CME 2023

Sadly this shows how attitudes to risk have changed over the last few years and why we now book on so few steam trips. I would have thought that with so few other trains on the WCML on Saturday that would have been taken into consideration as the risk to other trains by line side fire delay were almost non existent. So we do indeed now stay at home

 

Without wishing to prolong the diesel on back debate any longer (which has been done to death infinitely on here) - this is a most bizarre post. The risk from fire isn't just delay minutes (although that can be expensive) - it is damage to equipment, neighbouring properties, in the fells possibly numerous acres of precious wildlife habitat in the middle of nesting season, crops - the risk to fire fighters themselves who are have to put it out for what is a leisure activity! Are we that blinkered by diesels that we are forgetting the risk posed by the fire breathing monster on the front?

Yes, communication needs to be better, yes 46115 appears to have got away with it up the S&C - but it hasn't rained since May 9th here in Mid-Wales and several hillsides have already gone up, please don't play down the risk of fire.

 

If you seriously think that it doesn't matter starting a fire, because there's not much rail traffic about, then you should think again.

Perhaps staying at home - permanently - is your best course of action.

 

Obviously you haven’t seen the volume of traffic on the WCML on a Saturday but that’s not the point. Near to where I live there is a field of ripening oilseed rape and several of wheat and Barley all adjacent to the WCML and all tinder dry. If you’ve ever witnessed a field fire you would know it can spread faster than you can outrun it. If operators adopted your attitude there would soon be no steam to travel on at all.

 

Agree, @Big Al, as much as I appreciate @J Shuttleworth contributions here, especially when he sheds some reality on some of the wild speculation that can occur, the last comment was unnecessary. We all want insight from operators, promoters and those 'in the know' on this forum, it aids discussion, personal attacks no.

 

James, can you tell us something please. What was the Network Rail Fire Risk Status on Saturday? If it was Green and and there was a lineside fire attributed to the Scot, would they take action against you as a TOC as they'd effectively OK'd Steam Running? We have no idea what the operational requirements are as no-one ever tells us. Would I be right in thinking that you are expected to carry out a risk assessment on a daily basis or possibly on a train by train basis taking the conditions on the day into account?

 

Stupid response to a West Coast initiative to reduce any possible lineside fire on the day.

 

Couldnt agree more Steve,what a stupid person.

 

Yes you are probably right though I hardly go out on main line trips anyway

 

Any thoughts on this if something like this had happened @gricerdon and @1020 Shireman ?

 

Not quite the landscape of Cumbria. Get real, it wasn't that dry and parched. Too much greenery. Getting silly and boring now.

 

I think many of us have regarded this topic as "silly and boring" for many years now but it still hasn't stopped you banging on about it at every opertunity.

Just saying.

Peter

 

When you spend as much money as we do why shouldn't I? And I do actually take the time to post reports and timings about the trains we travel on and pass on information I still get from people in the know. But unlike you don't get personal. Just saying.

 

You would kill the goose that lays the golden egg just because you think you are entitled to 24 carat…

 

I have been walking in the Dales and Lakes in the last month and locally around North Leeds. We have had nothing much above 20 degrees yet (that changes this weekend), so it all looks green but underneath it is as dry as a bone, amazingly so after the March and April we had. I think conditions are marginal.

 

That’s a bit harsh, I don’t know if it’s the same for the rest of the country but on my recent visit to the West Highland Line one of the drivers told me they quite often don’t know about requiring diesel assistance until the morning of the run. It works the other way too when a quick decision is made to run steam only after overnight rain

 

I like to live in 2023 and I’m quite happy ‘to get real’ whilst I appreciate you might spend a fair old bit of cash in pursuit of your hobby can you not understand that there might be reasons why certain things change at the last minute and why they might not be able to be communicated in time?
Can you also not understand why someone like Mr Shuttleworth might not want to come into his office one morning and have a barrage of complaints regarding ‘your steam train set fire to my field, I want some money’?
On another thread you’ve mentioned about 60007 being reduced to ‘a show pony’ do you not consider things like conservation and ownership wishes?
You can sound like a very spoilt child at times.