Tornado Railtours - 2019

The new brochure and list of Tornado Railtours is now online at https://www.a1steam.com/category/tours/

and can be downloaded from https://www.a1steam.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Tornado_Spring_2018_Tour_Guide.pdf

I like the RAF100 tour on 10 July with a flypast of 100 aircraft. London is not my favorite destination for a railtour, but an airshow down the Mall is not to be missed - getting all teary-eyed remembering Concorde and the Red Arrows.

The colour coded map is quite handy. Not sure about the 'Did you know' section; couple of more interesting and obscure items could have been included, but this brochure is for the general public and not necessary the enthusiast after-all.

Tornado do seem to be promoting more and more of their own tours of late. I like the direction they are going in.

 

Also good to see more tours starting in the Midlands

 

This got me thinking about the Ebor Flyer and a possible re-run; what would the cost be to DB Cargo/A1SLT to get a temporary derogation for Tornado to haul Mk. 1s at 90mph on a re-run, like Bittern in 2013?

 

Not cancelled, merely postponed to 27th August

http://www.ukrailtours.com/product/the-canterbury-tale/

 

It shouldn't really need a derogation but rather a correction to the existing rules. As noted up-thread, MkI coaches are allowed to carry passengers at 90 mph behind diesels or electrics, and the 75 mph limit with steam seems to have been assumed because of the limit for the locos. Either way, while the repair proceeds, with whatever investigations and assessments of the failure may be demanded, that should be plenty of time to sort out the MkI speed limit. Whether it will be sorted out is another question.

 

If there was a group to get it sorted, I'd fancy the A1 trust to do it. As an aside what would the situation be with Belmond and their Pullmans, should the chance to operate at the higher speed be?

 

The Pullmans are limited to 75 regardless of traction.

 

My memory is not to be wholly trusted but it seems to me that in the 1960s the mainline track had more minor imperfections than now but very few major ones. Today much of the going is very smooth but every so often there will be a quite violent lurch or bump.

 

Thanks Matt wasn't sure their top speed was.

 

No longer seeing the 2nd June "Yorkshire Pullman" listed on the UK Railtours website, although it is still posted on the A1 SLT website railtours diary and also uksteam. Maybe the third main line postponement for Tornado? (in which case the next listed trip would now be the Talisman on 21st July). Any new info/ intelligence on this ?

 

If this trip is postponed it does not look like the trip to the Bluebell over the Spring Bank Holiday will go ahead either....which would be a great pity for the Railway as they have pre sold all their Tornado train seats.

 

Update on the A1slt website posted today (scroll down to "Tornado - repair update"). Not looking too good for the Bluebell visit or the Newcastle trip:-

Following Tornado’s failure whilst hauling ‘The Ebor Flyer’ investigations have continued and are now drawing to a close. On conclusion of the investigation we will publish an update on the key findings.


Our priority is the investigation, however repair activity is proceeding and we are grateful to those suppliers who have responded swiftly to manufacture new components for the locomotive. We are also grateful to Locomotive Services Ltd and Jeremy Hosking who have loaned components obtained for the overhaul of A2 Blue Peter so as to speed the repairs. We also extend our thanks to DB Cargo for their support in carrying out this investigation.


It is anticipated that repairs will be concluded in June to enable running in activity to commence and a main line test run to take place. Tornado will then pick up its diary in July, commencing with the RAF100 train from Lincoln to London on 10th July.


Operations Director Graeme Bunker-James said ‘We are pleased to say that progress is positive in returning Tornado to operation. We apologise to those who have had their plans disrupted and hope that those affected will be able to travel behind Tornado very soon.’

 

If I'm reading the diary correctly, and assuming I haven't missed something somewhere else, it would appear that the Newcastle trip (the sold-out Talisman) on 21st July would be OK if the RAF100 outing the previous week proves to be achievable.

 

Fingers crossed its 90mph and/or MK1's...

 

As much as I would like it I would not want to put money on a 90mph run.

 

I wonder if 34046 will be the standby loco for the RAF100 trip as it has been reported on the LSL Twitter feed that she will remain in the guise of 34052 for the rest of this year for the RAF100 Anniversary?

 

Indeed. Graeme Bunker of A1LST quoted in latest SR "90mph not happening in 2018".

 

I wonder when they will tell us why. There has been no contradiction of the statement soon after the failure on 14th April that that was not due to the speed, but at most might have happened slightly earlier than it would at a lower speed. And whatever has been concluded from the investigations is not preventing Tornado from running again soon.

I had been hoping that the runs on 11th and 15th August would include 90 mph running to help pathing on the WCML.