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35028 Clan Line to Canterbury Saturday 23rd May

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by alastair, May 18, 2015.

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  1. Sean Emmett

    Sean Emmett Member

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    I do appreciate that. But my contract is with Statesman. I did email them early evening. But they must have known mid-afternoon. They could have said something. Off to bed now if I am going to make 06.20 at Temple Meads!
     
  2. Sean Emmett

    Sean Emmett Member

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    Left Bristol behind 67005. Have been told no steam for operational reasons. Statesman to contact passengers on Tuesday.
     
  3. siquelme

    siquelme Well-Known Member

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    I wouldn't want to be a steward on that train this morning.
     
  4. Sean Emmett

    Sean Emmett Member

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    Keynsham passengers not happy train could not pick up for pathing reasons, so we sped thro at 78mph - only to wait at Bath for 6 mins!
     
  5. bakabung

    bakabung Well-Known Member

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    Not obvious when I passed twice yesterday.
     
  6. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    I'm having trouble understanding this, so DBS can haul West coast stock, but 35028, crewed by DBS cant, thats just plain daft, so how did Clan line turn out some years back,to Rescue West coast on a Kent run
     
  7. spindizzy

    spindizzy Member

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    This is an unbelievable situation and West Coast should be taken for as many compensation claims as possible. Tour operator, DBS, MNLPS and passengers should all be contacting them. Although very disappointing we can all put up with loco failures but to have the advertised fully crewed and serviceable locomotive ready to go but pulled by a stock owner is outrageous.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
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  8. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    Would there not have been some sort of contract in place? I would imagine that the late cancellation charges will be almost as much as the cost of hire (if my industry is anything to go by).
     
  9. 26D_M

    26D_M Part of the furniture

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    Maybe there is another side to it but if the facts are as they are said to be this represents a truly contemptible act.
    The sooner the industry can place less reliance on a business that is run in such a deplorable manner the better.
     
  10. threelinkdave

    threelinkdave Well-Known Member

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    Some of us on this forum have been pessemistic regarding WCRC and been castigated for it. One poster said "we should hang our heads in shame". Well we didnt for good reason. You can now see how David Smith conducts his affairs. What I will say is that this is not the first time he has acted in this irrational way. It was for these and similar reasons that being able to get his licence back actually astounded me
     
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  11. 26D_M

    26D_M Part of the furniture

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    Its the new structure that got the licence back by putting some notional distance between the chairman and operational management. Clearly the new arrangements are already causing him some frustration that appears to have been taken out on this train and its passengers. Proof positive that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
    The behaviour keeps bringing the hale n pace Yorkshire Airlines sketch to mind .......
     
  12. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    But no doubt the guys and girls who do that work will still turn up and do their best today. And will be right at the coal face to pick up all the anger for reasons that they had zero control over. Please go easy on them, it's not their fault.

    I am so glad my extensive Owl work has turned me into an armchair steam supporter at present. Time away from the moors, hills and marshes is mostly spent on getting my field work notes into a form suitable for the book, and what time I have after that is very limited indeed. I would so love to get out on a main line steam trip again: like I've been doing since 1960. But it seems to be horrendous out there at present with the few locos I want to travel behind.

    I really feel for all those at the sharp end of this. Not just the stewards but all those Wayne mentioned and of course all those who've put their hands in their pockets to actually allow this and just about every main line steam hauled train to run: the paying customers.
     
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  13. Victor

    Victor Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    On the face of it...a bad business. IF and it's a big if because we don't know why at this stage, but if it's WC playing silly buggas then it's unacceptable, but equally ORR are all over WC like a cheap suit, it is possible they've had a hand in this.
    WC need all the good will they can find after the recent debacle and if they ARE playing silly buggas this is not the way to go about re building confidence.
    I said it some time ago, who the hell will pre book if a tour has a whiff of WC connected with it?
     
  14. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    No consolation at all I know, but a view of what a Bulleid climbing through Bickley looks like. As should have been the case today.

    One of my first photos, down Golden Arrow behind 34088, September 1960. Looks like big brother Don on the platform end just admiring it as it passes him after he got his shot.

    Sharp eyed will see that the railway staff back then were still coming to grips with how to utilise multiple aspect signalling. I understand that soon after this they felt that all of these new style of signals were better off fixed on the line side, rather than carried on one of the locomotives' smoke deflectors.

    [​IMG]
     
  15. 26D_M

    26D_M Part of the furniture

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    True about ORR being watchful but if this has been a purely spiteful act they will surely take a dim view. Afterall unplanned late notice changes are hardly an ideal way to avoid problems. When they are willfully made it reflects badly because of the obvious failure to consider the potential operational consequences.
     
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  16. Victor

    Victor Nat Pres stalwart Friend

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    Statesman are not coming up to the mark re this matter. They MUST know the facts and all I've seen is "a statement on Tuesday". The decent thing would have been for them to issue a statement late yesterday afternoon or this morning. apart from anything else it would have eased the burden on todays stewards.
     
  17. Peter Hall

    Peter Hall Guest

    I often feel that many are not as informed as they easily could be about the ownership and associated matters regarding the coaching stock used on steam hauled mainline excursions. We make strenuous efforts to ensure the details given about these carriages in the Platform 5 annual books 'Coaching Stock' and 'British Railways Locomotives & Coaching Stock' are as accurate as possible. Certainly worth while referring to these books when issues such as that with todays 'Statesman' train occur.

    We list the carriages normally included in the Statesman Rail formations as in the ownership/responsible custodianship of Rail Films, a company closely associated with Statesman Rail. However, Rail Films have not yet had overhauls completed on sufficient carriages to form a full set for Statesman Rail. Consequently Statesman Rail have included in their formations a small number of carriages, usually Open Firsts 3360 & 3362 that we list in the ownership / responsible custodianship of West Coast Railway Company.

    Most will also be aware that many steam hauled excursion trains operate with carriages described as Mark 1 and/or do not use central door locking. Such carriages need specific exemptions from the Railway Safety Regulations. Particularly relevant to today is the fact that consultation with the latest exemption certificates http://orr.gov.uk/what-and-how-we-r...rk-i-and-hinged-door-rolling-stock-exemptions suggests that although the Rail Films carriages have exemption from Section 5 (central door locking) West Coast Railway Company 3360 and 3362 do not. Thus, todays train would need to operate with central door locking which requires an ETS supply. Is it possible that todays train was planned on the basis of using secondary door locking and realisation that this would not be possible if 3360 & 3362 were included is the reason for CLAN LINE being stood down and its replacement with a locomotive an ETS supply?
     
  18. threelinkdave

    threelinkdave Well-Known Member

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    I note Peter Hall's reply re the inclusion of two WCR coaches. This still does not explain why Clan Line needed to be stood down. If ETH was required then stick a box on the back. Not ideal but you still get steam haulage. Also I find it odd that as much WCRC MK1s dont have central locking having two coaches not exempted would make forming a train problematic. I am getting a hint of smoke and mirrors
     
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  19. Fred Kerr

    Fred Kerr Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    If a diesel with ETH was required then surely WCRC could simply have added that to the consist from the Southall pool; methinks that the current restrictions / monitoring taking place around WCRC operations may be part of the answer but the actual decisions - and rationale thereof - may be considered commercially confidential hence the lack of statement from any of the parties involved.
     
  20. 6026 King John

    6026 King John Well-Known Member

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    I don't understand the contractual arrangements here but I thought that DBS are operating this train on behalf of WCRC. I would have thought that DBS were thereby responsible for the motive power and that if they were happy to run with 35028 that should have been OK. I can't see why David Smith has any authority to stipulate what is hauling a train that is effectively not under his control.

    Can someone explain please?
     
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