Steam Dreams 2013 & 2014 Archive

Al - I have seen the comments re lack of heat in at least one coach so can understand your comment. IMHO quite a lot of the stock used on heritage railways is at least as good as WCR and many would happily pass FTR for the mainline. Registration costs etc preclude their use on the mainline.

 

Whilst its important that the steam heaters work sufficiently well and the leaks arent major - ( like the one underneath the toilet on a nymr train once that had turned it into a steam room, didnt smell bad as the toilet was nice and clean, pity i hadnt brought some Vicks and a towel in fact...)
The wisps of steam between the carriages on a cold autumn/winter day are essential to the magical atmosphere of steam. So much so that i think small leaks should be deliberately engineered

 

We need to differentiate here between leaks, which are waseful, and steam drains which are essential. The system is total loss, that is the steam leaves the loco and is used then returns to the atmosphers. There are various drain points on each coach to discharge water/ steam from the pipework and radiators. This is where the wisps of steam can be seen comming from so no need to engineer.

Leaks happen mostly on the inter coach connectos as the sealing rings age and occasionally on the fixed pipework. Warm steam plus steel pipe = tinworm. replacing the fixed pipes often involves a lift off the bogies so sometimes small leaks need to be tollerated. I suspect that was the problem on the NYMR as the toilet usually sits above the bogies.

 

Indeed a tremendous noise. For those who havn't seen it this is the You tube link

It would be lovely to see 46115 or 45699 down south but I suspect they will stay on the Northern hills for the most part. Be nice to see 46115 out of Euston!!

 

I'm surprised that they will need part of the green train. Why won't they stick with the SRPS train stock?

 

As you rightly point out diesel assistance can't increase maximum speed, but it can increase acceleration and reduce the impact of steep gradients on heavy charter trains - both of which make it easier to fit them around an increasingly busy railway almost entirely worked by multiple units with far superior performance characteristics. That's on top of providing 'insurance', simplifying movements at termini and the like.

Chris

 

I must be the exception here. I like to take my wife on a main line steam trip, and we treat ourselves to premier dining. Consequently, it does mean I only do 1 or at the most 2 trips per year, as it is pretty expensive. However, at that price, I'm very fussy. So far, I have usually managed to run behind the engine specified, with 2 exceptions: 44932 substituted for 34067 on an RTC Swanage-London & return trip in 2010, but gave an excellent performance. No complaints whatsoever here. 4464 substituted for Tornado on a SD outing to Bristol via Redhill & Guildford the folowing year. That was not such good news. I had specifically chosen the trip for Tornado (which I have yet to travel behind) and 4464 was definitely off-key on the way back, only just making it up the 1 in 96 to Gomshall. Although the outward run was much more what one would expect from an A4, I was definitely disappointed with my day out - the only main line steam trip I have ever been disappointed by.

My biggest concern is "pushed" steam. I don't want to pay out for 2 premier dining tickets unless it's 100% steam. I am hoping to take my wife (premier dining again) on RTC's Welsh Borders next May, but before booking tickets, have asked RTC for an assurance that it will follow the same format as last May's run behind Tangmere - i.e., with no diesel on the back. If I wanted diesel haulage and full dining over the Welsh Marches line, I could do it any day of the week behind a 67 on the Holyhead-Cardiff train at a much lower price, and have the thrill of travelling faster than 75mph.

 

You're no exception, John, you want the same as me and a good number of steam enthusiasts, often accompanied by their partners, that I have met travelling in dining class. I usually travel with my wife and a bit more often than you but recently we have found fewer trips meeting our requirements. I thought the Steam Dreams Horsham - Ely trip looked good until it became clear that the steam section was quite limited. There are some RTC trips I fancy but I don't trust RTC to deliver what they promise so I leave booking until the very last and keep a watch on loco news etc.

 

I totally agree with you,however I am interested that you have tried to "seek assurances" on diesel assistance from RTC, have they been forthcoming and if so do they actually mean anything?

Surely the addition of a diesel is in many instances decided at the last minute according to any number of operational reasons or at the behest of NR for performance,"insurance" or fire risk reasons? So even if you don't think you are going to get one,you still might and then won't RTC rely on their standard booking conditions which basically absolve them of more-or-less everything?!

 

I sent an e-mail to RTC yesterday and have so far had no reply. I guess I'll be happy with something along the kines of "we're planning to run the train in the same format as 34067's run in May 2013." I can't realistically expect more than that. I fail to see why if Vintage Trains can usually virtually guarantee 100% steam for their trains when specified (and they use West Coast) other operators can't manage the same high standards.

 

Vintage Trains can guarantee steam traction because they use their own locomotives on most trips or have arrangements in hand with WCRC; other operators tend to liaise with individual owners which means that if the locomotive(s) fail their FTR exam then the owner usually has no back-up locomotive to offer. If these operators liaise with WCRC then that company has sufficient resources that it can usually provide a steam locomotive should the contracted loco fail the FTR exam but some operators are reluctant to work with WCRC hence their difficulties when steam locomotives suddenly become "unavailable".

 

Superb clip and demonstrating what for many people steam travel is all about. The experience would have been diminished greatly if a diesel had been shoving.

 

Steam Dreams website now states Doubled Headed Black Fives for the Southend to Chichester, and London to Sherborne (via Haywards Heath and Chichester) trips.

 

According to the latest Heritage Railway Magazine the trip to Sherborne and Yeovil on Sunday 1st June 2014 is to mark the Yeovil Stean Centre's 20th Anniversary, and goes onto to speculate that 35028 might haul the train, since it was the first mainline visitor 20 years ago.

 

I remember doing a Treacle Eater tour with 35028 which I think opened the Shed next to one of the Platform's at Yeovil Junction that tour was also hauled by 35028.

 

but will WCRC and the MNLPS work with each other? I think it has only happened on one occasion?