WCRC Licence Suspended

The explanation of this is at my earlier post (Post 246); essentially WCRC as a TOC has had its Track Access Contract suspended but WCRC as a stock provider is unaffected hence the ability of DBS to take up the charter using its own Track Access Contract to do so; that agreement includes the use of Class 67 traction but not Class 47 hence the use of 67005 / 67026 [this week's Royal Train locomotives] to collect the stock and operate the charter.

Your confusion arises from not appreciating that WCRC is an umbrella for various activities / companies that operate in specific areas and contract with each other for goods and services in an internal organisation that forms the "structure" of the business. That structure is geared to WCRC's business strategy but the problems of one part should not affect the workings of any other parts - as in the current situation.

 

All interesting stuff but the fact that two DBS locos have collected WCRC stock for the purpose of running a rail tour on the national network, it seems obvious that DBS are satisfied that said rolling stock is safe to travel.

Edit : Fred got there first and in more detail.

 

In that case, WCRC could effectively survive as merely a rolling stock provider. Good for WCRC in some respects, but still bad for the steam side of the business. At this rate, the latter will be as good as dead, especially as it is not really 'core' business in WCRC's portfolio. This potentially means that there is no real rush to regain the previous status-quo, and the response to SD may have implied that WCRC may have had irons in the fire regaring diesel haulage (which might see off SD at this rate- at least RTC has the foreign business to retreat to).

I'm sorry for being pessimistic, but talking to a load of ex-'Wansbeckians' in York who decided to come up anyway to save their hotel bills etc. and do the rounds on some of the heritage railways around here, this evening has pretty much confirmed that the future may be bleak for mainline steam.

 

Will you please stop raising this fiction promulgated by WCRC regarding the A1 procedures relating to the cylinder rebore on 60163 in 2010 at York.

 

Which is why - as the main steam locomotive operator - WCRC is facing the current problem. I intuitively feel that the main problem is trying to marry old technology (i.e. steam traction) with new technology (e.g. OTMR, TPWS etc) but doing so so by trying to impose new technology onto old rather than new technology being adapted for old. Since no other TOC operates as great a range of steam tours / services then it is no surprise that WCRC has now been landed with the problem and needs to liaise with NR to find a workable solution - even if that means having a 3rd person on the footplate to assist.

 

I hate to say it, but it ain't fiction as it has happened, whether WCRC were right or not. It was a toys out of the pram moment for the latter, granted (never got to the bottom of it), but it resulted in 60163 not being accepted on their books, so despite the spurious circumstances, they decided it wasn't for them. We all know there was no real problem, otherwise DBS wouldn't be running it.

 

Which was the reason why I suggested an NR pilotman/official with sufficient route knowledge to include temporary infrastructure changes a few posts back.

 

Interesting comments on WCRC's Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/westcoast.railways

"Will the Jacobite still be getting pulled by a steam train though?"

WCRC Reply - "as per our official statement "all schedules including the Jacobite will continue as normal"."

"But will it affect the use of steam engines."

WCRC Reply - "it may affect which engine is used but if it's advertised as steam it should be used where possible."

So what steam locos can DBS operate that are currently fit for traffic? 70000, 35028, 60007. Much else? 61994 and 62005 are through air piped, so could be used I guess if a suitable thunderbird is nearby. I've no idea if 45407, 44871, 34067 or 46233 are on DBS's safety case. Everything else that has been used by DBS in recent years is either in bits or off the mainline now (34046, 60163, 60009, 5029, 4464, 6024).

 

Well, that might suggest that 34067 will see use again, but that's about it. Out of the Carnforth fleet, that leaves 35018 (if completed and not fitted with air brakes), 44932, 45699, 46115 and 48151 out in the cold. Not to mention 70013 and any future NRM locomotive.

 

6201 has done some DBS tours. Add that to the frame

 

As a trustee of A1SLT at the time and also being present in York NRM at the time of this nonsense it is fiction.
In my view WCRC had an agenda and didn't succeed with it and the story put out was theirs alone. The A1 board concluded there was no merit in starting a public discussion on the matter.
WCRC want their own way and therein lies their problem and remember that the whole furore started with the BR apple green livery which we were told to repaint BR green if we wanted WCRC to operate the locomotive at the outset.

 

Shame on them. Just paint, really?

 

I'm not by any means disagreeing with you, as I also heard this reason from a member of the A1 group who was at the NRM. Speaking for myself, I'd have preferred BR green as permanent livery, but that said, it was a spurious reason not to put the locomotive on the books. However, the fact that it remains in place means that it is not a fiction; the reasoning behind it might be (as evidenced by its use by DBS), but the actual fact it has been imposed isn't- this is what I was getting at. One thing is for sure, the painting of 45699 in BR crimson and the operation of 60019 in garter blue puts paid to any issues WCRC held in this regard.

 

From RTC's website:

"You may be aware of reports in the news concerning current operational restrictions due to a safety issue that have been placed on West Coast Railways by Network Rail.

West Coast Railways have assured us that in the meantime they will be able to operate our trains under licence of another operator and so we are hopeful that our upcoming trains will not be affected.

Your patience is appreciated at this difficult time. Our office will be closed now for the remainder of the Easter weekend but will reopen as usual on Tuesday 7th April at 08-30am."

Anyway, we won't know the full extent of the fallout until 'late Tuesday evening'.

 

That suggests the Jacobite could be operated by DBS using 44871 and 45407 at least, presuming DBS remains air brake only as the rule. Maybe the special circumstances of the Mallaig extension will permit further flexibility.

 

It could be that any actions taken by WCRC to meet NR's requirements will be trialled on the Jacobite and therefore it will operate with steam as per normal. Once the new procedures have been accepted and the suspension lifted such procedures may then be rolled out to cover other operations until WCRC returns to normal levels of activity.

However note that this is only an assumption on my part as WCRC will be working with NR in private to resolve the issues and I doubt that any public statement will be made. I only wish them well in their endeavours and look forward to a speedy return to service - their loss is already being felt by many.

 

Thanks Fred.

Tom

 

Sensationalised

missed a 100mph collision by seconds

 

Although train operation procedures obviously play a part in the suspension, I think it is a small one. From the information that has been published, including that from the incident that led to the Yorkshire ban last year, I am sure that it is NR's perception of overall inadequate management and direction of the company that is of the greatest concern.