Cath Ex - Flying Scotsman - 21/05/16

Around Hampshire there was BTP and or NR staff on duty at foot crossings and farm crossings

 

BTP did turn up, and no, no-one got their collar felt.

 

Here's the problem.

These images were captured about four weeks ago, looking north from Wolvercote First Turn bridge to the Oxford portal of Wolvercote Tunnel (67 yards) and again north from the north portal towards Oxford Parkway (about half-a-mile to the north of this location). Incidentally, for an interesting comparison with the "Before" condition of this section, take a look at the image of the last excursion on the Vintage Trains website accessible via this link
http://www.tyseleylocoworks.co.uk/photos_tours/images2014/d1015wolvercotetnl090214mmv.jpg

As I understand it, the plan is for Oxford Parkway to be reconnected to Oxford North Junction in time for the introduction of the winter/ spring timetable in December. Meantime, it looks as if there is still much work to be done.

The Bicester-Oxford line could in the future form a very useful link that might be exploited to create a West-of-London circular itinerery, very much as originally envisaged for the Scotsman outing on 1st June. But I suspect that in the fullness of time, there's going to be lots of pathing issues and constraints on the densely-trafficked routes that link with this section, especially the Chiltern main line south of Bicester as well as the newly electrified GWML. So I'm not holding my breath on the possibility of a re-instatement of this itinerary.

What would be nice, though, would be if Vintage Trains could maybe do something with Chiltern Railways to ceremonialise the re-instatement of the route, effectively book-ending its period of closure following the operation of the Chiltern Champion railtour with D1015 back in February 2014.

 

I know. I was with BTP and the NR staff were volunteering. Good will cannot be relied on so if additional staff are needed to cover this and have to be paid for, who is going to fund it?

 

Where was that? I know that there were several trespassers who had their details taken.

 

...and yet you've made the best of what was available; I for one like the shot. I doff my metaphorical hat to you.

 

Whitchurch. I spoke to BTP copper as he left, and the miscreant had disappeared.

 

WIth all the interest from the general public in FS. Let's hope this encourage the general public to visit their nearest perserved railway over the summer holidays. Also maybe the best way for the general public to see FS will be on a perserved railway. Let's hope FS can spend a reasonable amount of time on our perserved railways.

 

Flying Scotsman is simply not "just another steam locomotive". Where on earth did you get that idea from? Just look at the crowds who turned out yesterday and on previous tours. As for there being a risk of suspending all mainline steam timings to avoid crowds, I have just one message, dear boy.............

 

Maybe it would have been an idea to confine it to a preserved line or 5 , till hype died down before sending it mainline, also it would iron out the creases suxh as the injectors which packed in again, good job the spoon was on the back eh

 

Hey, Spamcam81, I really do think we should simply ignore what is spewing from this guy's keyboard. We all welcome balanced debate, but this guy clearly has a massive anti-steam agenda, and if the mods can stop him from contributing, then they should.

Thank you for your help yesterday by the way!!

 

Thank you. Very kind of you to say so.

 

Chris,

Nice to see a black and white photo for a change.

 

Cheers Lee.

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Surely 60103 could have travelled along there? She flys doesn't she?

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It makes me laugh reading all these posts saying that 60103 should be stuffed and mounted and she is just another steam Loco.
My Dad is not one of Scotsman's greatest fans and he knows how much I love the A3. Yesterday he kept saying "It's only Flying Scotsman" when observing the crowds turning out to see her again. He doesn't see what all the fuss is about. And yet he still wanted to come and see her with me yesterday, he recently bought the new Heritage Railway bookazine about 60103 and he has lots of his old pictures of her in his photo albums with one framed and up on his wall in the house. But he doesn't see what all the fuss is about! Okay Dad, l believe you! I am going out to see her again on Wednesday evening and on Saturday and guess who wants to come with me!

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The hype for Wednesday has already started.

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/flying-scotsman-how-many-film-11361410

 

I was talking this morning to my Mum about the circus around Flying Scotsman, and thought up this analogy.

People who are really into their music have their own favourite genre / artist and they will primarily follow them and things like them. This applies, I would say, to the majority of the hardcore enthusiast fraternity, we all have our own particular likes. Whether it's as wide-ranging as "steam" or "diesel", or more nuanced, such as "GWR locomotives" or "Bulleid Pacifics" or "class 37s". By and large, if Scotsman falls outside their particular foibles then it will largely pass them by and they won't understand (or buy into) the fuss.

For most people outside the hardcore, however, they obviously are aware of trains but aren't bothered about them. But something like Flying Scotsman is the equivalent of something like the reunion of a major band which everyone's heard of, say The Beatles. Now, if we assumed that all of the members were still alive today, the Beatles getting back together for something would be a really, really big deal, and people who aren't necessarily hardcore Beatles, or even music, fans would want to get tickets or see them together. To think of a non-musical one, remember the big thing that was made a couple of years back when the cast of Monty Python (less Graham Chapman) came back together? Same principle.

The key, I think, for the movement, is not necessarily to try and hide away from the glare of publicity and whinge and moan about these things, but to embrace it. Use it as a chance to show up what we can do. Yes, we've restored Flying Scotsman, and isn't she great. But hey, there's a nice little steam railway just up the road from you, why not go and take the kids during the summer holidays? Why not bung us some money to keep other old steam engines running? Most preservation movements would absolutely kill to have a talisman with the media power of Scotsman at their disposal, I hope ours doesn't squander the chance.

 

As to the here and now, I suppose it would be too logical to simply assume that the lunchtime and evening excursions round the Surrey Hills will just use the tried and tested timings more commonly associated with the VSOE trips?