Severn Valley Railway train carriages vandalised

[AndyPJG]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-42484761

Severn Valley Railway train carriages vandalised
Two historic train carriages have been vandalised over the Christmas period.

Severn Valley Railway, which runs steam-hauled passenger trains, said it is "extremely saddened" by the vandalism, "especially in the season of goodwill".

The vandalised carriages were in Kidderminster when they were daubed with graffiti on Monday and Tuesday.

The carriages will be removed from service, leading to shorter trains until they can be repaired.

An investigation into the vandalism is under way, Severn Valley Railway said.

"We will continue with smiles on our faces and ensure the much-loved and painstakingly-restored vehicles are returned to service as quickly as possible," a spokesperson added.

 

[Worf]

The brain dead scum that do this should be sent to Saudi Arabia and see how they like their form of justice.

 

[221129]

The brain dead scum that do this should be sent to Saudi Arabia and see how they like their form of justice.

Fantastic overreaction there...

 

[SquireBev]

A bloody shame, especially those lovely teak panels.

Let's hope there's no permanent damage.

 

[paul1609]

To be honest I think preserved railways are better off getting the Peek out and keeping quiet about incidents like this

 

[Worf]

Fantastic overreaction there...

Silly me... I forgot it must be society's fault.

 

[SquireBev]

Silly me... I forgot it must be society's fault.

...

There is a middle ground you know? Just because we, and by we I mean sane people, think that stoning them to death is a bit extreme, doesn't automatically mean we think they should be given a cuddle and sent on their way.

 

[muddythefish]

A bloody shame, especially those lovely teak panels.

...... and the lovely chocolate and cream.

Awful incident. The SVR has enough on its plate maintaining 60 plus coaches without this.

Hope the hardworking lads there can get them back in service soon - and the culprits caught and sentenced.

 

[Cowley]

...

There is a middle ground you know? Just because we, and by we I mean sane people, think that stoning them to death is a bit extreme, doesn't automatically mean we think they should be given a cuddle and sent on their way.

If caught then perhaps a day or three with a few sheets of 120 grade wet n dry in the rain whilst being accompanied by non stop Christmas songs on a continuous loop interspersed with a history lesson on LNER teak coaches could be appropriate.
Then maybe they could come back the week after to revarnish the effected areas before joining the railway as young volunteers, throwing their hoodies and spray cans away and finding a new direction in life.

 

[SquireBev]

If caught then perhaps a day or three with a few sheets of 120 grade wet n dry in the rain whilst being accompanied by non stop Christmas songs on a continuous loop interspersed with a history lesson on LNER teak coaches could be appropriate.
Then maybe they could come back the week after to revarnish the effected areas before joining the railway as young volunteers, throwing their hoodies and spray cans away and finding a new direction in life.

Well if that's what it takes to be taken on as a volunteer, pass the spray can!

 

[Cowley]

Well if that's what it takes to be taken on as a volunteer, pass the spray can!

I shall pass you the brush Bev and expect you to be patient by letting the varnish dry between coats and giving a gentle sand ready for the next layer.
Don’t forget to follow the grain...

 

[AndrewE]

If caught then perhaps a day or three with a few sheets of 120 grade wet n dry in the rain whilst being accompanied by non stop Christmas songs on a continuous loop interspersed with a history lesson on LNER teak coaches could be appropriate.
Then maybe they could come back the week after to revarnish the effected areas before joining the railway as young volunteers, throwing their hoodies and spray cans away and finding a new direction in life.

Don't invite them in, or they might see the extent of what can be damaged or stolen - let alone the weaknesses of a typical preserved railway's security.
By all means have junior volunteer organisations to motivate kids, but don't fill them with felons!

 

[Cowley]

Don't invite them in, or they might see the extent of what can be damaged or stolen - let alone the weaknesses of a typical preserved railway's security.
By all means have junior volunteer organisations to motivate kids, but don't fill them with felons!

Todays graffiti felons could be tomorrow’s signwriters with a bit of love and direction Andrew. Come on, it’s the season of goodwill!

 

[theblackwatch]

Todays graffiti felons could be tomorrow’s signwriters with a bit of love and direction Andrew. Come on, it’s the season of goodwill!

Perhaps they could practice on the walls of their own house though?

 

[satisnek]

The brain dead scum that do this should be sent to Saudi Arabia and see how they like their form of justice.

Yes please, just get them out of my town.

Look, the Manchester-Bury EMUs suffered from this thirty years ago and it's still happening today! Enough appeasement, it's time to put an end to this rubbish NOW!

 

[Cowley]

Perhaps they could practice on the walls of their own house though?

Or perhaps the house of the most psychotic person in their neighbourhood?

 

[Monty]

Todays graffiti felons could be tomorrow’s signwriters with a bit of love and direction Andrew. Come on, it’s the season of goodwill!

That's assuming that most graffiti 'artists' are disaffected youth with nothing to do when in fact some of them are middle aged, middle class men in full time employment.

 

[dgl]

Spray paint on their house "this house contains scum"

 

[DarloRich]

The brain dead scum that do this should be sent to Saudi Arabia and see how they like their form of justice.

sigh - the usual overreaction. I fancy there might be more heinous criminals worthy of extradition to a hateful regime for re education than someone who spray paints an old railway carriage. OBVIOUSLY that is a completely brainless act and insulting and hurtful to the people who spend their time and money fixing these things up but in the grand scheme of things.................................

 

[Worf]

sigh - the usual overreaction. I fancy there might be more heinous criminals worthy of extradition to a hateful regime for re education than someone who spray paints an old railway carriage. OBVIOUSLY that is a completely brainless act and insulting and hurtful to the people who spend their time and money fixing these things up but in the grand scheme of things.................................

The problem is that, for one reason or another, the legal system in this country appears to be totally ineffective in dealing with "petty" criminal activity. The lack of respect for others in the community by a segment of the population now appears to be endemic. With rights come responsibilities.

 

[AndrewE]

The problem is that, for one reason or another, the legal system in this country appears to be totally ineffective in dealing with "petty" criminal activity. The lack of respect for others in the community by a segment of the population now appears to be endemic. With rights come responsibilities.

Quite. However "chop off their hands" or "bang them up" only costs the rest of us money and doesn't really address the problem, in fact that approach may store up even more problems for the future. There has to be a way of getting the miscreants to recognise the harm they do and then to fit in to society (for their own good as well as for everyone else) that doesn't just shut them out and leave them with a burning resentment.
I can't help feeling (I really mean that I am certain) that not funding primary (literacy and numeracy) education, or respecting and funding vocational studies as that age-group got a bit older, plus emasculating the Probation service, on top of stripping the Prisons Service of the money it needed for literacy and other education is coming back to bite us on the bum. What a price we are now paying for a few trivial tax cuts...
Dare I say, if you voted Tory (or supported Blair) it serves you right...

 

[Worf]

Quite. However "chop off their hands" or "bang them up" only costs the rest of us money and doesn't really address the problem. ...... What a price we are now paying for a few trivial tax cuts...
Dare I say, if you voted Tory (or supported Blair) it serves you right...

Neither does bringing politics into it. Vandalism/Petty Crime figures have risen year on year from the 1920's onward, despite various hues of government and changes to how the statistics are recorded. The Police are frustrated as the courts appear to let the low lifes walk free. Teachers (and parents) are unable to discipline children because they know their "rights" and how the system works. Unfortunately, once they are vandals it is too late to do much. Teaching parenting skills would be a good start though.

 

[AndrewE]

However if you halve the budgets of the bits of state activity that maintain law and order and try to put miscreants back on the right path how do you expect anything to get better? The prison "service" is a scandal for simple lack of money, with no success at keeping inmates safe, let alone re-education. Have you read any of the media coverage of the reports of the inspectors? What do you say to the scandal of the Probation service, now mostly [not very well] run by the private sector?

You can't leave politics out of it, as it's your (our) way of setting out our future, and what sets its outcomes is the investment we allow. Cressida Dick made that clear on radio 4 yesterday morning, and you should also recognise that the recent prosecution failures are simply down to there not being enough resource available in the police or CPS to avoid basic mistakes.
[Mods Please feel free to split this off into a thread on "Is it worth shutting down the state we grew up in to save a few pence in the pound on taxes?" (or "would you like to feel safe in a gated community - if you can afford to live in one and can afford the price of bodyguards outside it" )]

 

[John Luxton]

Part of the problem here is the pedestal onto which the real "Banksy" has been placed by society by people raving on the graffiti plastered on walls around the country and making out to be works of art when it isn't.

Anyone who marks or damages someone else's property deliberately is guilty of criminal damage - no excuses. Putting one graffiti in the limelight not only justifies their actions but gives just about every other "wannabe" and excuse for doing it.

These people should be made to pay for their actions preferably in cash but failing that in their time correcting what they have done. For repeat offenders a lengthy prison sentence would be appropriate.

John

 

[markindurham]

Part of the problem here is the pedestal onto which the real "Banksy" has been placed by society by people raving on the graffiti plastered on walls around the country and making out to be works of art when it isn't.

Anyone who marks or damages someone else's property deliberately is guilty of criminal damage - no excuses. Putting one graffiti in the limelight not only justifies their actions but gives just about every other "wannabe" and excuse for doing it.

These people should be made to pay for their actions preferably in cash but failing that in their time correcting what they have done. For repeat offenders a lengthy prison sentence would be appropriate.

John

Nail...head. Exactly. Well said.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Such a shame, something similar happened not so long on the NYMR. I have said this before, I read an article not so long ago in a national newspaper, that a policeman saw a youth either doing some graffiti, and he was in a position to give the person a bucket of water and scrubbing brush and made him clear up/remove what he had done. Which he did, looking very shame faced.

 

[Harbornite]

sigh - the usual overreaction. I fancy there might be more heinous criminals worthy of extradition to a hateful regime for re education than someone who spray paints an old railway carriage. OBVIOUSLY that is a completely brainless act and insulting and hurtful to the people who spend their time and money fixing these things up but in the grand scheme of things.................................

You do have a point. The people who did this are braindead idiots and deserve a proportional punishment, but not castration (as one commenter on Facebook suggested)

 

[DarloRich]

You do have a point. The people who did this are braindead idiots and deserve a proportional punishment, but not castration (as one commenter on Facebook suggested)

agreed: they are complete cabbage heads - but if it is castration for graffiti artists what punishment for pederasts ?

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

agreed: they are complete cabbage heads - but if it is castration for graffiti artists what punishment for pederasts ?

Perhaps the methods used in Singapore that have appeared on other threads? But in reality, some type of community service, making good what they damaged and a big fine.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

...... and the lovely chocolate and cream.

Awful incident. The SVR has enough on its plate maintaining 60 plus coaches without this.

Hope the hardworking lads there can get them back in service soon - and the culprits caught and sentenced.

Has any progress been made repairing the damage?