Steam Ban due to fire risk (updates)

Is it just a coincidence that all the recent lineside fire incidents have been caused by Carnforth maintained locos ?

 

Amount of whinging on here I'm surprised its not caused a rain storm already

 

I'm no longer surprised. The special trips behind 4464 would have happened and 34046 Performed flawlessly on the Torbay.

 

Nothing like England v Australia at Headingley to guarantee apocalyptic conditions. Better suited to Noah than Jeremiah. I think the York area ban can now safely be lifted.
PS All these fast runs of Big Al's and Mr Yeti's (he of the fantasy dirndl). Did any of them happen in full wet conditions? Supposing the Pathfinder tour had happened today I wonder if Bittern could have done 90.

 

My mammary memory tells me that the Atlantic Coast Express could and did reach the 90 mark in virtually all weathers except fog. I think the only limiting factor for high speed in rain would have been driver visibility. So in really torrential rain the driver may have eased back a bit.

Apologies to some wonderful, albeit sadly now not with us SR drivers, to whom the term, "eased back" is totally outside of their comprehension.

 

The rains have come!

And, with both apologies and thanks to the Cascades especially John Claude Gummoe who wrote one of my all time favourite songs:


Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain
Telling me just what a fool I’ve been
I wish I’d not spent money on what became a diesel train
When steam locos couldn’t run til it rained again

The only steamers I’ve ever loved had boxes in the way
Looking to make the starts so smart
But little did I know the rain would come today
After all my cash and me were apart

Rain please tell me now does that seem fair
For boxes to take my money when NR don’t care
I can’t love diesels while Clan Line is somewhere far away

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain
Telling me just what a fool I’ve been
I wish I’d not spent money on what became a diesel train
When steam locos couldn’t run til it rained again

 

Have seen on the Rain Alarm app that Kent & the SE has had it bad today, like the Midlands northwards.
Not that much here though in the Thames Valley.

 

My mammary memory tells me that the Atlantic Coast Express could and did reach the 90 mark in virtually all weathers except fog.

Another case of "Tits up" ? I presume !

 

Not that wet in Surrey, certainly the rain is not as heavy or widespread as forecast.

 

Does it ever rain in Reading ?, everytime it does it appears to be nowhere near as much as other areas.

Ironically I'm on a Hydraulic tomorrow that would have been unaffected.

 

Got it in one!

 

http://www.rain-alarm.com/
Available as an add on or extension to most browsers.
An app on Windows 8 in the store.
Also on Android & ios devices.
Shows live tracking of rainfall as supplied by the Met Office.

 

A screenshot of Rain Alarm this afternoon. See how "we" are dry as usual.

 

Portland's (Dorset) rain today is now forecast for 9pm instead of 6 so another day of baking heat. I was working in the garden earlier and had to come in as very hot with no wind. At least Saturday's tour down here is a Western so won't be cancelled due to fire risk but its going to need a lot of rain for next week's DCE to be double steam. (Assuming there are two steam engines available to work it!)

 

I'm fed up of the WCRC bashing now, is it any surprise they have most of the problems when they have 80% of the steam market ?, a better questions would be why DBS has such a small share that's decreasing all the time.

If a TOC ran 1 tour a year without trouble, would you call them bulletproof compared to one that ran 250 and had issues on 15 of them ?.

 

It's privately produced. More here.
http://www.rain-alarm.com/rainAlarm.html