S&C Pathfinder Charter - Aug 2018: Now 16/3/19 and with 60163

This mornings outward leg seen from Shap Wells

 

Footage of 60009 at Oxenholme , Greenholme/Scout Green , Kirkby Thore and finally Aisgill . Also on the video is footage of the Waverley and the Cumbrian Mountain Express .

 

Generally steam charters today have locomotives that are turned out in a smart and clean condition. No 9 looks almost as if it was trying to emulate the look of steam in the first half of 1968, perhaps intentionally.

 

Get those Sir Murrough Wilson nameplates out. Very reminiscent of Gateshead streaks in the late 50s, although both times I saw Silver King it looked pristine.

 

er .... The Show Pony putting on a .... show on the way up Shap this morning
my apologies for the poor quality - was quite windy!

 

Ralph No 9 was blowing off all the way

 

you cannot redate a trip set in stone of history, it runs, no matter what

 

Careful what you draw attention to there .........

 

11/08/2018 - LNER A4 Class - 60009 "Union of South Africa " coasts down Ribblesdale towards Horton-in-Ribblesdale with a running of "The Settle & Carlisle Golden Express 1" from Bristol.

 

We’ve not heard the loco, apart from whistles, all day. Coach steward just came through asking table by table if we’d had a good day. So very politely he got the total of my pent up feelings over wasting £400 to be towed round Cumbria by a shed. Apart from Pathfinders not even acknowledging my email of a month ago pleading with them not to run the train with diesel I said that given the train was sold out months ago an option should have been given to withdraw say with a cut off of a fortnight ago, specifically for this one off event. This would have given the enthusiasts who specifically wanted unadulterated haulage on this special day a chance not to have wasted their money like we have. I sure they would sold any spare seats to the rest of the folk who just want to hear the whistle. Heading south now and feeling hard done by but pleased I could at least tell someone from the company how I felt.

 

Hi Ventnor16, glad you are feeling better - not sure you made the steward's day however polite you were. Instead of giving one of the staff a very polite b*ll*cking that made you feel better why not complain to the management who make the decisions and leave those who are not paid very much to do quite a demanding job alone? Perhaps you would like to blame all the stewards for anything that goes wrong - no stewards+no train.

I am not sure your actions were helpful although £400 is a lot of money to be disappointed about.

 

I am sure that the steward asking for customer feedback was aware that the comments forthcoming might not be 100% positive in every case. It would be nice to think that the feedback was subsequently passed upwards to the management.

 

If the steward hadn’t asked me if we’d had a good day I wouldn’t have said anything at all to him. However he approached passengers table by table and I’m not one for saying oh yes lovely thank you just to please the staff. He asked the question and I gave him my answer which he wrote down as all feedback was going to the management.

 

Even though I've had to cancel I'm feeling quite glad we was booked on the second one, for our first proper mainline trip neither Dad nor I would have been very happy having paid an awful lot of money

So, seeing as this thread has already descended into the same pointless loop as every other mainline steam excursion thread I've had the misfortune of looking in on, perhaps I may be permitted to divert it. The idea behind us booking on this was nothing to do with the anniversary or even Tornado (although the at the time possibility of 90mph was a bonus!), but having steam all the way from Crewe, over Shap and along the Settle and Carlisle and back again. Not being that 'up' on the mainline steam scene, how much of a "one off" was this, and if it wasn't, who should I go to to try and have another go at doing this route behind steam? And preferably with companies known for limiting diseasel assistance, even if one has to be plonked on the back for operational reasons.

 

BTW what I said could not be as you describe it "a b*ll*cking"; it was measured constructive feedback. And no I would not and do not " blame all the stewards for anything that goes wrong", in fact it is only the second time I've ever said anything derogatory to the guys on the train and the first time was to a mate (a lot of them are friends of mine given the hundreds and hundreds of steam charters we've done) and he agreed with my comments. It's probably very British after a terrible meal to say when asked by the waiter that is was lovely but if I get asked the question I will tell them the truth.

 

Last time we saw this itinerary (I think/ hope I'm right in saying) was with Tornado's Border Raider on 16th September last year (2017). It originated from Tame Bridge Parkway and Birmingham New Street, and I think it's fair to say that a very long day was had by all !! Especially as the return was routed from Hellifield via Wakefield/ Huddersfield/ Standedge, rather than via Blackburn.

A similar, but anti-clockwise, itinerary is proposed for the A1 SLT/ UK Railtours Christmas Border Raider outing scheduled for 1st December this year - out via the S&C/ Long Drag, return via WCML/ Shap southbound. How much of this will be in daylight at that time of year is anybody's guess. But at least , based on information now filtering through, Tornado will be back in harness on the main line by then. And with Tornado, the likelihood of diesel assistance would normally be fairly remote. Check out http://www.ukrailtours.com/product/the-christmas-border-raider/ for more on this.

Again, how frequently this itinerary is likely to re-occur is anybody's guess. I travelled on one of the most recent, if not the most recent occasion on May 30th 2015 on Pathfinder's Cumbrian Fells Express - billed originally as Tornado's return to the main line after a major overhaul. As it turned out, Tornado wasn't quite ready, but what we got instead was the benefit of a series of exhilarating and unforgettable performances by the (7P) super-sub of the day - 70000 Britannia.

Its also fair to point out that the Railway Touring Company's first Cumbrian Mountain Express each year, normally operating on the last weekend of January, covers the Shap /S&C itinerary in a clockwise direction, but originates from Manchester, not Crewe as you specified. I'm less certain as to the likelihood that this would be diesel-free, although I think I'm right in saying that it normally has been in the past, based on double-headed haulage (Black Fives or similar).

Hope this helps!!

 

Thank you, that's perfect!

 

You really are priceless. Firstly telling folk they have no right being disappointed if the offering doesn't meet their purchasing expectations because "its the best that could be done" and then admonishing somebody for offering constructive criticism when invited to do so. Astonishing.