Tornado to haul certain timetabled trains on S&C: Feb 14-16

Go to:- http://www.settle-carlisle.co.uk/tornado-on-the-sc/ for up to minute news on these trains.
More info. to come shortly.

 

first for 50 yrs ? A std tank did some on driver training not that many years ago

 

24 to be precise. Or more than half my lifetime ago, to put it in other terms.

 

the first time in 50 years that steam has been used to haul scheduled passenger trains in Britain.

OR maybe much less !

On 2nd October 2001 61264 and 62005 hauled service trains between Fort William and Mallaig. I think the early morning and evening trains were still operated by Scotrail 156s but the daytime trains were steam hauled replacing the units, as part of that year's Highland Rail Festival if I remember correctly. As a Plandampf event the emphasis was certainly on the DAMP as it was possibly one of the wettest days I've ever spent in Lochaber so isn't likely to have been well recorded by the fotters.
There was a second event in 2004 ?, where extra steam workings were in addition to the Scotrail schedule on a much better day.

Scott

 

If 'timetabled trains' are those in the printed timetable, I believe that The Jacobite and NYMR Whitby services are 'timetabled', so the first such trains since October or maybe December (depending whether the Christmas Jacobites made it into 'the timetable')!

Steven

 

Never let accuracy spoil a good advertisement.

 

Yes but the statement posted by @dmhodge is really referring to the replacement of diesel traction by steam on a scheduled service despite what it actually says, isn't it.
But if you want the most recent example of that then doesn't the B1's engine and coach move between Grosmont and Middlesborough qualify when it substituted for a failed (?) unit.

 

Sadly, allowances have to made when N Harris is writing the blurb. He's not one to under-sell his schemes, nor to play down is own role ;-)

 

And, on the same basis, the FS runs on the S&C are not 'timetabled trains', as they are running on different schedules from the usual services.

 

There are various ways of interpreting "timetabled". The Tornado* runs are not running at the times shown for regular passenger trains in the public timetable, nor are they currently appearing on the National Rail online journey planner (which indeed is showing the normal service train times for those dates). The broadest interpretation of "timetabled" would cover anything that appears on RTT, including one-off railtours. It seems to me that the main difference between the Tornado runs and most steam railtours is who sells the tickets; the ordinary TOC for the route or a railtour promoter.

Edit: I typed "FS" then realised as soon as I had posted it.

 

"This unique operation is thought to be the first time in 50 years that steam has been used to haul scheduled passenger trains in Britain."

If we want to be picky then this is wrong on several counts:

1. Preserved railways have had their own scheduled steam-hauled passenger services since the early 1950s.
2. If they mean British Rail/Network Rail metals then even railtours have a schedule. And some steam services run on a regular, repeating schedule.
3. If they mean British Rail and its successors then the Vale of Rheidol was part of British Rail until 1989.
4. If they mean use of steam on normal public services (as opposed to leisure/tourist services) then the RHDR has run steam-hauled school trains.

I think we all know what they are trying to say, but it's quite difficult to define, especially since privatisation has blurred the boundaries.

 

Well I'm pleased it's happening, irrespective of the advertiser's wording.

Any new initiative for steam on the main line with three consecutive days running AND on the S & C has got to be good news !!

Eagerly awaiting the details for booking on this...

 

Me too.

I notice from the blurb that the trains will consist of 8 coaches. That should be reasonable ... better that the 6 suggested in an earlier post.

 

If that was me, I was talking about the 0947 from Leeds to Skipton which is the main connecting train. I will be interested to see if NR manages to drum up a 155/153 or two to strengthen that train.

Of course 76084 with two coaches would be quite authentic. Isn't there a famous photo with a 76xxx and one coach crossing the Ribblehead viaduct with apparently nobody on it? Circa 1965 after the class 4 tanks had gone.

Does Northern actually have any individual seat reservation capability on its system? I will definitely be there with Mrs if we know we've got a seat from Skipton to Appleby and back.

 

When I've booked tickets for travel on Northern services there has been no seat reservation facility with them.

Dave B

 

Did Stevenage to Keighley and back a couple of years ago on an APEX and my booked train back from Keighley to Leeds originated in Carlisle and I was given a seat reservation.

 

I think things have changed since then. According to their website seat reservations are not available.

https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/faq/on-the-train/107-can-i-reserve-a-seat


Dave B

 

http://www.settle-carlisle.co.uk/tornado-on-the-sc/

Preliminary timings:
http://www.settle-carlisle.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/we-love-sc-timetable.pdf