CathEx to Holyhead - 20th April

You don't need steam traction knowledge to run as a 1Z99 to assist. No different to dragging a leccy if you don't sign them. The traction knowledge is retained by the original crew anyway for the rescue move. Issues will have been no spare men with the correct route knowledge to go and rescue. The MDTR main failing is that there is nobody sitting spare these days. If the right phone calls had been made it could have been done easily, but alas FOCs and TOCS arn't very good at communicating with each other these days. Oh well!!

 

What would the consequences be if the ATW driver had driven the 67 hauling the A1 plus 13 coaches, and then had a SPAD or accident after misjudging braking distances etc? I certainly wouldn't like to be put in that situation.

More of a concern is what Big Al said about no one informing SD about the train being terminated at Crewe, or any onward transport being arranged until arrival at Crewe. It must've been nearly daylight when some people got back to London, best part of 24 hours after leaving. I've been on a couple of tours that have run mega late due to failures, once as a passenger and once as a steward, and it's no fun not knowing what time you'll get home.

 

Can't see an issue, passed on the traction, passed for LHCS work. It was and still is at our place a drivers responsibility to perform a running brake test and get a feel for his train. Shouldn't matter whether you've got 5 coaches on or a dead loco and 12 coaches, brakes are still brakes.

 

What transport was laid on at Crewe? and what time did passengers get back to London

Neil

 

I go home at 5.30am 24 hours after leaving home and it was getting light as I drove home from Three Bridges, after Taxi from Crewe to Euston ( driver go lost after we had to come off M6 since it was closed due to roadworks in Birmingham and struggled to follow diversion signs - too much reliance on SAT NAV,the three of us in the cab had to assist) got to Euston just after 3.00am, Taxi to Victoria for the 4.00am train.

Up to Rhyl on the return a great trip and superb weather.

A big thankyou to Marcus, Graeme, Julie and the rest of the team at Steam Dreams.

I will post some pictures later.

 

Pretty sure there's some good examples on Brian Basterfield and Six bells Jct websites.

 

Yes I did not get back to Rugby till 4am on Sunday morning after Leander's run from Kilmarnock to Hellifield.
Both diesels hauling the previous service train had failed, control refused the offer of help from Leander's driver, guess they did not want pictures of Leander rescuing service trains again.

Cheers Dave

 

It's very sad to hear SD have suffered another Nightmare due to no fault of their own. We have been on two previous nightmare trips with SD and have to say they handled things very well on both occasions even though the people at the top and the stewards have probably been screaming inside! We were on the SR Anniversary run with 850 in 2007 when she was failed at Westbury. A brilliant run up to that point. SD staff had to get passengers on HST's back to Reading and other places and then in taxi's from Reading back to their homes. All this was done without fuss even though the stewards were getting some aggro from passengers. To add to their woes the normal FGW services were delayed by a cow on the line some where! We got back home after an interesting high speed tour of pitch black country lanes in a taxi early hours the next day. We were also on the Lincoln trip with 34067 a few years ago. Got home after 2.00am the next day from that one.

 

Tornado - The Cathedrals Express - 20/04/2013 - In 3D

[video=youtube;e6LqVUBuohI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6LqVUBuohI[/video]

 

A small selection of photos from the trip including some lanscape shots plus a shot of the suspension bridge taken from the train while crossing the Britannia Bridge can be found at Zenfolio | Paul Simpson | Cathedrals Express to Holyhead

 

Great picture, Al, showing the full train. Is it me or are all the surrounding buildings/accessories in matching colour to Tornado !! ?? Great stuff.....Pete

 

It was good of DB to organise a rescue engine with the same livery!

 

I write as someone with no mechanical qualifications but, I hope, some experience of lateral thinking. If (as has been suggested) Tornado has two air compressors and both failed, would it not be prudent to install an emergency compressor powered by a small diesel engine as part of the equipment in the support coach? Someone out there must know if or why not!

 

You may not be aware but Tornado came briefly (1 hour) to grief with a brake problem on its way to Kingswear recently and they apparently "botched" something together which enabled the tour to continue and return back to Paddington that evening. Whether this is a re-occurrence of that problem, I know not.

The thing I worry about is the authorities now having further ammo for imposing the excessive penalty charges which will end steam on the mainline.

Calm heads by all, please!

 

Ref - swapping to vac brake - even if the stock was dual-braked Tornado herself is air-braked IIRC.

 

Just to correct my statement, just realised it wasn't WCRC stock, but a DB " I don't play with vacuum" operation. (Except the Jacobite of course). Even if the stock was dual braked.