This spring has seen a series of vandalsim incidents on hertiager railways across England. Heritage railways are paricualrly vulnerable to such occurances due to the difficulrly of secure long linear transport industrial monuments which can run for many kilometers. The focus for such attcks is often the goods yard where rolling stock and locmotives are stored in the open.

In April an arson attack at the Rushden Transport Museum destroyed a train carriage. The fire was started in a Mark 1 train carriage not being used for the public while the site was closed. A second adjacent carriage was also damaged. Anybody with information regarding this incident should call 101 and quote crime reference number 24000224460.

In May a large railway station sign, 12ft by 3ft, was stolen from the Tettenhall Transport Heritage Centre, Wolverhampton, just before the Centre celebrated its 10th anniversary. The recently restored sign was taken during the night, leaving splintered wood over the ground. Fortunately, the sign was recovered at the beginning of June.

In June a railway signal box in Lightmoor, leased by the Telford Steam Railway from Network Rail, was vandalised. Brickwork was damaged during the break in, paint thrown across the main working room, historic railway equipment destroyed, and every window in the building was smashed. 

Donations towards the restoration of the signal box can be made here: https://www.telfordsteamrailway.co.uk/make-a-donation-to-the-railway.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2Hi4lvo-MVBESnfepmRwUzh37VDFgB2IKc4eWL3hsxfDpGOvZX4YNm-_k_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

You can find guidance on how to report a heritage crime, read articles about key issues, and learn how you can support initiatives in tackling local crime by visiting the Historic England Heritage Crime webpages here: https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/caring-for-heritage/heritage-crime/