General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

It's a really bad time for the preserved railways in the UK. They all depend on a great percentage of volunteers to keep the wheels turning as their profit margin is very low and they can't afford a large wage bill as the income is dependent on how many bums on seats they get through the season.
This decision means that they will have to import all their coal from overseas, possibly Russia because it needs to be the correct kind of coal , they can't just use any old stuff, it has to be of the correct calorific value for one thing, to ensure proper steaming.
Because of this it will mean more expensive fuel to fire the engines which in turn the companies will have to pass on the extra cost to the customers , that will result in higher ticket prices with the inevitable reduction of bums on seats.
It's a catch twenty two situation and I can see a few preserved railways closing this year, which in my opinion is a very sad thing as I love steam engines and all the old infrastructure that goes with them. I don't know about the planned mine in Whitehaven, whether or not planning permission has been granted or not, but that could be the last chance for heritage railways in this country. :(