The sustainability of heritage railways

Coombes, Robin (2021). The sustainability of heritage railways. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

‘Heritage railways’ are multi-faceted organisations established mainly by volunteers for public benefit, to encourage and promote interest in the preservation and operation of superseded railway technology, systems, artefacts, buildings and routes through the offer to participate in a living history experience. They have so far proved remarkable in their resilience and longevity: many have existed for more than 40 years, compared to a typical commercial company life cycle of around 10 years. This thesis seeks to define ‘heritage railways’ as an organisational form and examines the basis for their singular longevity. In particular, the thesis explores the necessary condition(s) for the successful operation of a heritage railway in terms of governing their sustainability as expressed through consideration of their life cycle trajectory around the three pillars of sustainability – environmental, economic and social. The hypothesis proposed in the study is that good governance of railway assets and management is the key determinate of the sustainability of a heritage railway. This hypothesis was tested through a survey of 39 Directors and General Managers and 252 heritage railway enthusiasts of 104 heritage railways, semi-structured interviews with 15 Directors and General Managers, and the author’s recorded field observations and participation in 52 heritage railway visits and events. The research shows that the longevity of heritage railways does not simply arise from ‘good governance’ but is in fact the product of multiple interlinked variables and processes. Indeed, many heritage railways have survived and prospered despite poor governance, rather than because of ‘good governance’. One of the most significant of these explanatory variables is social capital, a hitherto under-researched governance variable in heritage railway studies. Through case study examples, social capital is demonstrated to have compensated and mitigated for failures of organisational governance and weaknesses in operational conditions on heritage railways. In this respect, heritage railways are argued to be similar to charitable and other public-good organisations. On this basis the hypothesis was rejected, and an alternative hypothesis proposed: that social capital (of which philanthropy, reciprocity and trust are key constituents) is a key determinant of the sustainability of heritage railways. Recommendations are made using this finding on improving resilience and longevity.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):