70013 'Oliver Cromwell'. London to Bristol. 24th July, 2014

70013 'Oliver Cromwell' is booked for this tour due to run from London Victoria to Salisbury, Bath and Bristol.
Unfortunately despite the heavy prolonged rain on Saturday the lineside is very dry and so may have a diesel as insurance.
Outward and return timings are as follows. <BJ>
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U ... 4/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U ... 4/advanced

London Victoria [VIC] 2 0844 FL
Grosvenor Bridge Jn pass 0848
Stewarts Lane Jn pass 0852 RVL 8
Longhedge Jn pass 0905
Clapham Junction [CLJ] 5 pass 0908 FL 2
Barnes [BNS] 3 pass 0917
Richmond [RMD] 1 pass 0921
Twickenham [TWI] 5 0925 0929
Whitton Jn pass 0935
Feltham Jn pass 0937
Feltham [FEL] 2 pass 0940
Staines [SNS] 2 pass 0948
Virginia Water [VIR] 4 pass 0958
Addlestone [ASN] 1008 1015
Addlestone Jn pass 1018 2
Byfleet & New Haw [BFN] pass 1023 SL 3
Woking [WOK] 5 1034 1036
Woking Jn pass 1038
Pirbright Jn pass 1044
Farnborough (Main) [FNB] 2 pass 1048
Fleet [FLE] pass 1052
Winchfield [WNF] 1056 1109
Basingstoke [BSK] 2 pass 1122 FL SL
Worting Jn pass 1126
Andover [ADV] 2 pass 1144
Tunnel Jn. pass 1202
Salisbury [SAL] 4 1205 1225
Wilton Jn pass 1229
Wishford pass 1234
Wylye Ahb pass 1239
Upton Lovell pass 1244
Warminster [WMN] pass 1249 1
Westbury [WSB] 2 1259 1314
Bradford Jn pass 1324 1
Bathampton Jn pass 1339
Bath Spa [BTH] 1 1343 1348 1
North Somerset Jn pass 1404
Bristol East Jn pass 1406 DM
Bristol Temple Meads [BRI] 10 1408

Bristol Temple Meads [BRI] 11 1736 UM
Bristol East Jn pass 1738
North Somerset Jn pass 1739
Bath Spa [BTH] 2 1753 1757
Bathampton Jn pass 1802
Bradford Jn pass 1814 1
Westbury [WSB] 1 pass 1824
Warminster [WMN] pass 1835
Upton Lovell pass 1841 3
Wylye Ahb pass 1850
Wishford pass 1854
Wilton Jn pass 1859
Salisbury [SAL] 4 1903 1915
Tunnel Jn. pass 1918
Andover [ADV] 1 pass 1936
Worting Jn pass 1958 SL
Basingstoke [BSK] 4 pass 2002 SL SL
Fleet [FLE] pass 2014 2
Farnborough (Main) [FNB] 1 pass 2020
Pirbright Jn pass 2024
Brookwood [BKO] 2027 2038
Woking Jn pass 2042
Woking [WOK] 1 2043 2047 1
Byfleet & New Haw [BFN] pass 2055
Addlestone Jn pass 2057
Addlestone [ASN] 2059 2102
Virginia Water [VIR] 3 pass 2109
Staines [SNS] 1 pass 2119
Feltham [FEL] 1 pass 2126
Feltham Jn pass 2128
Whitton Jn pass 2128
Twickenham Jn pass 2131 FL
Twickenham [TWI] 4 2132 2135
St Margarets (London) [SMG] pass 2137
Richmond [RMD] 2 pass 2139 1
Barnes [BNS] 1 pass 2145 SL 3
Clapham Junction [CLJ] 3 pass 2154
Longhedge Jn pass 2158 RVL
Stewarts Lane Jn pass 2200 5
Grosvenor Bridge Jn pass 2212 SL
London Victoria [VIC] 2 2215

 

The stock for this train arrived at Victoria at 08:06. With a departure time of 08:44 the train has not been
reported as yet and so now over 45 mins late. Problems with the train or simply Realtime on a go slow? <BJ>

 

Real time now showing 2 late at Whitton Jct

 

Thank goodness for that.

I notice that the 0Z65 LE diesel movement to Southall is also running.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U53189/2014/07/24/advanced
Does this mean that the charter does not have a diesel attached or am I being too optimistic? <BJ>

 

Diesel tucked in behind ollie. Presuming the stock came into Victoria with 3 locos attached, and one returned to Southall.

 

Indeed the 47 is tucked in behind, and leaving Addlestone at least, was providing the primary motive power.

 

70013 was simply there as a whistle carrier today - no effort at all up to and through Clapham Junction, with the 47 doing it all.

 

Not sure which is worse DL at back pushing or tucked in behind steam loco? Neither were doing much though Farnborough

 

Getting totally beyond a joke now. Surely there must be some legal aspect to this, trading standards, false advertising or even fraud/taking money under false pretences. All it needs is for someone to start the ball rolling legally.
Surely it's no different to any other form of the leisure/travel industry. Examples, pay to see a certain act in a concert or see a particular sporting event & get something totally different. Likewise book a trip/tour somewhere (other than a steam trip) & again get something totally different. "Normals" other than steam buffs wouldn't put up with it after spending their hard earned on various events/trips, so why should "steam buffs"?
Of course now knowing every summer is like this, don't schedule any tours during July/August at the very least.
In the meantime the best policy is to cancel the existing ones.

 

That would mean that the Torbay Express last Sunday would not have run and the 14 hours of continual heavy rain
in the west country the previous day would not have counted.
If there were no steam tours scheduled during July/August that would guarantee one of the wettest summers on record.
It is annoying when our hobby is disrupted by the hot and dry weather but that is life. <BJ>

 

I remember some years ago when the Mid Hants ran their own tours I went to get on what was supposed to be a steam tour at Guildford only to find the train arrived hauled by a Class 33 as a steam ban had been imposed at 5pm the day before. There was an announcement saying that you could either choose to travel and get a £20 refund or not travel and get a full refund. I chose the latter. Now that's not a good way to do business I suppose but I appreciated the MHR's honesty in accepting that they were not delivering what people had paid for. I even went and spent the day on the MHR with the wife so they got some money out of us!

Personally in the circumstances I would prefer a diesel hauled train with some level of refund or a discount on a future tour offered rather than these silly double-headed offerings where we know that the steam loco is there for show only. I can't see that this arrangement benefits anyone other than the steam loco owner who presumably still gets their hire fee and maybe a few deluded souls who think they have still been on a steam train! Do they offer any kind of refund when this happens or do they charge full whack on the grounds that they did produce a steam engine?

Anyway, I'm not booking anything on the main line right now - think I head for the Severn Valley

 

Likewise at Richmond

 

It will be interesting to see whether Saturday's Belmond Surrey circular is diesel-assisted steam, or does the fare for that one outweigh the fire risk?!

 

Flew through Overton on time with lots of whistle.NO DIESEL.Only myself and one lady camerawoman as witnesses.LOL.

 

Re. Overton - do you mean the diesel had been removed from the train or just that it was not providing assistance?

 

IIRC that was the proposed 34016 + 73096 doubleheader to Weymouth with banking out of Weymouth on the return run. Very disappointed that day when two 33's appeared at the head of the train.
We still travelled on the trip as we had my sister and mother with us and they still wanted to go to Weymouth.

 

Typical, I was planning on going to Overton this morning - chose Fleet instead, and got a very disappointing shot from the top of the car park. Hey ho, hoping for more luck tonight!

James

 

A team train trip means just that, a WORKING steam loco. Not a whistle making ornament just for show.
As I said we really need a test case to break the ice, might open a few eyes. Not least with NR.