The high cost of diesel has now started to have a very real affect on the railway industry.
Further to a previous thread on the affects of rising diesel fuel prices, today a TransPennine railway company has ordered it's drivers to "coast" down hill when possible to save £1,000,000 by disengaging engines on multiple units leaving just one to keep powering the train:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/7595511.stmSadly in the railway preservation scene it is also having a devastating effect on diesel engine operations

, but with pleasingly steam being rostered more often 8-)

The real downside is however that according the
Rail magazine the following diesels that were considered 'preserved' have now either been sold for scrap or broken up already

:
20056, 20135, 202206, 31113/23/66/88, 31421/42/67,31556, 33056, 33204, 37111/31/58/65, 37211/42, 37505, 37904, 45127, 46023, 47001, 47295, 47403, 50001/23/40/3, 55016, 56023/80, 73004
This is very sad news for all railway enthusiasts, especially those who particularly treasure diesels like Martin Imber.

Apparently it is not only the rising cost of fuel that has put owners off of ownership, but the price of scrap has risen so much that a 100 ton engine previously worth £3,000 is now worth £30,000!!

As a steam preservationist I see on one side the delightful possibilities of a greater use of coal powered engines (on preserved railways)

, but then am very concerned indeed about the rising scrap values that could badly affect those engines still "awaiting restoration".

The one saving grace is that those engines already restored are valued in the 100 of thousands of pounds, well above their weight in scrap value

All this certainly is yet another indication of how bad things have become in so many ways in the UK and the world as a whole.
Heaven help anyone having to regularly commute by train and meet the rising costs of their season tickets!
