Warning: Tour Promoters Can Die in Hot Summers

All you say is true but, sadly, irrelevant. Projects to build new designs have failed to raise sufficient funds to get beyond the design stage, and personally I don't see that changing in the future. Owners of surviving locos are struggling to fund straight forward overhauls, and few would want to spend extra on new developments that may delay the overhaul and cause problems with re-certification if too far different from the original spec.

I think it is informative that experiments with improved combustion and exhausts have so far been confined to narrow gauge locos. The costs are lower and the work is more intensive (at least on lines like the Ffestiniog and the Snowden Mountain Railway) so the pay-back is quicker. Also, there is more of a continuous tradition of development on these lines, and less resistance to locos being rendered "inauthentic".

If any new development is going to be made on standard gauge locos, I'd expect it to happen on lines with intensive timetables and a more commercial/public transport ethos, rather than a "living museum" approach. The Paington & Dartmouth springs to mind. Even so, we are almost certainly talking about modifying an existing loco and only if/when a firebox or the front end needs replacement or extensive repairs. Perhaps when Goliath or Braveheart need new fireboxes, we may see a standard gauge loco with GPCS...

In the mean time, Malc is right. Operators have to deal with the situation this month and the next few summers. Let's hope the bans don't last too long and that the tour operators can deal with the finacial strain of interrupted cash-flow and costs of refunds/postponements/etc.

 

If you ask me, I think they have taken the end of southern steam theme a bit too literally.

 

I much prefer the expression used by some here already, "The End of Southern Steam Cancelled".

Wonderful news.

So tomorrow I plan to catch the 08.35 semi fast to Bomo, (always good with Nine Elms no 3 or 4 link men). Back on the 12.32 ex Bomo with the same crew. Then the 15.30 down, (risky that, Bomo top link crews, could be an outstanding run or total crap), then meet up with all my timing buddies on the 18.33 ex Bomo, the up Club Train from Soton. If there is anyone decent around on the 22.35 might go down on that to Soton Terminus and cross the platform to get the up Mail for some sleep back to Waterloo. Even the best Nine Ems crews used to drive that fairly easily to allow us to sleep instead of timing all night. With some exceptions..............

I could choose the 21.20 down of course instead of the 22.35. But that's a Bomo top link turn in the week. You should be able to get to New Milton before picking the up Mail back. Mostly with those Bomo crews you had to change at Brockenhurst. And on a really bad night you had to get off at Southampton to make sure of catching the up Mail for some sleep!

After the up Mail, time to hang around on the Waterloo concourse chatting whilst feeling a bit groggy before the Lancaster Grill around round the corner opened, then a nice fry up for brekkie. Before deciding on the 08.30 or 08.35 again! Or maybe miss brekkie and catch the 05.30 to Basingstoke hoping for someone who wanted to have a real go on the 07.o5 local back to Waterloo at 08.22. THEN the 08.30 or 08.35!

Those were the days my friend
We thought they'd never end....

And now it seems, with The End of Southern Steam Cancelled, they didn't!


PS. I wonder if my GPS will work ok?

 

Some fodder for the Yeti

 

Well you could do all that but you would loose this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=eV-iEAWBYJM

ps. I know young Mr Riley does NOT approve.

 

Sorry skeggycat but I am with Mr Riley but maybe for somewhat different reasons. That was just flogging a preserved engine too much. An engine of that size should do better, thinking about it, isn't a Manor about the same size as a K4? No expansive working, high exhaust peaks, all that carry-over. No thanks.

 

Outstanding. Superb stuff. And steam locos as they should be: filthy dirty!

 

Talerddig is rather steep so not too much expansive working to be had on a heavy train although in this case I wonder if the max load for a Manor has been exceeded.

 

When I rode the Manors in the late 50's and early 60's on the Cambian I can't recollect ever having 8 on. Certainly Manors could romp up the hill with just 6 on.
The Dukedogs prior to the Manors certainly took a much lighter load.

Anyone know the 'limit' for these locos on this hill?

 

Oil fired locos. Gas producers. Vast investments for a few weeks some years only.

Or.................

Stick a diesel loco behind the steam loco and make sure that does a lot of the work on the starts and uphill bits?

With hardened gricers like myself avoiding making bookings for the more normal fire risk periods, thus reducing Tour Promoters income by an infinitesimally small amount.

And, to me at least, making the lineside spectacle much more interesting to photograph with both locos at the front, (steam at the very front). Even a bit closer to authenticity, (somewhere I have a run or two with a Bulleid and a class 33 double heading).

 

The story behind the struggles on Talerddig was that the manors were down the nick.
Who told me this none other than the late Ray Tranter I guess he knew more about manors than anyone else.

Cheers Dave

 

Actually it was'nt being flogged - it was partly down the nick due to a combination of lack of route familiarity & less than ideal coal. Given the welsh coal for which it was designed and greater readiness for the climb the result would have been somewhat different.

 

Sorry for my ignorance, but what does the expression "down the nick" mean?

 

Down the nick means low boiler pressure, the firemen have been firing on the steep bit ie Llanbrynmair to the summit apparently the fireman should do what's needed before Llanbrynmair and then close the door and let it get on with it.

Cheers Dave

 

Thanks for clarifying Dave and Ralph.

 

Here's a full climb by Bradley Manor taken with a telephoto lens.



I have to say I am a great fan of Manors and made a point of riding behind them when I lived in Sussex and they were working their life out on the Guildford Redhill line.

 

that's a steady slog, beautifully controlled and expertly filmed by psov

 

I remember that, I think there was one daily turn for a Reading allocated Manor which left Reading (Southern) around 6.50 am & got back to Reading about 2.00 pm. 7808/13/16/17 & later 7829 were favourites. Before the Manors come to Reading around 1962, it was a Reading Mogul turn.