Return of the Cotton Mill Express

Probably a little too early to ask this question!

 

As a passenger on that trip I as yet do not know what refund I will get, never mind a new date if there will be one. Bearing in mind this is the first day RTC office staff are at work after the weekend, I should think fixing a date for a rerun is the last thing they'll be doing as sorting out us unlucky passengers will be their first priority. As for 46115 that'll be down to Carnforth who will probably try their best to have it ready for 27th Mar but it all depends on what the damage is and only they know!

I have to agree with the RalphW and ADB968008s posts on this. There is a member of this forum who works for West Coast and has kindly provided information about trips and locos they own. I see he has said nothing on this thread and personally I wouldn't blame him if he stopped giving us information after reading some of the posts on here that attack the professionalism of his footplate crews and engineering staff. If he was to tell us what happened to 46115 on Saturday, there would no doubt be someone silly enough to make an uncalled for comment anyway. The thread may be better locked in my opinion.

Dave B

 

So true. Sadly there are a handful here who delight in pointing the finger in a pathetic attempt to showcase their self-proclaimed knowledge and expertise. Even worse, they rarely admit that their behaviour is less than helpful and make further fools of themselves trying to justify an ill-conceived post. Locking threads will never prevent the 'secret pointy- finger brigade' from winding people up. Their antics are best ignored - hopefully then they will go away.

 

This finger pointing does wind me up. People seem to forget that we are all in the same game. West Coast are in the business to provide main-line steam trips for the paying public. They want to maximise profit and sending out a locomotive which they thought was going to fail would be a really stupid idea. I am no expert but I would think that the costs from failing would completely remove any possiblilty of making profit on the trip.. Added to that is the hassle and costs of rearranging and compensating passengers. It would not make good bussiness sense. This isn't like a car hire company which might send out a duff car and, if the engine rips itself to pieces, they can claim on insurance and have a replacement car the next day.
You can examine and test until you are blue in the face but stuff can still go wrong. Stuff happens, we just have to deal with it as best we can. In this case it is to let West Coast examine the loco and repair it. Slagging them off does not help anyone.

 

I agree with Ralph and ADB. They are Moderators and they are talking sense. My opinion is unless the "questionable" remarks are withdrawn publicly and unreservedly, the topic should be locked. No ifs and buts.

 

Yes this thread should be locked, there are too many guessing and suppossing of what happenened, only those on the footplate at the time knows what really hapened, and for comments suggesting the loco was not fit to run and that the driver was thrashing an engine he knew was mechanically not fit is just scandalous libel and rubbish, where some of these people get their ideas from is beyond belief.

 

I started this thread back on the 23rd September 2009, and i feel it should not be locked by the moderators, but they should remove any replies passing blame to any party, either RTC,WCRC or the driver, untill all the facts are in.
Lets keep it positive, hope for a speedy return of both 46115 & The Cotton Mill Express, who knows we might get a Riley black 5 wont that be unique
Neil

 

Well I'm afraid that guessing and supposition is largely what internet forums are for and because of the veil that is the interweb, overly harsh and critical things are said that most people wouldn't dream of saying if they were speaking face to face.

Anyway, it's an awful shame for everyone involved as well as the passengers and lets hope Guardsman is back on her feet quickly and think about a third re-run later.

 

Do you seriously think the remarks will be Victor?

Dave B

 

but writing scandulous guessing about professional people WCRC and their employees IS JUST NOT ON, it is the same everytime a loco breaks down on the mainline there are certain people who just relish at blaming people when they know nothing. if any WCRC read some of the posts on here with the accusations there may not be a re run and I would'nt blame them.

 

At the end of the day, its tragic for West Coast to have this wonderful loco damaged and for the farepaying passengers on the train, who had two attempts to travel.I only hope that the loco is not too badly damaged, as credit to David Smith and his West Coast Railways for keeping the dream alive, without West Coast the steam scene would be very poor indeed. Hope to see Guardsman out and about again very soon.

 

It's not just main line locos. When 34081 failed with a few broken stays during its NYMR visit, a small group of lads from another heritage line took great pleasure in rubbishing both the loco and those looking after it. What they got out of it was anyone's guess. At times like this, loco owners need all the support we can give them.

 

At the end of the day, the only people fully deserving of an explaination are those who dug deep into their pockets to ride the train. it would be good PR to inform the customer why the loco failed and what remedy there will be - refund or re-run.

Maybe one of those passengers will share the information with those interested on this forum, but that is up to them.

 

A little thing called courtesy seems to be sadly lacking with some on this forum, these people demand information on projects as if it is their right, in my book it is just plain rude.

I do not blame David Smith for not giving out information, if I was in his position with people demanding information I would do the same.

Remember to treat others as you would like to be treated, in my experience you often find people most forthcoming.

Cheers Dave

 

Reason alone not to bite the proverbial hand that feeds you, DBS can't do half the things WCRC do (managment that is, not the crews on the ground).

 

45 years ago, to the day, prior to last saturday!!

As a little light relief until such time as we receive any more definite news, here is an item that it is hoped no-one will have an issue with.

Do have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsG3cNHvycE

This little clip was made on 8mm cine-film 45 years ago to the very day before last Saturday’s “Cotton Mills” working. What the film lacks in technical perfection, it makes up for in sheer atmosphere, ably complemented by such appropriate music.

Sat 13th February 1965 "The Rebuilt Scot Commemorative Rail Tour"
46115 Crewe - Wigan (North Western).
44822 + 46115 Wigan (North Western) - Boars Head Jcn - White Bear - Chorley - Heapey - Cherry Tree - Blackburn.
46115 Blackburn - Clitheroe - Hellifield - Settle Jn - Ais Gill - Carlisle - Shap - Preston - Crewe.

This well-filled ten-coach special train was organised by Bill Ashcroft of the R.C.T.S. (Lancs & North West Branch) as a tribute to the final workings of the ‘Rebuilt Scots’. I was on board for that journey and what a day it turned out to be! One of the most memorable railtours of all time, no particularly high-speed epics, but merely a leisurely day out amongst a whole host of friends and a chance to travel behind steam for one last time over a route with which the ‘Royal Scots’ were once synonymous. One thing was for sure, not a single one of us travelling even dreamt that we would ever have a chance to ride behind a ‘Scot’ on the main line again!

Although the date proved not to be quite the final day in service for the two final survivors of the class, ominously perhaps, in light of the events of last Saturday, the intended locomotive, No 46160 'Queen's Westminster Rifleman', had also been failed after running a hot axle-box earlier in the week before the tour. In respect of the substitute, 46115, one thing that might have escaped the attention of the majority of the passengers was the fact that the nameplates weren’t the originals and had actually been fashioned from wood at very short term notice by no less than a very enthusiastic shed carpenter at Crewe North MPD.

Ironically, however, here was another instance of where disasters seem to happen in pairs. In recalling another RCTS tour around the North-West a few months later, I clearly recall that the booked ‘Ayrshire Yeomanry’ had also run hot a few days previously and was no longer available. A trip by Bill to the foreman’s office at Lostock Hall soon had ‘control’ on the line … in order to find a suitable alternative item of motive power. There does exist somewhere in my collection that classic photograph taken outside my back door of Bill and I sawing “Ayr” off one end of a pair of wooden plates and inserting a slightly lengthier “Lanark”!

 

but u have left the resulting posts quoting the original post still on

 

Which posts are you referring to? There have been a number removed and some edited.