Cathedral's Express 30th September

I am booked on this and I see uksteam now says loco TBA. Any info on what is happening?

 

Probably 70000.

 

Hmmm? ECML on a weekday. A Friday to boot. I wonder? Steam dreams still lists DoNZ though. Looks virtually fully booked as well.

 

Remember that a SD trip to York earlier in the year was cancelled at very short notice due supposedly to lack of available paths from Kings Cross on weekdays, and that was before the 30777 incident. So what's changed now?

As a general point I wonder why Steam Dreams don't run more of these trips on Saturdays when working folk can more easily go on them - on the other hand they would argue that they manage to fill trains on weekdays so why change......

 

See my comments on this on the NYMR gala thread under Galas and Events.

 

Read, have to admit that is one topic I don't usually look at. The question is though, what is more important a mainline run or a preserved line shindig. I know where my money lies.
Another question, how come uksteam (no disrespect to them) is more on the ball than the tour operator themselves?

 

It might have helped if you had read more than Oakfield's comments on the NYMR thread - including mine that the loco would be at the NYMR because it wasn't required for the mainline trip, not that it wouldn't be on the mainline because it was going to the NYMR. As I don't know the full reasons, I won't muddy the waters with what I have heard but that is the position.

As for your other question, clearly the 2,000,000 plus visitors to heriatge railways have no importance against the much smaller number of mainline customers, nor does the fact that a significant number of mainline locos and quite a good number of fireman, guards and even drivers on the mainline also work on heritage railways and in the first two cases come from that background. Oh, and a number of the heritage line workshops are vital to the maintenance and overhaul of mainline locos. And heritage railway "shindigs" are a major source of income to said heritage railways, and each line usually has a steam gala at most two weekend (maybe 3) a year. So which is more important in the big picture?

Steven

 

Steven, I think that your response rather implies that I am criticizing the NYMR.
This is not true, in fact I would prefer 4492 0n the NYMR that weekend rather than on the Mainline tour on the 30th. Sept., a point I made on the other thread.

Let me state now, for the record, that my information is that neither the Locos. owner or the NYMR were responsible for the change of motive power on the 30th.

I understand that the decision to substitute 4492 for 70000 was made in early September and that it is as a result of this change that 4492 is able to visit the NYMR Gala.

My main problem with all of this is that Steam Dreams, as of yesterday at least (I have not checked this morning) were still promoting 4492 as the motive power for their trip, an action that at very best can only be described as highly misleading. Railtour operators do not like criticism , however in circumstances such as this they have only themselves to blame for any troubles that come their way.

 

They still are!
http://www.steamdreams.co.uk/Execut...press&DB=SteamDreams&Division=A&ActionCode=TC

 

Just to set record straight, it wasn't Oakfield I was replying to - PM sent to clarify!

Steven

 

Obviously me then! Realised that from the start. Can't be bothered to argue.

 

We are also booked on this, discovered the lack of A4 this morning and contacted Steam Dreams to ask what the plan was and to say that we were not happy with the lack of information. Whilst we've had no reply, their website was initially updated to display "Loco TBA". Now, a few hours later, the tour has vanished totally from their website and still no contact from Steam Dreams. Using the name of this forum, What's going on?! Is it cancelled?

 

To reply to my own post, tour is confirmed as cancelled.

 

Doesn't inspire confidence in main line steam does it? As I said previously this tour seemed to be almost fully booked so there are going to be a lot of upset & disappointed people. I hope the reason isn't because 4492 was "poached" for the steam gala. If the current trend continues people aren't going bother booking on tours due to loco changes, cancellations etc. Which will spoil it for those companies who do run successful tours to plan.

 

According to the train availability sheet handed out on the ACE ( 6th Sept) only Pullman was Full, Super Standard only 8 seats while all other classes stated were Available ( rather than Limited Seats Available). As has happended before ( on 2 ocassions I can think of this year)when a tour might not run ( or be postponed)it states limited availability and does not allow you to book online. I suspect the cancellation is due to a consequence of the lineside fires caused by 30777. I wonder if all future trips on the East Coast mainline will be restricted to Weekends?
Note : - Many tours have also run when it says Limited Availability.

 

60163 ran on the east coast main line last thursday 15th from london to peterborough and newark to london on a trip to lincoln.

 

It's off. Email from Steam Dreams:

Dear Passenger



It is with great reluctance that we are writing to inform you that the trip scheduled on the 30th September 2011 to York will not be running.



Due to the new East Coast main line timetable, there is no longer a path available which accommodates the speed restrictions imposed by the gauging issues between Hitchin and Huntington with the originally planned A4 locomotive. To overcome these difficulties, we looked at using non-restricted locos, specifically Britannia and Tornado and believed that we had identified a workable path for this train - and still believe that it will be possible at a later date.



However, you may have read that about 2 weeks ago a steam locomotive, Sir Lamiel, while on a light engine move to London, developed a fault which resulted in multiple fires that caused Network Rail a reported one million pounds in delays. Plain and simply, this incident has caused a wave of anxiety about the use of steam on the East Coast main line. While contractually steam cannot be banned, we and our train operating partners believe that in the future long term interests of operating to York, we cannot push for this path at such short notice.



We are working on these concerns and are confident that the situation will be resolved shortly to allow our trip to York Christmas Fayre on the 24th of November to proceed as planned. We have also scheduled a York trip on the first Thursday after British Summer Time begins next year (29th March) and we very much hope that you would like to transfer to one of these trips, or we will of course refund you in full.

-----
Says it all really, disapointing but I think Steam Dreams have done what they can.

 

I have no vested interest in this tour as I wasn't booked on it, but if I was I would be quite annoyed since the problem of a lack of paths on weekdays on the ECML was known months ago when Steam Dreams had to cancel another trip at short notice. What's changed since then? Obviously nothing.

As per my earlier post why did they not re-arrange the tour for the next day? It being at Saturday the pathing may be easier and presumably more people could travel on it anyway.

I assume that the RTC's "White Rose" to York is running this Saturday as planned with 4492 showing that on a Saturday a path can be found.

 

If that's the case why have we been worrying about possible repercussions from the 30777 incident? I cannot believe that it is as simple as that. Network Rail have banned steam operations in the past where there is a significant fire risk and will no doubt do so again. Surely there must be a clause somewhere that allows them to do that - presumably something that allows them to restrict any operations that carry a signifcant risk of disruption for other users of the network?