Imagine you are responsible for a heritage railway.  How much do you 'preserve' and run as the line was in its prime, and how much do you update to modern tastes, practicallity or requirements?  Please select those items you think should be "just as they always were".  I have marked the "old way" with (*) in each case - please check boxes to select that option.

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Yes, please vote on the basis of the ideal that you would desire.  Business needs would then mean some compromise from "what we want" to "what we can actually achieve".

Some options are not in reality "either/or" ones. Take bullhead rail and wooden sleepers as an example. Some heritage lines use them within the stations and their approaches but use concrete sleepers and CWT "out of sight".

Ideally one would like all the asterixed items but as the quotes above show there are things which need updating.

I think the hardest part of running a heritage line,  particularly the longer ones like the West Somerset, Severn Valley and North York Moors is ongoing maintenance of the track, signals, locos (steam and diesel)
, rollingstock and buildings. Network Rail struggles with maintenance on the national railway.

I am involved in a very short line <1 mile and maintenance is an ongoing problem. So if something requires replacement it makes sense to replace it with something more modern especialy as it may not be possible to get an original part.

Thus heritage lines will evolve, they can't be preserved in aspic.

Who knows in another 100+ years time parts of  HS2^▸ (The next High Speed line(s)) might be a heritage line.

I have no objection to a little modernisation when this detracts very little from the general experience.
No objection to electric lighting in place of oil for signals (remembering though that oil may be cheaper in some locations)
Modern communications are very useful for emergencies, but the old ways preferable for day to day operation.
Colour light signals only if not in sight from stations.
A flashing tail lamp just looks wrong though, oil tail lamps or GOOD fakes needed.

A pet dislike of mine is a modern generating set under the buffet car, makes a very non-heritage noise.

Staff should dress in a traditional way when on view. No bright green warehouse coats on the platform at Minehead please.

The things you most want to retain as they were
- Manned Signal Boxes (62%)
- Slam Doors (52%)
- Edmonson Tickets (52%)
- Original Gauge (52%)
- Gated level crossings (48%)

The thing which you least want to retain are
- Exact original loops and layout (5%)
- Oil lamps rather that electric (5%)
- Male staff only in track operational roles (5%)
- Booking only by post or in person (none of this newfangled internet booking) (5%)

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You weren't very keen on some other things from olden times either, such as:
- Flush onto track
- Infrequent trains
- Cash or cheque - not debit or credit card
- Correct stock for line only
- No gift Shop
- Original prices
- No museum
but you would also like to keep:
- Green flag dispatch
- Guards on all trains
- Semaphone signals
- and "tough" if you are delayed (so no delay repay!)

Voting by a small, self-selected group (after all, this is on the heritage board of what in a mainstream public transport board) but looking at this it really makes you think, doesn't it?

Re post #8, I have had a private communication from the wearer of the distinctly  non heritage bright green overall coats that offended my eyes. Such garments will be confined to the workshop in future.

BTW^▸ (by the way) I donated them to the railway, because they shrank in storage and no longer fitted me. A bit like the trousers of a respected member.