Fuming! Heritage daytrippers left hot and bothered after nationwide steam train ban quietly rolled out amid heatwave health and safety concerns

Nostalgic day-trippers have been left hot and bothered after a nationwide steam train ban was quietly introduced due to health and safety concerns.

Frustrated families’ long-planned journeys have been thrown into chaos after Network Rail imposed the ban amid fears of roadside fires during the ongoing heatwave and sparks from the Harry Potter train are thought to have started a wildfire.

The grounding of Britain’s iconic steam locomotives has led to legacy railways changing timetables, canceling services and introducing diesel engines as last-minute replacements.

One of the busiest weekends of the year is approaching as schools across the country begin their summer holidays.

The move follows a fire reportedly triggered by a Harry Potter train last Saturday, which led to the closure of the West Coast Main Line in both directions.

As a result, approximately 72 trains were canceled and 158 trains were delayed due to the disruption that continued throughout the weekend.

An angry customer was left fuming after booking a ride on the West Coast Railway’s Jacobite Steam Train. The locomotive is known around the world as the real-life Hogwarts Express due to its passage over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which featured in the film adaptations of JK Rowling’s children’s novels.

The man who wrote a review on TripAdvisor this week branded the service ‘rubbish’ and said: ‘Poor show for the price. The day we went there was no steam train and there were regular blue and white intercity wagons.

Long-planned journeys by frustrated families have been thrown into chaos after Network Rail imposed the ban amid fears of roadside fires during the ongoing heatwave. Image: Diesel engine used instead of the planned steam train on Steam Dreams Rail Co.’s trip

‘A lot of kids were disappointed the day we were there. Nothing Hogwarts related. I asked for our trip to be transferred but was told that tickets were sold out every day. Meaningless. ‘Our car was half empty.’

Elsewhere, one family told of their disappointment after receiving a message out of the blue from London’s Paddington Station to the Chiltern Hills explaining that the £180 per head Summer Spirit Lunch fell under the ban.

The message, sent 48 hours before the journey, said: ‘Due to the increased risk of trackside fires following prolonged periods of dry weather and extreme heat, we regret to inform you that Network Rail has implemented a nationwide steam ban for this week, which includes our Summer Spirit Lunch tour on Thursday 16 July.

‘As a result, we are unfortunately unable to operate the Summer Spirit Luncheon by steam locomotive, but our journey will continue as planned on Thursday, using the same beautifully restored vintage cars and offering the same high standard of on-board service.

‘The train will be pulled by an old diesel locomotive rather than steam.’

The message added: ‘Thank you so much for your understanding and continued support.

‘Steam bans are imposed by Network Rail only in exceptional circumstances and as a last resort during periods of extreme fire risk when the safety of the railway and surrounding communities must be a priority.’

Despite the message, Steam Dreams Rail Co, which runs the trip, says on its website that one of the steam locomotives is still planned for the trip but the name of the engine has not yet been confirmed.

He adds that the locomotive commissioned for the ‘steam-carried portions of the journey’ cannot be guaranteed and ‘may be replaced by a different engine’.

Meanwhile, the Northern Belle, one of the most luxurious trains in the world, has apparently run out of steam and services have been disrupted.

This Saturday’s Settle and Carlisle Special, a £595 per person experience promising a ‘trip back to the Golden Days of rail travel’, will now see a diesel locomotive pulling 1930s Pullman-style carriages rather than a historic steam engine.

A spokesman for Northern Belle said: ‘Obviously this is a huge disappointment for us and our many passengers.

‘But after the recent hot weather there is a very high risk of fire so we are using an old diesel locomotive instead.

‘Our journey on the beautiful Settle-Carlisle line should still be an absolute pleasure, as our chef will prepare a magnificent brunch and dinner.

‘And as compensation we’re refunding passengers £50 and offering them a free cocktail on board.’

The train, once part of the Orient Express, was voted the fifth best train in the world by readers of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler magazine last year.

This comes after sparks from the train featured in the Harry Potter films were thought to have caused an uncontrollable fire last Saturday. Pictured: File photo of the West Coast Railway’s Jacobite Steam Train, known around the world as the real-life Hogwarts Express

The locomotive is named after Harry Potter because it passes over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which was featured in the film adaptations of JK Rowling’s children’s novels. Image: A scene from the Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter movies

Other services hit include North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which apologized to customers on Wednesday after publishing a revised timetable ‘due to the limited availability of some of our locomotives’.

Network Rail has decided to ban steam trains due to bushfire risks caused by slag and sparks from their decades-old coal-fired engines.

In ordinary weather this poses little threat, but weeks of scorching sun have left the trackside grass banks and surrounding farmland drying out.

Last Saturday’s fire broke out in ‘Black Five No. It occurred near Winsford, Cheshire, after a privately owned engine known as ‘44871’ made a 70-mile journey from its home in Carnforth, Lancashire, to nearby Crewe.

While the engine was being pulled by a diesel locomotive (meaning the boiler did not need to be ignited), a video of its journey uploaded online by a train enthusiast showed smoke coming from the steam engine’s chimney.

The engine, used regularly on the West Coast Railway’s Jacobite service, is understood to have made a trip to Holyhead in North Wales the following day.

A Network Rail spokesman said: ‘The current prolonged hot and dry weather has increased the risk of bushfires across the country.

‘As a result, we have asked charter operators to replace steam engines with diesel engines in line with our steam charter fire risk policy.’

Network Rail is understood to be still investigating the source of the fire on the West Coast main line on Saturday.

A spokesman for West Coast Railways, the UK’s leading independent rail operator and train operating company, stressed that the firm follows strict fire safety protocols.

‘Network Rail uses an established fire risk assessment process for steam operations across the network, which creates a series of colour-coded levels and mitigations, from green (normal steam operations) to black (no steam), depending on conditions,’ they said.

‘All operators of steam locomotives adhere to this process.

‘Last week the level was red, which requires any steam operation to be powered by a diesel locomotive, with the steam locomotive in steam, but for little more than lubrication and braking purposes.

‘This process has worked successfully for several years in similar weather conditions; indeed there were five more steam operations on the network on Saturday, all of which took place without incident.

‘The Jacobite Steam Train has its own localized fire risk assessment process, which was green for normal steam operation as recently as yesterday.

‘The rest of the network is currently black, which was already forecast last week and is expected to remain so for the next week or so until there is a break in the warm weather.

‘Charter trains that would otherwise be transported by steam will now either be transported by diesel or, in a few cases, will be delayed.’