Railway Touring Company's 2017 Programme

Who is bankrolling the current work on 70013? It seems a bit surprising bearing in mind their straitened circumstances that the NRM wants to go on paying the bills for 70013, even more so if they are prepared to pay £x00,000 for another overhaul.

 

To the best of my knowledge the 5305LA bears the costs but IIRC the original overhaul was at least partly funded through an appeal connected with an earlier 1T57 anniversary.

 

As has been mentioned before, discussion forums really are not for you. Might be best to follow your own advice so as not to get too worked up old chap?

 

Your postings on this subject did have some merit, and those points were well made in your original remarks, but their repetition adds little. As someone who saw the original 15 Guinea Special pass my house it would be wonderful to have another re-run (especially as I still live in the same locality) but an exact recreation is impossible. It follows therefore that the best that can be achieved is a commemoration and inevitably that means a compromise based on the constraints of what is and isn't available.

Clearly one of those limitations is that 70013 won't be participating, but it is only one of many such factors. Offhand I can't think of any railtour, especially one which involved multiple locos, which could be replicated in anything like original form.

It would be wonderful to re-enact the anniversaries of many past events but, given the practicalities of overhauls, timing of boiler certification and the diminishing mainline loco pool the opportunities are of necessity limited.

Please, start to accept that fact and perhaps you could then enjoy those celebrations which are available. Thanks to organisations like the NRM and the 5305 Association what we still have is considerable and well worth pursuing.

 

As I recall, there was a tremendous hoo-ha round about 2007/8 that it would be possible to have 70013 running on the mainline for the fortieth anniversary of the end of BR steam after a long period on the sidelines out of traffic. Ducks were lined up, fundraising arranged, restoration carried out, and the loco entered revenue-earning traffic in the middle of 2008 just in time for the 40th anniversary celebrations. But given all that and the nature of loco overhauls, having the loco available freshly overhauled for the 40th anniversary meant it was almost inevitable that it would be out of traffic for the 50th: the only way round that would have been to have withdrawn it several years ago, while it still had useful revenue-earning potential from the last overhaul, in order to get it ready again. I don't recall too many people in ca. 2008 saying "we shouldn't do this, it will inevitably compromise an event in 2018".

The nature of anniversaries is that they will come round again: quite feasible, if steam is still on the mainline, that 70013 could be in the middle of a ticket and available for a 60th anniversary special in 2028. Equally, it is highly likely that, if 35028 is available this year to support the fiftieth anniversary of the end of Southern Steam, it quite likely won't be available ten years from now for the 60th anniversary - but I doubt many people are lining up to say the MNLPS should delay this overhaul so that it increases the chances of running in 2027, just as there weren't many people in 2008 focused on the consequences for 70013 in 2018. C'est la vie.

Lots of other anniversaries worth commemorating, in any case. 2018 will be the 150th anniversary of the opening of St Pancras Station; 150 years since the birth of REL Maunsell ...

Tom

 

I wonder if 70000 might be a possibility as substitute by this time next year?

 

All true, but I guess 50 is a more significant anniversary than any other that surround it by 49 years either side.

I'm sure there's bound to be some kind of anniversary special. 4 years ago, there were two over the S&C in the same week and one of them was two Black Fives in either direction. Whatever is available at the time, I'm sure the organisers will be doing what they can.

 

The only reason why I express surprise and disappointment is my perception that 70013 has been sidelined for so long I made the false assumption it was being fettled with 2018 in mind. My mistake but I do think it is remiss something to bring about its availability seems to have come to fruition. I fully understand the reality that has been forcefully and often impolitely explained in this thread but I still find the apparent indifference curious.
I do however wish to apologise for using the word 'negligent' which was too strong in hindsight.

 

Respect you for that.

 

On Sunday 8th October the Peak Forester is scheduled to run from Norwich to Rowsley. I am not familiar with contemporary traffic arrangements in East Anglia and should be appreciative if someone who is might comment on the likelihood of diesel involvement with this train.

 

Recent trips to & from Norwich seem to have been steam to & from Peterborough due to some gauging issues between those two points. However none have been with a Brit so may not be an issue with Cromwell. I assume that Cromwell may fit the turntable at Rowsley as Braunton did a couple of years ago, but I understand the Duchess was too big for it when used on a Peak Forester from London earlier in the year.

 

Anyone know what's going on with the West Somerset Steam Express on 19 August?

I booked onto the tour at the end of May following the piece in Steam Railway mag and a confirmation from the office that Union of South Africa would be hauling it. However, (a) UoSA doesn't appear in the UKSteaminfo pool and (b) I had an email about RTC's 'West Country Explorer' tour a few weeks ago.

Out of curiority, I clicked the link to find it is running from Paddington to Minehead on the same day as my tour with Oliver Cromwell at the helm. "That's odd," I thought. "There wouldn't be demand for two trains to the same place on the same day." It then mentions "At Bishops Lydeard Station a ‘Manor’ class 4-6-0 steam locomotive will be be attached to the front of your train. You then continue ‘double-headed’ on this scenic line to Minehead" which is a bit odd too, as this doesn't normally happen?

I raised these concerns with the booking office a couple of weeks ago and was assured it is the same train with the tour people taking up half a coach. "So why does it mention Ollie's hauling it then?" I asked, "As you told me UoSA would be pulling the train."

The lady at the end of the phone couldn't really answer that question but told me UoSA is still planned to haul it, assuming it is available (why wouldn't it be?), but couldn't answer why Ollie's mentioned there.

This was two weeks ago and the 'site still makes these references - plus Ollie's not in the pool for the WSSE.

So will my planned A4 day turn out not to be? Also, what the chances of not having a box on the back?

 

The West Country Explorer uses the WSE as the outbound leg, and the following Wednesday's Dorset Coast Express as the return leg, from Weymouth, for the tour passengers.
Regarding locos I do not know, but UK Steam has Braunton outbound (recently updated as all the way to Minehead and back to BL) and Royal Scot on the way back.
I have been told "Mr UK Steam" is a WSR man so maybe he knows more than most.
Previous years the operation has been a mix. When I have stewarded WSE's we once went all the way to Minehead with Tangmere which was double headed with a 7F on the WSR. Other trips have had locos replaced at BL or NF with a WSR loco.
One trip last year was steam one way only and the loco went back to Southall and the return was diesel hauled. Apart from that I think all have been exclusively steam operated.
What clouds things now is that steam seems to be out of gauge currently in the up direction somewhere around Theale so I guess the tour will have to route back via Bristol or Melksham unless NR have fixed the gauging issue.

 

The poster is referring to the week after which UK steam now states 34046/60009. The up platform at Thatcham is the problem.Network rail are due to carry work on it to rectify the problem according to one of the magazines, with the work due for completion in August.

 

I was booked onto the ACE with UKRailtours. Part of the reason why it was put back - other than Clan Line's overhaul taking longer than it should have - was this issue, which, according to the letter, should be solved by August.

 

Yes my mistake I normally try to steward the one linked to the holiday as it is always more likely to run. Because I ended up getting allocated on the previous week I seemed to make 2 and 2 equal 5.

Good to hear that NR my fix Thatcham soon.

I also see that the times shown for the DCE are the same as previous years, which mean that it should pass through Wareham whilst the Swanage service is in the other platform. Or as RTT currently has it when both trains are in Platform 2!

 

Error in my last post re the Swanage train on the DCE days, the 1310 arrival into Wareham has been retimed by 8 minutes. But as Wareham has bi directional platforms guess it may still happen with the Wareham train in P1 as it has done before, especially as it only shows a 1 minute turn time at Wareham.

 

Anyone else take advantage of the special discount offered today for the Dorset Coast Express programme this year? I booked up two seats on the 6th September trip with £25 off each ticket. It is due to be hauled by 60009 although she now seems to be in charge of the whole DCE programme as nothing else is currently available. She is also rostered for the Worcester trips.
I hope they don't wear the old girl out before her Swanage Belle duty on the 21st September as I am booked on this as well.

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