Tornado to Canterbury - 12/12/16

It is normal to assist up Grosvenor Bank, happened back in the day

 

Was very atmospheric in the dark at Sevenoaks this evening - wonderful And nice to see people excited about a train with Southern getting such bad press at the moment!
Some photos: https://plus.google.com/photos/1156...um/6363322398652046721?authkey=CKS-x9vgu__HFQ.
And a video:

 

Nothing like stating the obvious is there!! Tornado was taking it in it's stride, I was hoping for a bit more of a struggle.

 

Another 100 tons on the draw bar and you may have got your wish.

 

With that double Kylchap it never will no matter how hard she has to work.

 

So, something of the Curate's Egg about these runs? Nevertheless, (targetted question!) will we be lucky enough to get to see the good parts, if they are indeed good enough to make the final cut of HR224's "Full Regulator" column due for release in mid-January ??

 

Sorry about that!! I had inferred from Post #2 in this thread that maybe the author of the column in question might have been in attendance too, and that on reading this could possibly respond (hence "targetted"). Won't do it again.

Lovely anecdote about the Paddock Wood passenger, too, and I agree with you 200% about all the things we shouldn't assume about what captivates the wider market. My whole investment of time and energy as an active volunteer in the summer months is directed to just this belief and exactly this principle.

 

Yes they were, on the boat trains but not on the normal Kent Coast services which generally left at 35 minutes past each hour. These were normally 8 or 9 coaches with a King Arthur or Class 5 in the 1950s so didn't normally need a banker. However the boat trains loaded to 10-12 coaches plus vans and so would normally be banked. Attached shot taken in October 1960 shows an H class tank on boat train ecs at Platform 2, the one used for charters today.

 

Thanks Al. Yes it was a good day spoilt only by a late running SE train preventing a sprint over the weald of Kent from Ashford to Paddock Wood after Tornado had recovered all of the 9 minutes late start from Canterbury. As usual Tornado was up to the task throughout, even with 515 tons. The climb of Hildenborough bank was absolutely top notch and as Al says the highlight of the day. Yes it will feature in HR 224 together with runs from about 10 and 54 years ago

 

Hmm - maybe need to switch from SR to HR. SR just not the same since Mike Notley's demise.

 

I think Mike Hedderly is doing a great job with his column. We have different styles so why not buy both?

 

You wait until the P2 turns up. You'll be even more disappointed in the "pursuit of struggle" stakes.

 

Really good day yesterday following Tornado around Kent, Knockholt, Wye, Canterbury, Sturry, Westenhanger and Dunton Green feature in my video. Sturry didn't go to plan but Dunton Green was a great end to the day, flew through from a standing start at Sevenoaks.



https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/30816357703/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/30816318513/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/31626794375/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/31626736315/in/dateposted-public/

 

Nah!!!! If I'm not pushing up daisies by the time that happens I'll be over the moon to try to listen to it, even if I have to turn up the hearing aid!

 

Good point Al although I'm not sure why you hesitate to say it. The mixture of UK Railtours, A1SLT and DBC is a recipe for a good railtour but the one thing that lets the show down is the stock. I wasn't unhappy with the interior condition of it on Monday - as you say we had heat and light in Standard class but the exterior looks very tatty, much worse than WCRC's stock generally does these days. Now here's the ironic thing - when my wife and I went on the Tornado trip to Bath we were in Non-Dining First, in the one smart looking coach in the rake (a blood & custard First Open) which had obviously been repainted recently. However the lights weren't working - not a problem on the outward journey as it was a bright sunny day and they assured us the problem would be fixed for the return journey. However, when the train arrived back at Bath we still had no lights and worse no heating on a very cold day! Wife was not impressed. While some seemed happy to sit in the cold and the dark we were not. I must say the UKRT stewards couldn't have been more helpful and offered us seats in the brake coach where the A1SLT guys very kindly offered us their compartment (they went to the support coach) so we ended up having a compartment to ourselves with heat (lots of it) and light! Wife was happy and so was I!

The point is though, as my wife said, that you do not pay £150+ for First Class (let alone £225 for Dining) to sit in coaches with no heating or lighting. I know we enthusiasts tend to put up with all kinds of hardships to get our dose of steam but the general public may not. I understand that the stock in question belongs to "Riviera Trains" - I'm not quite clear who they are. Are they related to DBC at all? If they are serious about staying in the railtour business they really need to do better than this. There used to be 3 different Riviera sets (chocolate & cream, blood & custard and the famous "rainbow" set that Steam Dreams used at one time. Now I get the idea there is only one set, a motley collection of whatever is still fit to run. I noticed the smart FO was not in the rake on Monday so I guess it still hasn't been fixed!

So don't hesitate to say it - it's a problem that needs addressing.