35028 Clan Line to Exeter: 12/10/24

Pretty certain the diesel didn't push at all the whole way from Exeter to Waterloo

 

News and a photograph from the MNLPS. <BJ>

''All done and dusted after a superb day out with the Railway Touring Company.
Thank you to everyone who came out to see us and travelled with the tour today''.

 

Here's my footage of Clan Line at home with the Atlantic Coast Express filmed in three locations all in different weather conditions. I filmed her at Semley Foot Crossing in the rain, Honiton Bank when cloudy, and Fordgate in a beautiful evening sun. I hope you enjoy the video.

 

Hope the nearly-one hour late arrival at Waterloo didn't cause anyone homeward travel problems.

 

A day of checks and delays that I imagine didn't impact much on those enjoying a day behind Clan Line - except for the very valid point made by @Deepgreen Along with all my other fussiness, that would have bothered me, although there were still plenty of late sevices running to Orpington where I used to park for such long days.

As for me hoping to see one decent timing section was run - it looks like a zero return on the old SR. If RTT is broadly correct maybe an almost unchecked run Sals-Bas, then, being way off schedule, nothing even like a possible even time run on the once wonderful Bulleid pacific racing stretch from Bas to Woking. Ending with an often slow line run onto Waterloo in circa 45 mins; that must have been frustrating and worrying for those with tight connections to get home.

It will be great to get any performance snippets from the day if anyone here was on the train and taking notes.

But it sounds like Clan Line did as well as operating conditions allowed. An even not being on the train I am grateful that RTC and all others involved in its operation - very much including the support crew who must have had a very long day - went ahead and ran the train, especially after the original date had to be changed due to the Honiton landslip.

Bryan B

 

Network Rail don’t handle Delay Repay, and charters are subject to some level of within industry payments. There is also the possibility of reactionary delays to TOC or freight to consider, which would involve real money.


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Sadly these days anything under an hour on a Saturday night for a tour ending up in London is almost an on time arrival.

 

No, but there are contractual links to ensure that NR is accountable for those that are accrued, where they are in their control. Yes, freight is also included in the process.

 

My point is that those contractual links, albeit with what I understand to be a reduced scale of payments, are completely independent of the Delay Repay scheme* and include charter operations.

* - When I claimed Delay Repay last week from LNER following a cable fire near Stevenage, they will pay the claim because it is their train that was delayed. The payments from NR to LNER and other operators will be completely independent of Delay Repay due to customers, and based on the terms of the operator's track access contract.

 

Indeed so, but my basic point was that charters will/should almost always be accorded the lowest priority regarding timekeeping when compared with service trains, ECS and freight as they present the least financial risk to the railway overall if running late.

 

And my point is that this is untrue - they pose a financial risk in themselves, and by being allowed to get out of course, can cause further disruption elsewhere.

I'm inclined to agree with @Gladiator 5076 on this, that the actual issue is a tendency for many signallers and controllers to operate in booked order and overlook the wider implications of their actions.

More generally, I also struggle with the "should" in your post - if the railway is to have a chance of running right time, then that requires an equal focus on all trains running to schedule, and not letting some slip because "they're not important".

 

You're right - I meant that charters should have low priority where allowing them to run late does not obviously affect anything else - of course that is often hard to quantify on the spot. For example, a late-running charter will not then cause another train to be late because its crew was needed for their next working. Of course it's true that charters don't occupy a separate 'bubble' on the railway from everything else.

 

A good day out despite the delays, none of which were of the train's making. It's always nice to see a Bulleid on (mostly) home turf, and as itineraries go, it's a really good mix of city, town, country, hill climbing, and lengthy high speed dashes. There was certainly plenty of work from the front end, and the climb of Upton Scudamore was reminiscent of the cracking ascent 35028 made in 2009 with a Class 66 in tow and in rather worse weather conditions.

 

This was my first steam excursion involving Mk2s and I have some doubts about going on another one.
The reason I go on these trips is to relive my experiences of 60 years ago. This means the engine has to be of a class I remember from my youth in Hampshire (anything else sounds "wrong"), I want to be able to hear it and I don't want to hear or feel an assisting diesel.
The whole day was superbly organised by RTC, I was in good company and had a great time. But the experience I really wanted - Clan Line - was missing. What I enjoyed most about the day was seeing Clan Line arriving and departing Basingstoke and later watching the various videos posted online. I can accept it might sometimes be necessary to have an accompanying diesel but, if I cannot hear the steam engine whilst on the train, I'm not sure it's worth travelling on it rather than a cheaper service train or diesel-hauled excursion or indeed watching from the lineside.
I realise the use of Mk2s isn't the fault of the operating company but hope something can be sorted so that passengers can actually hear how the engine is being worked up Honiton Bank, for example.

 

A valid view, and I have seen those same arguments, noise and diesel on the back, objected to, probably far more nastily, by those that travel (or might travel) on diesel tours.

 

Or perhaps that enough travellers of all ages do care and thus motivate RTC and other railtour promoters to apply some pressure to WCRC.

 

As a part of the “younger generation”, I do care and enjoy the authentic steam experience. But, I care more about seeing steam continue.
To support my interest, I work in operations within the charter industry and support a number of TOCs and loco owners, and now seeking to spend more of my free time as a support crew member.
While I appreciate the preferences of individuals is personal, encouraging others to care to the contrary will not apply pressure to West Coast Railways, but will apply negative pressure on promoters, those of whom will we will want to be there should the time come that we will be able to use more heritage stock again.

 

The question for me is, how long can suitably-equipped Mk1s stay on the main line? The 'Royal Scotsman' set includes 100+years old coaches, so there seems to be no age-specific reason why Mk1s can't continue for a long time to come. Whether there are enough in good enough condition to supply all the charter businesses is another matter, as no business is going to want to take on coaches that, while currently structurally and mechanically OK to run, may not last long enough to repay the cost of fitting CDL, etc. To me, having to lug a diesel around simply to provide the power to inappropriate coaching stock is a nonsense.