Steam Dreams 2024

My post #176 would imply otherwise.
Also on one CME Euston the staff refused to put the tour on the departure board, despite the T.M. asking.

 

Bristol Temple Meads is an example of a station that gives rail tour gen on it's information boards. It gives the platform, the expected arrival time and it regularly updates. If asked politely, the staff have always allowed me access to the platforms for photography.

It's good to give credit to station staff when they deserve it. [BJ]

 

Here, here!!
When you consider that railtour passengers may not be 'railway regulars', it seems to be pretty poor for station staff to deliberately make life more difficult just because they are on a charter and not a service train. Does not promote a good image of rail travel and won't encourage people to try a train for a future journey.
However, welcoming and helpful station staff may break down some barriers and inspire people to try a train in the future - given many join at their local station.
I can never understand silo behaviour - it's all one industry at the end of the day and there enough rail haters in government to worry about, than to start being territorial with each other. Normal folk just see trains, not individual companies.

 

Given the deal by which the TOC pays NR is partly for the station stops where passengers board and alight, surely that must include information displays. Every station I've boarded at has shown the train on the big screen.

 

Completely agree - some are excellent, but that doesn't make it OK where non-co-operation occurs. It shouldn't be a lottery - if a passenger train of any TOC is scheduled at a station there should be equally good information for all.

 

Why, one wonders?

 

I think is is just symptomatic of the disjointed modern railway.
Locally to me XC may serve Bournemouth, but there are no XC staff at there, the two Southampton stations or Basingstoke as far as I am aware. I am not sure what decent info SWR would have.
Then you only have to look at he whole OAO situation vis a vis DfT managed TOC's when things go wrong. No ticket acceptance, (although that seems to happen on the DfT managed ones as well at times) the industry seems to expect Joe Public to be an expert on its nuances.
And then of course you have Grand Central "stunt" when they have service issues. Tweets tell passengers to cancel their ticket for a full refund and buy a new ticket on LNER (this being at an eye watering walk up fare). Omitting to mention that in doing this you have chosen to cancel and thus have no recourse for any extra costs, despite the NRCoT saying they should arrange ticket acceptance, some other form of travel means to get you to your destination, or provide an hotel.
So I do not hold out much hope where charters are concerned.
Do not get me wrong, there are good staff and good stations around, but charters are at the bottom of the pile much like they are with pathing and signalling.

 

Because it was Euston? It has a reputation for poor customer service

 

Not read all the way back.... has anyone mentioned the staff at Blackpool North, they take poor customer service to a whole new passive aggressive level.

TBF its pretty common, in my commuting days with TPE a trick the platform staff at Piccadilly used to use is to announce that when the TPE train was cancelled passengers should get the first train to Bolton and change there, despite there being no TPE presence at that station (or in fact any services if one had along wait) and any train one changed onto would have come from Piccadilly anyway, was just a way of getting the problem off their plate and clearing the platforms.

 

I think that’s always been the case even going back to the 1980’s, I’ve heard stories from older crank mates of mine of how unpleasant they were even then.

 

Timings for the trip from Colchester to Barrow Hill next Wednesday 8th May. 46100 the rostered locomotive, only on the outward leg with the return being diesel hauled.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...8/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=LS

 

Thanks for posting those.

Looking at the times, there doesn't look anywhere on the ECS run where there is enough time to remove a diesel from the front and put it on the rear. Hopefully a run up the GEML for the scot with the ECS.

I wonder if a Scot has been up the GEML before?

 

Someone on here may know more, but yes I hope the ECS will be steam leading from Southall. Only place they might have time to run around would be the loop at Colchester yard, where I assume they'll be taking water. I certainly don't remember a Scot running through these parts!

 

You are probably right and I do not know the area but is there more than one track in Colchester Goods Loop? For that matter from both my track atlas and the OTT map I am unclear what Colchester Goods Loop actually refers to. Even Google satellite view it seems unclear to me.
If it would be possible to move the 47 from the front to the back I am not sure a move would be shown, as moves purely within Jersey Sidings at Weymouth usually don't make RTT.
Either way it seems to be taking water there.

 

I'd not noticed time in the goods loops at Colchester.

There are 2 tracks on the DGL. It's the 2 lines at the rear of the carriage sidings, and often used to hold freightliners before heading on to Felixstowe. Whether it's appropriately signalled to run an engine around I couldn't tell you, but I imagine it is.

 

I can't recall any specifics from Blackpool North but to place in wider context, there were stations that you could doss-down at for all night and staff wouldn't ask you to leave. Crewe and Carlisle spring to mind however, in modern times, I can't see anyone wanting to stay anywhere all night anyway as it's too quiet. Most stations were readily accessible and if not travelling, 2p platform tickets were the norm.

In terms of modern-day railtours which I would generally join at stations north of London, the station staff are very reasonable in my opinion. Trains are announced and access is straightforward, even for a few photographers who might not be travelling. (Milton Keynes Central / Northampton / Bedford / Peterborough / Stevenage / Banbury as my examples )

 

Facing adverse signals on the approaches to Stafford, Sir Nigel gresley coast round Queensville Curve on the down fast with todays 1Z72, 08.00 London Euston to Chester charter.

 

Steam Dream's Euston to Chester excursion, filmed after leaving Stafford, on the climb past Searchlight Lane...

 

A couple of shots of Sir Nigel's finest at Old Linslade this morning