WCRC Licence Suspended

Can i ask Would tour customers be better prepared to put up with diesel haulage on some parts of rail tours if it was by historic Diesel locomotives such as a Deltic, Peak , 47, or any other loco if it was a class not normally seen on NR, and restored to an original livery, for instance a 47 in two tone green instead of West Coast Maroon ?

 

Keep up lads - maybe I didn't post in the most apropriate of the many fora associated with this.
Main Line Steam - Possible ramifications of the WCRC suspension

 

Difficult to say, what we have is a unique situation, steam locos. are there but can't run. In this situation personally I'd sooner see a Deltic up front than the job cancelled. But in normal circumstances if you've booked a steam hauled tour and you're not getting it, that's a different situation.
As I say......this is a unique situation.............I'll take a Deltic.

 

I think the statenent -not normally seen on NR - limits the choices a bit, livery may not be enough. The only locos main line certified which meet the criteria are the Deltic as mentioned, Westerns and Class 4x and 50. Classes 20 31 47 73 and 08 are still in front line service. Would a tour punter see the difference between a 47 hauling their train and a 57 passing on a freight.

 

Those of us who are able to, are no doubt regularly accessing WCR, NR and ORR websites to get the news we all want to see and hear because without it, we have to presume that the suspension remains in place. As of 10.15am no such announcements have been posted.

 

I'd be interested to see a Peak out on the mainline - but no interested enough to pay for one in place of steam !

 

Personal opinion but only Deltic and Western are sufficiently special to provide a remotely interesting steam alternative.

 

Agreed. Confined myself to types currently registered but yes a Warship would also be special.

 

During my early railway career when I was a telegrapgh boy on Taunton station, the reliability of the Warships was awful - especially the North British ones. For us steam fans, it was great because a steam loco was regularly off the shed to assist or replace the aililing diesel. Working in the telegraph office in 1964, we were always informed of train formations and locomotives out of Paddington. On a hot August day, I was on the early 6am to 2pm shift and just as I was about to go home, I noticed a telegram coming through which said 2.30pm Paddington to Plymouth, 4080 (Powderham Castle) vice D816 (Eclipse) from Reading. Vice was a replacement rather than just attached. I rushed home, got changed and returned to see what by then was an incredibly rare event, a Castle on class 1 duty to Plymouth.

The Castle was the Reading standby and looked in a shabby state with, I seem to recall, no cab numberplates but nameplates in tact. With my privilege ticket, I jumped on board and travelled with her to Newton Abbot, the last time I was ever to do so with steam in the pre-preservation era. We huffed and puffed over Whiteball but made it safely and down the hill to Exeter and along the sea wall to Newton Abbot, A D63xx attached there and assisted the Castle to Plymouth while I returned on the all stations back to Taunton behind D7022.

Such wonderful memories. By the following year, 1965, Taunton shed closed and steam became a thing of the past.

 

Interesting, 4080 was allocated to 8IC Southall from June '64. Probably a transfer from 81A when it closed to steam.
More interesting was that 4080 was withdrawn on the 10th of August 1964 so this must of been one of it's very last turns.

http://www.brdatabase.info/locoqry.php?action=locodata&type=S&id=4080&loco=4080

 

wonderful story, thanks for sharing.

 

Crikey, it really could have been its last round trip (I don't know how it headed back to Southall). All the more poignant.

Anyway, back to today and still no news from WCR so it is down to the wire, I guess for the GB8.

 

There is talk elsewhere that there is an UNCONFIRMED report that WCRC are back in business today & are doing the Rileys Black 5 move on Wednesday.
Although things could change if ORR intervene.
Please note this is only what I have read & NOT my opinion.

 

Still nothing on WCR website! I would be shouting from the mountain tops if they had the green light to carry on business as normal. Maybe the announcement is imminent.

 

Several parties involved, agreed wording critical, maybe even still awaiting final sanction from somewhere... who knows?

 

Further to Buseng's post, and again its probably been mentioned elsewhere (frankly, I'm past caring about wading through three threads on this subject), but there is a timing on RTT for WCRC's movement of Riley's Black Fives on Wednesday. Read into it what you will: http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U55382/2015/04/29/advanced

 

Whoever is doing it that's a bloody long day...