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Steam Dreams Queen's Birthday Specials with 45699 21/04/16.

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by green five, Apr 18, 2016.

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  1. 1020 Shireman

    1020 Shireman Part of the furniture Friend

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    Steam Dreams seem doomed to failure where steam haulage is concerned at the moment. Things can only get better as a well known politician once said. (Did they?)
     
    1020 Shireman, Apr 20, 2016
    #21
  2. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

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    Can we assume tommorow trip is diesel hauled?
     
    mrKnowwun, Apr 20, 2016
    #22
  3. sycamore

    sycamore Member

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    Wasn't that Peter Cunnah from D:Ream???!!!
     
    sycamore, Apr 20, 2016
    #23
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  4. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    Now confirmed as Diesel hauled on SD website:

    Quote taken from SD Timings page:
    "We had organised a reserve locomotive, Galatea, which was accepted by Network Rail however Galatea subsequently developed a fault and has been withdrawn from the trip."

    Following text taken from Bookings page where the trips have appeared again:
    "This trip is scheduled to be hauled by a vintage diesel locomotive, most likely to be a British Rail Class 47, 37 or 33"


    I wonder what will turn up for the next SD trip on 5th May? I spy something beginning with D.........
     
    green five, Apr 20, 2016
    #24
  5. buseng

    buseng Part of the furniture

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    Don't you mean DD Website?
     
    buseng, Apr 20, 2016
    #25
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  6. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    If only it was a D49 or a Duchess. :)
     
    Spamcan81, Apr 20, 2016
    #26
  7. 99Z

    99Z Guest

    Galatea in London.. I knew it was too good to be true.

    There endeth the dream, destiny means a ride over the Surrey hills, hauled by a tractor with a 47 for good measure.
     
    99Z, Apr 20, 2016
    #27
  8. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    Or even a Duke.
     
    RalphW, Apr 20, 2016
    #28
  9. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

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    You can't make it up can you, complete disaster out of London this year
     
    mrKnowwun, Apr 20, 2016
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  10. F8BEAR

    F8BEAR New Member

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    46100 in steam and in London - a Royal Scot for a royal occasion? No that would be just too silly.
     
    F8BEAR, Apr 20, 2016
    #30
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  11. western nobleman

    western nobleman Member

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    A couple of questions occur to me and hopefully some of those in the know (or just more up to date than me) might have the answers.

    Are Galatea & Leander still the same size as far as Network Rail is concerned? I recollect from a relatively recent thread involving a tour via Whitehaven that the owners considered them so.

    If Network Rail do consider them to be equivalent in height, width over cylinders, cab profile etc would it have been possible to send Leander south to deputise for Galatea? (I attach no blame to anyone for the late discovery that Galatea was unfit to travel, faults can develop overnight and that is after all what FTRs are designed to check).

    The Salopian Express (on Fri 22nd) is shown on UK steam info as "5690/TBA" for the Preston - Chester - Shrewsbury - Preston sections. If the problem with Galatea is (hopefully) a relatively simple one then perhaps a simple exchange of loco could have solved the problem for Steam Dreams April 21st trip without upsetting arrangements for the 22nd? Even if 45699 requires attention likely to take longer than a couple of days surely a Black Five could have ben provided for 22nd? All the steam route involved that day is proven as Black 5 friendly.

    At least one answer (and probably several) I can already anticipate may well be along the lines of "Don't be silly - Cant be done". Perhaps my memory is playing tricks but such a solution would only a few years ago have been obvious to all involved.

    Steam Dreams. WCR and the railtour industry in general needs all the good press it can get right now, both for basic PR & more important a renewed confidence to encourage future bookings. With all the additional public awareness of birthday events this year tomorrow is the last day the industry should be publicly found wanting.
     
    western nobleman, Apr 20, 2016
    #31
  12. buseng

    buseng Part of the furniture

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    Be even worse now with Southall now going.
     
    buseng, Apr 20, 2016
    #32
  13. 7P6F

    7P6F Part of the furniture

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    The Leander option crossed my mind as well. SD did say in the letter however that it would take 5 days to resolve the problem with Galatea. In my opinion cancellation of this trip should have been made when its reason to be, Princess Elizabeth herself was found to unavailable and especially since the reserve loco was also unavailable. I think this option would have been favoured by the majority of passengers, been in good time for hotel cancellations and would have had less impact on SD's reputation.
     
    7P6F, Apr 20, 2016
    #33
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  14. ROGace

    ROGace Member

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    so wonder why cannot she be used ? gauging? crewing?
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2016
    ROGace, Apr 20, 2016
    #34
  15. ROGace

    ROGace Member

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    For SD yes - sorry to say :(

    But not quite for all day trips though - all Tornado's runs (red rose and Devon belle) have been fantastic and very successful (as they should be) plus no issues on the Belmond Pullman charter contract
     
    ROGace, Apr 20, 2016
    #35
  16. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Support crew at the last minute? And it may just not be available.
     
    Big Al, Apr 20, 2016
    #36
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  17. 99Z

    99Z Guest

    Just to add to the woes..

    This months steam railway also states that steam is being cut back off the Southern end of ECML and WCML.

    Page 80 Scotsmans May 25th trip from KX to Anglia will be turning into a spin around Surrey, it also mentions.

    Maybe Surrey hills is the future of London steam ?
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Apr 20, 2016
    99Z, Apr 20, 2016
    #37
  18. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    I feel sorry for Steam Dreams as it looks as though through no fault of their own they have failed (twice) to get steam involved for these trips.

    Before the change to diesel haulage was announced I see that a few folk had been muttering about the fact that a diesel would be in the consist for the celebratory trips. I think it's worth remembering that the moment SD came up with the rather nice idea of steaming out of Windsor on the Queen's birthday, it was always going to be TnT steam/diesel because of the configuration of Riverside Station and if SD didn't realise that, which I'm sure they did, then WCRC would have soon told them. It then doesn't take much of a jump to work out that if this was going to be the set-up for the evening then the lunchtime circular would have the same arrangement. I presume that it was assumed that these were not going to be enthusiast trips - dining on both circulars - but I do think that to have been silent about the exact nature of the haulage in the publicity was misleading for those not in the know and for whom that information would have mattered.

    Anyway, it's not even going to be TnT steam/diesel, although let's give them credit for the fact that they've got it half right. :)
     
    Big Al, Apr 20, 2016
    #38
  19. ROGace

    ROGace Member

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    yes agree, plus doubt royal scot has been gauged by NR for being used on tomorrows runs ?
     
    ROGace, Apr 20, 2016
    #39
  20. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

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    Unless everybody has missed something, Leander hasn't had a loaded test run yet. See Shep Woolley's photos on LE and test runs from last Thursday.
     
    30567, Apr 20, 2016
    #40
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