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The Christmas White Rose, 19/12/20

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by frazoulaswak, Dec 19, 2020.

  1. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

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    A controversial excursion it may of been, though some of the lineside talk was that West Coast wont be back until March, so that potentially only leaves us with Saphos Trains. Glad to of made trip regardless of the respected opposition towards out of tier photography.

     
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  2. henrywinskill

    henrywinskill Well-Known Member

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    Send them all to Goodison lol
     
  3. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

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    No!
    Whilst it’s great to see photos and videos of main line steam in action I cannot come to terms with enthusiasts who have travelled considerable distances to see this train. OK, if you live local, probably no problem, but people living under Tier 3 restrictions travelling excessive distances to film this train is not on. Totally irresponsible. Please don’t give me the excuses that you had a full tank of petrol, or you have a massive bladder capacity, you are not abiding by the guidelines. (What happens if you have an accident or a breakdown?). At the end of the day it really is down to everybody to try and prevent the spread of this virus. I had plans to go out filming over Christmas on Heritage Railways but took the decision not to, hopefully for the benefit of those I may have come into contact with.
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2020
  4. J Shuttleworth

    J Shuttleworth Member

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    Oh really? And what do you think you know that we don’t?

    The rules are quite clear - although it may be quite anathema to the British way of life, the Coronavirus law says what you can and cannot do; the guidance supports that and says what you should and shouldn’t do, even if you can do it.

    Charters were classified as public transport by DfT, after the first lockdown restart, so must comply with distancing, masks etc. As such and unless specifically prohibited, trains may operate. From the passengers’ perspective, whether they wish to travel is as always a matter of personal choice.

    Whilst I can’t speak for other operators, WCR cancelled or modified what was left of its Christmas trains calling at T3 stations, since the tier system was introduced post-lockdown 2. How this bears out in 2021 remains to be seen, although most operators and promoters are at least planning for at least some form of continuation.

    Clearly, there is a wide spectrum of opinion on this and many other forums and it goes without saying that many here have a very genuine cause for concern about this virus. I would however caution again those who confuse unsubstantiated speculation (or lineside gossip) and the facts - it helps no one, because you simply don’t know.

    JS
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2020
  5. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

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    I think you’re missing the bigger picture here. Forget the relatively small number of passengers on the train, and think of the number of ‘linesiders’ who are attracted by these tours. All making unnecessary journeys and the rules regarding social distancing being blatantly ignored.
    Guide Bridge station yesterday:
    812A7B19-F63E-4404-A379-900FE725DDE9.png
     
  6. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

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    James, it was lineside gossip and as always it should be taken with a pinch salt. This is discussion forum remember, but I'm glad you've weighed in on the rumour as that nugget of info can be put to bed.
     
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  7. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Perhaps relevant is that the boss of Saphos was one of the keenest promoters of Brexit, which is likely to result in the weakening or removal of various laws and regulations restricting what companies can do in areas such as food safety, environmental protection and protection of employment.
     
  8. Jeremy English

    Jeremy English Member

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    Were you at Guide Bridge by any chance?
     
  9. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Of course not.
    The picture was a screen grab from a video on Facebook which I used to highlight my point.
     
  10. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

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    This looks rather 'Safe' compared to the scenes at St Pancras, Euston etc !
     
  11. J Shuttleworth

    J Shuttleworth Member

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    Ah, it's a conspiracy - add another layer to the tin-foil hat.
     
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  12. J Shuttleworth

    J Shuttleworth Member

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    Not at all.

    The "relatively small number of passengers" are the reason why promoters and operators are in business - and doing their best to remain so.

    We have no control over on-lookers and it is the point made earlier (and previously ad nauseam) about personal behaviour, that is, just because you can, doesn't mean to say you should. I'd agree with Liam on this one, though, a lot less concern than at St Pancras last night.

    JS
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2020
    Spitfire and banana patch like this.
  13. Steve Sienkiewicz

    Steve Sienkiewicz Member

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    Thank goodness we have you to search the net for screenshots like this and point out the error of everyone’s ways. Without such a service, the Covid infection rate would undoubtedly be so much worse than it is now.

    Just a couple of points though about the Guide Bridge shot which you use to evidence your case.
    Firstly, you mention the imperative for ‘essential journeys only’. Unless I’ve missed something, this was a requirement that applied to a previous iteration of lockdown arrangements in England and is no longer referenced within Tier 3 guidelines, to which the area around Guide Bridge applies. The current guidelines advise on staying local where possible, but this has a somewhat different meaning to the term ‘essential journey’. I’m not sure how anyone could tell from that photo whether the people on the platform were local or not, unless someone knows any different? One thing for sure though, there is no ‘stay at home’ requirement within Tier 3.
    On a similar vein, I don’t see anything in the photo that supports your claim to ‘social distancing being blatantly ignorned’. Maybe (just maybe) a couple of the people are less than 2 metres apart, but even if they are, how would you, I, or anyone else know if they weren’t from the same household, which if they were, would negate the requirement for 2 metre distancing.
    Finally, in the event that I haven’t convinced the Man on the Clapham Omnibus that the Guide Bridge example you use is invidious and that you are indeed 100% correct in your assertions, all of this occurred outdoors, where risk of transmission is greatly reduced. (I think everyone would agree that point).

    Please keep up the good work, but going forward, you might find it more productive to turn your attentions to some of the busier retail establishments, or deliberate off grid gatherings or parties, where evidence of the transgressions you are keen to point out would have a far greater chance of being proven.
     
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  14. Britfoamer

    Britfoamer Well-Known Member

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    I was at Guide Bridge yesterday, see my shot near the top of the thread. Although the platforms became well populated near to the arrival, at no time would I have judged the situation to be problematic, or outside any of the guidance issued for Tier 3. Perhaps for the few minutes of the passing trains there was a gravitation to near the platform edge, with a few "hey, you're in my shot" calls.
    Be aware, Northern Rail staff were well in evidence to keep us back from the platform edge and make sure of distancing. Just as an extra, the museum tea shop was also open serving a welcome cuppa during the wait, only 50p!
     
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  15. NathanP

    NathanP Member

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    None of us really know the whole story. For all we know those people on the lineside who travelled to see the train may have had a negative test a couple of days before. There are so many drive thru test centres now that getting tested isn't the chore it used to be. I've had several tests over the last few months. I'm driving 150 miles down to Devon on 24th and have a appointment booked at the test centre on 22nd, to be sure I'm clean. Plus, one of the people I'll be visiting has already had the vaccine and the other is booked in for the early New Year. With each week that passes the test centres and vaccinations become more and more widespread.
     
  16. Jeremy English

    Jeremy English Member

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    Good - I wanted to make sure you didn't get any nasty comments! Happy Christmas and a steamy New Year.
     
  17. Macko

    Macko Member

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    I actually wasn't going to post my 2nd shot of the day from yesterday just to carry on this thread and pointless arguments but given I was within 20 minutes of home and stood socially distanced from two other chaps, I feel quite happy with my actions and boy it was good for my mental health to feel some sun on my back and steam in front of me again.

    [​IMG]
    Last for a while ... Braunton on the last mainline tour of 2020
    by Inspiring Images, on Flickr
     
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  18. sgthompson

    sgthompson Part of the furniture Friend

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    Hmm must be a massive family bubble on that bridge :( upload_2020-12-20_18-58-33.png
     
  19. Jeremy English

    Jeremy English Member

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    No doubt they're all in Tier 2 and will get together with two other family bubbles like that for Christmas Day.:eek:
     
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