Steam Dreams Sunday Luncheon to Stratford-O-A, 6.10.13

Bit confused here. Duty Druid, obviously fastidious when he is on duty, gave us a link on Thursday telling us the coaching stock would be trapped by engineering works.

So, presumably, efforts were/could have been made to make damn sure the train could still run?

So an 01.00 "final" cancellation on the day the train was due to run does not look good at present.

The full facts would be interesting before making further comment.

 

According to RTT the train moved to Acton Lane Rec Sdgs yesterday (arr 19.04)

 

Now showing on RTT:-

1Z44 1020 London Paddington to Stratford-upon-Avon

West Coast Railway Company service
This service was cancelled throughout due to the train operator's request (TB).



However, many thanks indeed to 5944 - your timely post saved me a lot of wasted time and cost.

 

Here here, I was preparing to toddle out to video the down run, and buy some rolls for lunch on the way home. Given the gen on here Instead I went back to bed, and then baked my own rolls!

 

My, what a massive contribution to mainline steam!

 

I'm not surprised someone complained to your employer about you

 

It's ok, he used a coal fired oven to bake his buns!

 

they were also steamed during proving.

 

But every little helps.

 

I think "bored" might be a better word.................................. and then maybe fastidious............................... followed anally retentive...................................... I didn't set out to find ALL the ECS workings................................ Honest!!

Anyway, I for one am completely stumped as to how the consist became trapped, I thought the whole point of the exercise was for the consist to avoid being trapped, as the workings would have been reversed Sunday night, Monday morning, SO someone has obviously cocked this up big time, was it over running engineering works, or was it a massive error on someones part???????????????

So my question is, Why couldn't the stock have been stabled closer or in Paddington itself?.............................................

 

Didn't doing that set fire to the duvet?

 

The missus is hot stuff in bed.

 

There is also much unanswered by the harmless phrase employed when explaining the cancelation "and other factors"

 

So the ECS for this runs from Southall to Acton Lane Saturday afternoon...
Then it reappears at Hanwell Bridge loop Sunday morning to go to Paddington.
Presume there was a block on around Southall that stopped it coming straight off there this morning.
There is a block on from Willesden Junction to Gunnersbury today that seems to include Acton Wells Junction....
So on the face of it someone has planned for one block, but not another. Train trapped on wrong side of block.

 

Has someone cocked up and if so who is the guilty party? In the fullness of time we will know but it seems incredible that the ECS and locomotive may have been stabled the wrong side of the blockade. During nearly 50 years of an association with mainline railways, I have never heard of such an incident. Surely heads must roll on this because it seems the whole thing could and should have been avoided and the day out to Stratford on Avon on a gloriously sunny Autumn day would have gone ahead.

We may rue the day that Mr Bunker rode off into the sunset, as I think he would have dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's to ensure there was to be no cock up like this.

 

Now if I had said that I would have been slagged off on here by the usual suspects. That it is why I have refrained from doing so. Doesn't mean I disagree though.
Announced at 1am on a social networking site the night before the trip is totally out of order.
Really feel for the people booked on this, getting up to travel but no trip!

Ironic every time there is an issue of any description regarding a tour, one company name keeps cropping up. The A4 trip cancelled at very short notice making people out of pocket. Even on the main network, cue Alton a few weeks back.

 

So the person responsible for this really poor train planning should be sacked?

Oh, hang on......

 

Where did I say "sacked"? Remember I did not make the original remark either.

 

All I know is that this has all the makings of an Ealing Comedy............................. the only difference being, that the Ealing Comedies were funny, this most certainly isn't, especially for all those caught up in what can only politely be described as a mess!