RTC: Tynesider - 4/7/26

Unfortunately the criticism is aimed at the wrong target. When things go wrong and it looks as if there were problems with the service trains too, our threadbare rail network seems unable to cope with it. In addition to that I do wonder about how much modern signalling accounts for some of the seemingly odd routing decisions, a signaller in front of a screen perhaps 60 miles away is not the same as local knowledge. Hopefully WC aren’t losing interest in their charter business, mainline steam would be very much poorer without them.

 

There is definitely an element of network issues I'm sure John, that's part of the "hassle greater than reward" I was alluding to. It must be tough to retain an appetite for success when the challenges grow ever greater. Essentially the business is much the same but the circumstances have changed and the stock has deteriorated, double whammy, requiring huge expenditure. If the rewards aren't seen as justifying it .......

 

One observation from yesterday was how the Air Con worked very well with a Class 86 up front but very poorly with a Class 47 pushing from behind. I'm only glad it wasn't 35 degrees!

 

E3137/86259 Les Ross/Peter Pan to York & 34067 Tangmere to Newcastle with 'the Tynesider' Saturday 4th July 2026











47826 on the rear


later the 86 parked up for the day in P7 at York, saw this in the side window




If you to see more photos of the Tynesider at York see here
https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/Days-out/2026/July-2026/Tangmere-and-Clun-Castle/i-34h4KmJ

Neil

 

There is an old saying when thing go right you tell a couple of people, when they go wrong you tell everyone. In the case of the Tynesider things went wrong and it’s created a lot of comment but let’s look back at the Great Britain a complex itinerary that ran almost like clockwork. It required the cooperation of several parties and who knows what went on behind the scenes at NR, WC and RTC to make it work. From the amount of management time that Kelly and her team must have been involved in it can’t be worth doing from a purely business point of view but thankfully I think she was quoted as saying ,see you next year’.
Let’s stick with the positives in main line steam operation, there are a lot more of them than negatives.

 

Agreed John, but there are the WCR disciples on here (can think of 3) who are blinded by their allegiance.

 

To me it is not a case of WCRC can do not wrong, but rather amusement that its obviously annoys you so much, but you keep on coughing up the money to travel on these tours

 

I can't comment on the situation at Holgate, having disembarked at York, but I suspect a combination of not being able to stable the electric in the sidings for whatever reason (I seem to recall an issue with this in the past?) and the congestion caused by delays elsewhere meant losing the slot was inevitable. It seems a bit of a stretch to say from the sidelines that WCRC should have challenged the path. Possibly, like VT did on yesterday's Scarborough job, they sought a change, but were unsuccessful. We don't know.

Regarding coal usage, around 2 tons seems reasonable for the 99 mile journey to Morpeth. The other complicating factor is trimming the tender under the wires. Luckily, it could be drawn forward around Stockton. It certainly was being burnt, as the mountain seen on top of the tender on Friday was pretty high, but maybe overall usage was commensurate with the level of assistance received around Durham. That there were no service trains imminent doesn't give licence to hang around on the twin-track section of mainline into Newcastle, even if it did mean stopping at KEVII bridge.

Overall, the aircon was my main issue with yesterday's run, which nevertheless still had interest in the guise of when was the last time a Bulleid has headed a train through Stockton. To me, the Blyth & Tyne setup seems doomed to reach capacity sooner rather than later.

 

I have every sympathy with @Big Al’s views, I wouldn’t want to be shoved around in a coffin by a diesel with an asthmatic figurehead up front.
However, my solution is simple - I save my money and no longer book any tour that involves WCRC.

 

Former teachers, I find, seldom if ever let that mindset go.

 

Isnt it strange that the 10 year olds seem to respond to the posts though.

 

"Asthmatic figurehead" is cruel but also perfectly accurate.
In defence of WC, I dont think they've ever succumbed to using 3 diesels to assist one steam loco on a charter like Saphos LSL did yesterday ....

 

I do not think I have ever seen three on a tour, I guess with opening windows all you would have heard were the 20's as they are not exactly quiet.
Maybe this will be the new norm for a while (taken 14/08/18 during another heatwave) with a 47 each end.

 

Quite, I don't think the pair of 'choppers' used yesterday have silencers, the passengers will have been assailed. Regardless of the fire risk, my understanding is if a diesel is directly behind a steam loco it has to provide the traction so the steam isn't working hard enough to generate too much in the way of particles from the chimney which can get drawn into the air intakes of the DL.

 

I assume your boycott of WCRC services extends to going out to watch a WCR operated tour go by too?

 

To watch the "asthmatic figurehead"?

 

Obviously. But then again I’m not in the habit of trekking miles to watch anything go by.