Originally forming part of the Midland and South Western Junction Railway before being taken over by the Great Western Railway (GWR) after the second world war, the line was eventually closed to passenger traffic in 1961. It formerly served the Moredon Power Station in Swindon as well as playing an important role in transporting army personnel and casualties from Southampton and Salisbury Plain during both world wars.
In 1978, thanks to a group of enthusiasts, this section of railway that had fallen into disrepair was chosen for reconstruction. The restored railway line today runs for a distance of about 4 km (2½ miles) either side of Blunsdon railway station, from Taw Valley Halt in the South through Blunsdon, Hayes Knoll and northwards towards Cricklade. The Railway plans to extend the line into Cricklade when funds allow, which will entail recreating a bridge.
The Railway's Chair of Trustees, Bill Poling, said: “Having experienced so much wanton damage in the past it was decided to set up a small team to investigate how we could best protect the railway, because volunteers were having to spend valuable time making repairs instead of being able to concentrate on other important projects. We are so grateful to Tim Fuller from Tops Security for his expert advice and arranging generous support from Banham which has enabled us to afford this professional CCTV system that provides a high level of protection”.
Tim Fuller, Operations Technology Manager, Tops Security, a Banham Group Company, said: “We are proud to support The Swindon & Cricklade Railway in securing their heritage site to prevent any further crimes taking place. We take pride in providing our local community in Swindon with the highest level of security to protect themselves and their properties and we hope that this additional layer of security at Blunsdon Station provides the Trustees, volunteers, and visitors with peace of mind that the site is secure and protected so that it can be continued to be enjoyed by all.”
Vandalism on the railway is one thing but vandalism on a heritage railway is quite something else!