46233 RTC Christmas tours

What a welcome development for the Duchess to come to London for the Christmas season doing
November 28 to Worcester
December 5 Linden Fayre
December 10 York Yuletide
December 12 Christmas White Rose
December 17 Christmas White Rose
December 19 York Yuletide

Also October 31 white rose

 

Off topic, when is the maintenance and repaint window for 46233? After the WCME season?

 

November 28th, New route, not gauged, don't bank on it.
December 5th, New route, not gauged, don't bank on it.
December 10th, New route not gauged, don't bank on it.
December 17th, New route not gauged, don't bank on it.
December 19th, New Route not gauged don't bank on it.

I suppose the 31st Oct straight up and down the ECML might be ok tho.

 

Who says those white roses won't work? What is the deal with no.9 not being available and what routes can the Duchess run on without any gauging issues. I hope gauging is studied more thoroughly soon.

Are you kidding.

 

I'd like to call it sarcasm borne out of experience.

 

Seriously though are the tour companies keeping on top of loco gauging because too many of these tours are being cancelled due to this issue.

 

The Worcester trip is very tempting but as things are at the moment with gauging I wonder if 46233 is even a possibility?

 

I contacted rtc today and they said that they had done their homework in checking that the routes could accommodate 46233. That is just by what they said.

 

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Probably more to the point is these trains are in the 'train heating window'. OK if steam heating is available on the sets but if not the red train heating units will undoubtedly be required on the rear of the trains and due to the extra weight will assist.

 

That applies whichever loco is on the front.

Given SD's recent experiences with 46233 and 4936, you'd hope that both RTC, the PRCLT and WCRC between them would make sure that approval was received from NR in good time, and if not, would have an alternative loco or route lined up. Remember, it's not enough just for the TOC to check the route itself. They have to have NR approval. IIRC, even the super-thorough Vintage Trains fell foul of this one time and had to change the route at short notice, though it later turned out that their loco would have been OK.

 

I guess you try to secure the use of an alternative loco that has been accepted for the route recently, then work backwards - what's the latest date that you can confirm your alternative loco by? If NR hasn't given gauge approval for the Duchess by then, you have to go with the slimmer alternative, otherwise there's no guarantee that either loco will be able to work the tour.

 

The Brit seems the only certainty for all routes at present.

 

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Maybe that accounts for a comment attributed to a Steam Dreams rep recently that the locos will be as advertised with a few black fives thrown in. The other go anywhere loco is Tornado. My bet is that the Kent round trip at Xmas this year will again be 2x5s. I will be on it this year provided I am reasonably certain it will be DL free. After all wouldn't want to break my record of no DL involved for about 6 years now.

Don

 

What about Bulleids? They seem pretty gauge-friendly. 35018 will be a very useful engine when it's finally up and running - an 8P that can go most places.

Two black fives sound a better prospect than a B1 shoved in the rear. I hope the reported comments of the SD rep are correct - the arrival of the Riley Black Fives down south is a bit like seeing and hearing the first fieldfares - one of those annual events that remind you that winter has come. December wouldn't be the same without them!

 

45407 is due to have planned maintenance carried out Winter 2015/2016 which includes the left hand cylinder block being replaced. I have not seen a date given for the completion of 45212. So will 2 Riley Fives be available?