Tornado

That’ll never happen

 

I suspect the Bo’ness/SRPS deal will assist LSL with running more trains. Another fleet of MK1s, a vacant Aberdonian market, a general lack of Scottish steam, etc. Seems to be brewing nicely for them.

Gresley has had its fair share this year. 7 Fellsman’s, alongside a few steam dreams jobs, plus visits to heritage railways, etc. There is of course a theory that the less a loco is used, the less wear it gets, the cheaper it is next time to overhaul, etc.

6024 is a complete fail of woah from what I understand. Let’s just say I don’t think it got very fair in to its safety inspections before a raft of issues were revealed. At one point I read it was tucked it in the corner of LSL waiting to be taken apart.

As you say though perhaps a different thread….But linking it back to 60163 I can think of a Carnforth based outfit who’d find a significant ammount of used for an air braked Class 8.

 

I've only got six Fellsman's logged for 2024, five of which were with 60007, 34046 doing the first one:
https://settlecarlislesteam.co.uk/y...eadboard=All&diesel=All&load=All&promoter=All

Have I missed one or two?

 

I think that was the crux of the point both I & @acorb were making, there seems to be a company in need of airbraked Class 8 motive power so unsure why anyone would be putting all their eggs in the basket of another company who already have a substantial fleet battling for work, albeit I suppose that's subject to the caveat of how far on with 6201 WCR are and what else is happening behind the scenes in Carnforth either short or long term?

If rumour is to believed been tried already on numerous occasions and advances rebutted.

 

Isn't the P2 already parked up? no boiler, and if i were a betting man i don't think we will see it for another 8 years, I'm half expecting to hear the funds were "borrowed" to pay for 60163's overhaul. and the kitty is bare, hence the need to hire out Tornado ASAP,
But of course, it won't be the fault of those in charge, but of others, possibly who are no longer able to answer back,

 

Are they not separate projects from a donations point of view?

 

Just on that narrow point - a lot of heritage railways are broadly thinning out fleets at the moment. So if you happened to work for an organisation with the liquidity to be able to move fast when desired, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that over a period of a few years, you could put together a reasonable train. Whether the precise mix of desirable vehicle types becomes available might take slightly longer, but I think it would at least be feasible to consider a plan to build up a fleet of Mark 1s from carriages being disposed of by heritage railways. (Just on the Bluebell, we've had a Mark 1 SO and a Mark 1 SK sold in the last twelve months for pastures new, both in good overall condition).

I make no comment on whether it is a sensible option, but I think it is at least a feasible option.

Tom

 

Maybe it’s 6 then. I had maybe imagined more

 

It does if you're of advancing years...

 

And we all know what a bad idea monopolies are...

 

Or LSL, might wait until Carnforth start selling some of its MK1's, if it decides to not fit CDL, but to concentrate on already cdl fitted mk2's, but would they sell to LSL,

 

Nonsense.

 

Photos in latest Trackside of 6201 having its boiler lifted last month and a renewed appeal for £125k - so a long way off.

I think Mr Smith would rather turn his fleet into baked bean cans, than sell out to LSL.

If bridges have been burnt again between the A1 Trust and West Coast, it would be the most ridiculous act of self harm yet for both parties. I will let people draw their own conclusions as to how likely this is (!), but I have not read anywhere publicly this is the case.

 

As for CDL fitted stock, Eastern Rail Services have a number of recently off leased Mk 3s available and generator cars according to an interview in one of the Railway mags last month. Many could end up being exported if not used here, but consideration is being given to creating a hire rake.

http://easternrailservices.co.uk/sales.htm

 

60007 is contracted for a dozen tours a year I believe, plus preserved line visits around the already agreed tour programme. Unlike the rest of LSL's fleet, it hasn't spent large amounts of time out of traffic since it was built, it's either been in use or being overhauled. 87 years without being out of traffic for more than a few years is good going, no wonder they don't want it run into the ground. In comparison, 46100 (46152) has probably only really done about 40 years in traffic, 70000 around 40, 34046 about 35.

 

"Bluebell" (323 / A323 / 1323 / 31323 etc) has I think done 94 of the last 114 ...

Tom

 

The SRPS/LSL deal will mean hopefully 60532 running on the correct route which it was built for! 61306 may also appear on the Aberdonian as well from time to time and possibly in other locations such as Inverness and maybe Kyle. If 60163 was LSL registered I suspect it would run regularly over the Edinburgh-Aberdeen route too. If 60163 was with WCRC it would once again be the go to locomotive for the Northern Belle. Let’s wait and see what the future holds for 60163 but it will not be short of possibilities. The 6024 situation is horrifically sad and let’s hope gets resolved soon.

 

As per the post on the GB thread. A lot of ifs, buts, maybes

 

That was my understanding.

The A1 Trust corporate structure is slightly unclear to me (would probably make sense if you spent a bit of time working it all through) but on the charity side, everything appears to be held in three restricted funds: one for the A1, one for the P2 and a (tiny) one for the V4.

From the latest accounts, this is income and expenditure - everything on both sides is through a restricted fund, with no unrestricted income or expenditure:



And this is the actual values in each fund:



The thing I don't completely follow is what the "Intra group loan provision" is, but since it is showing as a debit on the "Tornado" column, wouldn't that in any case suggest that it is a transfer of funds away from Tornado, not - as has been suggested - using other restricted funds to support Tornado? Or am I getting my signs wrong?

There's been a lot of casual suggestion by a few that funds raised to support the P2 are instead going to keep the A1 afloat, but I am not sure where the evidence is in the accounts, and I think - on the charity side at least - it would be quite a serious charge to be throwing around if true.

Tom