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Steam Dreams - Southend to Salisbury - March 15th

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by Big Al, Mar 11, 2014.

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  1. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    In common wth the Cumbrian Ranger that is now doing something different from planned on Saturday - i.e. Shap and then Ais Gill rather tha the other way round - I've been notified of a change to the SD trip. Steam now comes on in London as well as being detached there on the return. The reason given is crew sickness and a lack of route knowledge. That's disappointing for those who thought they would get a rare steam route.

    So WCR has a diesel driver with route knowledge and they can't get hold of a steam driver to do it with the DL driver as pilotman. All very strange. Are we surprised therefore that despite WCR having an extensive portfolio of crews, having to operate three steam trips on the same day stretches them a bit, especially with needing three crews out of London.

    I'll declare a vested interest here. It may be that SD has been bounced by the RTC trip because they now need two crews for Buxton. This is the time when you find out who your friends are, I think.
     
    Big Al, Mar 11, 2014
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  2. Drysdale

    Drysdale Guest

    Same problem occurred last year. I think Steam Dreams are treading very close to the line regarding mis representation when they repeatedly offer a package they know, from experience, they cannot deliver.
     
    Drysdale, Mar 11, 2014
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  3. 26D_M

    26D_M Part of the furniture

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    Perhaps Bittern will haul this trip to allow Britannia on the Ranger if the A4 is banned from Carlisle? If the A4 couldn't do Southend either may explain the changes?
     
    26D_M, Mar 11, 2014
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  4. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest


    Steam Dreams aren't the only ones to make last minute changes to itineraries though are they ? It seems to be an accepted part of steam on the main line, and something you simply live with from what I've seen.
     
    spicer21, Mar 11, 2014
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  5. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    I'm sure that there's a simple explanation to it all and after all, I'm just a disappointed passenger. But as I see it, a steam crew sits at Willesden with Britannia. Meanwhile a driver takes the stock to Southend and brings it back. Therefore he knows the road. Why can't the same driver take the stock plus Britannia to Southend and then act as pilotman for the steam crew as they bring the train back. Either leave the DL at Southend and collect it later or bring it back, dead, at the rear of the train. It just doesn't add up. Maybe the "Southend Airport with steam" business was just not an option to start with.
     
    Big Al, Mar 11, 2014
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  6. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest


    Another one of those mysteries to which we'll never hear a definitive answer I suspect. It's annoying though when these "steam firsts" such as steam from Southend Airport are promoted as they are, as in SD's letters / emails etc, and then have to be dropped at the last minute. It comes across very badly, and looks incompetent, but as I have said before, we're a forgiving lot and keep coming back for more. No doubt we will continue to do so.
     
    spicer21, Mar 11, 2014
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  7. stan the man

    stan the man Member

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    Once again a couple of mates and myself have tickets on a SD train which is not going to be run as advertised or indeed sold to us.

    The first part of the run via Southend, Wickford was the only reason we booked this trip and once again we have been let down.

    Enough is enough and the frequent policy of changing the haulage from steam to diesel on the initial part of trips from south east is becoming a joke. Please in future can SD either stick to what they advertise or not bother listing steam from the South East such as Southend or Ipswich as I am getting cheesed off with not getting what I paid for or indeed want. In future my cash as well as my mates will stay in our pockets.

    Stan
     
    stan the man, Mar 12, 2014
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  8. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Join the club.
     
    Big Al, Mar 12, 2014
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  9. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

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    Working hours regulations would have a lot to do with it.
     
    mrKnowwun, Mar 12, 2014
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  10. spindizzy

    spindizzy Member

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    It was announced on the Britannia Facebook page sometime last week, thought it was a bit strange given it was still showing as Southend on SD site at the time!
     
    spindizzy, Mar 12, 2014
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  11. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest


    I'll probably be told I'm wrong, but the kind of itinerary change you describe is more usually associated with RTC who have always used WCRC as their TOC. Now SD have switched to WCRC and they're doing it. Is this a co-incidence ?
     
    spicer21, Mar 12, 2014
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  12. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    RTC 100 trips a year approx, SD 50 trips a year approx. When Steam Dreams were last with West Coast 1 trip was cancelled no crews, but 2 RTC trips ran.
     
    Paul42, Mar 12, 2014
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  13. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    When Steam Dreams used both West Coast and DBS (the later usually only for Tornado) one of the trips from Southend (behind 70000 I think) was DBS rather than West Coast, which surprised quite a few people on here.
     
    Paul42, Mar 12, 2014
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  14. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    "Out of the frying pan into the fire" comes to mind over this trip. SD changes its TOC because DBS found it tricky guaranteeing crews. So at an early stage of the new contract WCR cannot provide a steam crew with the route knowledge. SD says that sickness issues are affecting crew availability and I'm sure that it will also only be a few folk who know the Wickford route. But it does illustrate how tight the availability of steam crews must be, even with a setup that has more than most at its disposal. Suddenly the exciting steam programme for 2014 looks potentially more problematic when you look at the number of trips on the same day drawing from the same pool of steam crews.
     
    Big Al, Mar 12, 2014
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  15. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest


    Very true, and illustrates the dangers of glossy brochures promising milk and honey, then failing to manage expectations when they can't be delivered.
     
    spicer21, Mar 12, 2014
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  16. alastair

    alastair Well-Known Member

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    Absolutely. Its particularly ironic that this was the sort of itinerary (unusual starting point etc)that DBS were said to find impossible to resource. As others have said I suppose the main issue is the running of 2 other WCRC steam trips that day(one of them double-headed)but again this must have been known about for months.
     
    alastair, Mar 12, 2014
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  17. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    Agreed. There are others dates ( looking at Saturday only) though such as 5/4, 31/5, and 7/6 where there is only one trip.
    SD, VT ,RTC etc need to look at what their competitors are doing and question is there sufficient resource available and move the date if necessary, ideally before annoucing the trips.
     
    Paul42, Mar 12, 2014
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  18. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    It could well be that WCRC were already pretty stretched that weekend catering for other customers tours, who perhaps do more business with them, steam and diesel, and SD's tour on top was just a bit to much.
     
    RalphW, Mar 12, 2014
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  19. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    But the point is that this trip was not 'on top'. It was in the calendar several months ago and to be fair to SD they don't mess around with their dates. Anyway, who knows what's going on, but the stretched crew issue is quite likely. Don't forget the Buxton trip was one loco until 70013 fell over. That said, no one operator will bother to see what else is going on. They rely on the TOC to say whether they can run it with crews who know the road. All basic stuff I would have thought.
    Remind me, what was SLOA for?
     
    Big Al, Mar 12, 2014
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  20. J Shuttleworth

    J Shuttleworth Member

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    Remind me, what was SLOA for?

    A question to which I (and many others) would be intrigued to know the answers.

    I think you'll find that Saturday's train is steam-hauled from the Southend (and crewing has never been dependent on the Buxton train)........

    JS
     
    J Shuttleworth, Mar 12, 2014
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