Do you know anyone who’s clued up with international ‘O’ license laws? I want to move 2 locomotives from the Festiniog railway to France and back for a 3 day WW1 event and need advice on what passes/permits/insurance I’ll need. Also if it’s not for hire or reward do I need an ‘O’ licence at all? But where does that leave me if the company I’m getting the tractor unit from only has a national ‘O’ licence?
They won’t be oversized or over weight so just a standard flat/low trailer.
You won’t need permits, you’ll need road insurance, and goods in transit insurance, and it is ESSENTIAL that you advise the insurer of the nature of the load, standard CMR insurance pays out a maximum of £1,300 per tonne and you wouldn’t be wanting that if you write off two locomotives in an accident.
Also you’ll need some type of O licence. Restricted would be fine if it was the Ffestiniog Railway’s own truck and O licence, but if you are borrowing somebody else’s tractor unit then I don’t believe a National licence would go down too well if you were stopped on the continent.
Just to add that if you run into too many problems with this, let me know. I have an international O licence and if the dates were ok then I would do it myself at cost just to attend the event and chat about steam locos etc, if there was somewhere on or near the site where I could park up for three days.
Own Account Driver:
If the railway is a registered charity you may be ok without an o-licence if it is not considered a commercial venture.
I can’t find anything in my CPC training manual about exemptions for registered charities, and even if there was, I wouldn’t fancy my chances at explaining them to an arsey French copper at the side of the road when I had a deadline to keep.
Harry Monk:
Just to add that if you run into too many problems with this, let me know. I have an international O licence and if the dates were ok then I would do it myself at cost just to attend the event and chat about steam locos etc, if there was somewhere on or near the site where I could park up for three days.
Thanks Harry, very kind offer and one that may be taken up.
Own Account Driver:
If the railway is a registered charity you may be ok without an o-licence if it is not considered a commercial venture.
I can’t find anything in my CPC training manual about exemptions for registered charities, and even if there was, I wouldn’t fancy my chances at explaining them to an arsey French copper at the side of the road when I had a deadline to keep.
It’s not charity per se it’s not using them in the course of a business which by being a registered charity closes down any argument.
I used to do a bit with a charity that took aid convoys to Romanian orphanages and they had a load of artics that were donated to them and they didn’t ever run on an o-licence. I think the local council depot did some sort of maintenance for free but in my opinion it wasn’t great and the truck I drove had a big air leak I sorted it but was first told it’s ok and has been like that for ages.
Having Charity Convoy emblazoned down the side of the trailers probably did help with any authorities.
Honked, it is crucial that all the paperwork for the trip is 100 % correct and legal to go over there, the Gendarmarie have a reputation for fines up to 10 to 20 thousand euros for numerous offences that has to paid on the road side, the fines are deposits for the courts of which you can attend at a later date to contest it with a lawyer at your own costs.
Due to the nature of your load, it will attract more attention than a normal lorry, they tend to lurk around on the peages or toll booths 24 hours a day, there are Douane or Customs checkpoints at random locations all over France.
I would let Harry Monk take the load for you.
2 trains = convoi exceptionale= a mass of rules= NO motorways, might be better to find a Convoi Exceptional ■■■■■■ company that deals with these loads
to give you ALL the answers.
Armagedon:
2 trains = convoi exceptionale= a mass of rules= NO motorways, might be better to find a Convoi Exceptional ■■■■■■ company that deals with these loads
to give you ALL the answers.
These are narrow-gauge locomotives, which will weigh somewhere between 10 and 12 tonnes each and aren’t overwidth, so wouldn’t fall within convoi exceptionale rules. Having said that, I made a few enquiries today, and I can’t get hold of a low-loader trailer so I’m going to rule myself out of doing it.
philgor:
At a guess they would go on a flat bed with space to spare, to be honest, I think with a lowloader you’d probably struggle to get them on.
Edit, assuming they would be a static exbit, and the Ffestiniog would be loadings via a crane, a sliding roof euro liner would do the job.
I agree, I was thinking though that it might be a bit top-heavy on a flatbed trailer?
To be honest, I’ve not thought about that. But when I was evolved at cleethorpes coast light railway, 15" gauge stuff, when stuff was being moved it was all on flatbeds. But after in incident where a loco came off a wagon, nothing was transported on its wheels, they were resting on their chassis on sleepers.
If you used a unit registered as Private HGV would that make a difference. I know various fellow traction engine boys who go to and fro the continent without trouble.
Update.
Been in touch with vosa and it won’t need international O licence.
Hopefully source a trailer this week.
Keep you posted. Thanks for the advice.
