West Coast Railways
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| Industry |
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|---|---|
| Predecessor | Steamtown Carnforth |
| Founded | June 1998 |
| Headquarters | Carnforth, England |
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Key people
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David Smith (Majority owner) Patricia Marshall (Managing Director) |
| Website | www |
West Coast Railways (WCR), is a railway spot-hire company and charter train operator based at Carnforth MPD in Lancashire. Using buildings and other facilities previously owned by the Steamtown Carnforth visitor attraction, in June 1998 the company became the first privately owned company to be given a licence as a train operating company.
On 17 February 2016 the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) issued a Prohibition Notice to WCR, relating to concerns about its management of safety. Under the terms of the notice, the company was not able to operate trains on the mainline network until the ORR were satisfied that its governance and operations met industry practice. The Prohibition Notice was lifted in March 2016.
After British Rail closed the Lakeside branch to passengers on 6 September 1965, a group of enthusiasts chaired by Dr Peter Beet formed the Lakeside Railway Estates Company, with the idea of preserving both the line and Carnforth MPD, to provide a complete steam operating system. After agreeing to rent out part of the Carnforth MPD site, but with the counter the development of the A590 road meaning that the complete vision was unsuccessful, Beet developed the visitor attraction Steamtown Carnforth, which became a mecca for steam enthusiasts from 1967.
In 1974 Sir Bill McAlpine became a shareholder in the company, allowing his LNER A3 Pacific No. 4472 Flying Scotsman to make Carnforth its home. McAlpine subsequently acquired a controlling interest in the company, in order to fund the purchase of the complete site including the track from British Rail.
In light of McAlpine's declining interest, in 1990 his controlling interest in Steamtown Railway Museum Ltd was sold to David Smith, who over the following years has bought out most of the minority shareholders. With increasing Health & Safety Executive regulations, and an increased reliance on revenue from supplying and servicing steam locomotives to power enthusiast trains, the commercial decision was taken not to reopen Carnforth as a museum or visitor attraction for the 1998 season. Steamtown Railway Museum Ltd still exists today as the holding company, and operates an extensive railway repair and operating facility on the site. In June 1998, West Coast Railway Company was granted an operating licence to become a train operating company.
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Wikipedia