Flying Scotsman

I'm sorry but not into making excuses for this organisation, any good business will treat it's customers, large and and small, in the same way. It's not about missing out on photography, a lot of people have probably taken time off work and booked accommodation for this trip and it's them I feel sorry for, perhaps a class action in the courts aginst NR can be justified.
I understand that the name Verster (remember him) has been associated with this and as a conspiracy theorist I can visualise the meeting
NR 'Mr Verster we may have a potential trespass problem with a steam special over the ECML'
Verster ' I don't want it has it all been arranged'
NR ' yes apart from gauging the loco'
Verster ' well if we forget to do that we can cancel the train and no trespass problem'
NR ' Verster you're a genius'

 

A successful conspiracy requires forethought, planning, imagination & the ability to see a project through.

Since we are talking about Network Rail management I would have thought cock-up was more likely.

 

Except of course its now been found that it has NO IDEA of the state of its infrastructure. Not sure how you can defend an organisation that can not even meet the basic requirement of the permanent way, i.e. keeping it to gauge.

 

Is being an NR apologist part of your day job or do you do it free of charge? They've cocked up big time and no amount of "spin" will alter that fact.

On another thread it has been reported that an e-mail was sent out asking for volunteers to help with "crowd control" for these Scottish runs. The time of the e-mail? 13:00 on Friday. Nice to see they'd got things planned well in advance. Care to put a positive "spin" on that?

 

BBC now reporting on the cancellation, with the Scottish transport minister accusing NR of incompetence.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...=social&ns_campaign=bbcnews&ns_source=twitter

 

Interesting that there is a very strong Scots Nats spin being put on the story - "they mucked up south of the border, we could do better if we ran our own infrastructure". I suspect there would be nothing like the coverage had this occurred in England. Clearly political capital is being made out of this.

I'll leave others to judge whether they think that is a good thing or not.

Tom

 

According to BBC, Notwork Fail, have climbed down and both services are now running with Scotsman and as planned.
Somebody must have a sore behind

 

I'm sure all the thousands of NR employees working their butts off to deliver rail infrastructure fit for commuters and other rail travellers will appreciate knowing their entire organisation is a failure because there was some doubt about whether some grown up men got to play steam trains or not.
This particular incident hasn't been handled brilliantly by a few people. That does not mean that entire organisation should be abused.
(I have nothing to do with NR and don't work in this industry).

 

what a pathetic post

 

On the contrary I feel sorry for the thousands of NR employees who do indeed work their butts off , only to find their company the subject of ridicule yet again due to incompetence. I'm sure there are plenty of employees who were looking forward with pride to the arrival of FS - a chance to showcase their efforts to a wider audience - that key stakeholder in their company the UK taxpayer.

I am pleased the Shaw report recommendations stopped short of privatisation and a return to the dangerous days of Railtrack ,but NR at times seems to echo the worst elements of BR who were only too willing to move things to the 'too difficult pile'.

Jon

 

I don't really see why I deserved that ad hominem comment. I would rather like an apology, but I doubt I would get one.
Refute my arguments, by all means, but please leave out the abuse.

 

I just find if difficult to believe that a Gresley A3 which hasn't really changed all that much in twenty years is suddenly too fat to go down a route it and its sisters went down millions of times before.

I take the point that times change and so do infrastructure but how much can things have changed since Tornado or Union of South Africa last traversed the route?

I'm glad it's all on for the passengers sake and Scotsmans but it is something of a fiasco. Network Rail getting dangerously close to be as inadequate as their predessescor, Railtrack...

As for the Scottish Nationalist question, they are welcome to try it without the subsidies of Westminster and the other three nations on a trial basis...!

 

The trouble is this is just one more indication of NRs poor performance, ask any traveller held up by overrunning engineering works, GWR signal failures, repeated failures of the OLE on the East Coast main line, and the badly behind electrification of the GWR.

 

Had you left out the ad hominem "grown men playing trains" comment, maybe an apology would be appropriate. You didn't so its not.

 

it was mainly your attitude towards grown men playing at steam trains that I took exception to so no I wont be apologising.if you post controvercially don't be surprised if someone bites!

 

Hasn't been handled brilliantly is abit of an understatement and I don't think all those happy commuters include those locally to me who have to suffer overrunning engineering works on a regular basis or those on the GW mainline seeing their promised electrification running 2 years behind. NR have demonstrated that they are a complete shower and not fit for purpose.

 

Well, I for one am very grateful for all those who work so hard at NR. They are asked to do a lot, often in very straightened circumstances, with very difficult choices to make to keep the infrastructure going while minimising disruption, keeping everyone safe and trying to keep costs down.
I am grateful they make the efforts they do to indulge our hobby (for me it is always playing trains, and that's what makes it great fun).
I an especially grateful to those who no doubt pulled out all the stops, worked extra hours, etc., to get this FS trip back on, while being vilified.
I also think the poor communication and late notice given on gauging issues is not at all impressive - but I don't think that justifies condemning the whole organisation, and the many dedicated people who work there.

 

It has been noted byu several others on here that the majority of Trespassers did not, how shall we say, look like sterotypical railway enthusasts. As such what might

No its you that is pathetic.

NR bashing is a sign of a very small mind and a lack of intelligence and not something to be proud of.

Today thousands of fare paying passengers will have been transported successfully around the country - the vast majority on time, as well as some freight. Tomorrow will be the same and that is entirely due to the good work front line NR staff are doing all over the country. The same will happen tomorrow regardless of what happens to a certain steam locomotive.

Yes NR have cocked up badly with the planning (or lack of) in relation to Flying Scotsmans forthcoming Scotish trips. Does NR deserve to be given a kicking for that particular failure? Of course it does. Does that give you the right to rubbish everyone else in the organisation, 99% of whoam have nothing to do with steam charter planning / guaging? No it doesn't

 

I don't think NR had much choice but to perform the massive U turn, otherwise they probably faced being made a laughingstock by the worlds media & also being topic No.1 on PMQ's!.............

 

Expressed much better than I did!