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'Torbay Express' 2014

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by free2grice, Jul 3, 2014.

  1. cg

    cg Well-Known Member

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    Nuuney Castle Yatton on that last run of the season.

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/16582147@N07/15397761286/
     
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  2. cg

    cg Well-Known Member

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    Last edited: Oct 5, 2014
  3. Stu in Torbay

    Stu in Torbay Part of the furniture

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    Been a great summer, hope the accounts match and we're set for TEs in 2015
    5029 TE 2014.jpg
     
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  4. mike1522

    mike1522 Long Time Member Friend

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    It would be cool to have a duo of 5029 and 6024 next year if that is possible.
     
  5. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest

    It would indeed, but given the TE is DBS operated, and they don't do double headed haulage anymore, I can't see it happening.

    On the subject of 6024 however, is she slated for a return to steam in 2015 ? Be good to get 35018 steaming first. Let's hope it doesn't take as long as it did for 34046 to turn a wheel on NR, : )
     
  6. springers

    springers Member

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    I recently had a look at the frames of 6024 at Minehead.It will be 2016 before she's up and running again.
     
  7. spicer21

    spicer21 Guest

    Thanks for the information.

    Meanwhile, whatever happened to 6023's mainline career ?
     
  8. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    Expected to go mainline in 2015. I posted in one thread what was stated in the Great Western Echo, but cannot remember which one.
     
  9. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    No date has been given in the Kings Messenger or newletters, but there is still a lot of work to do, based on the various reports.
     
  10. rule55

    rule55 Member

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    Regarding 6023 (and I'm straying way off topic here), I was intrigued by the piece in one of the monthlies recently where the GWS were looking for volunteers to train as mainline firemen for the King. I'm led to believe that firing 6024 is a tough ask for an experienced fireman and that she has broken a few in her time - I'm not sure that Didcot's single chimney version will be more forgiving. I will await events with interest.. BTW, getting somewhere near back on topic, have DBS ever put it on record that they won't do doubleheaded steam again or is it just that they might find it challenging to resource with their current numbers of steam-qualified men?
     
  11. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    For what it's worth and looking at previous posts it's actually a rumour that has been spread on this Forum by someone who seems to get information from someone in West Coast. Ditto re not working in Cornwall even though DBS manages the site at St Blazy where there is a turntable. Either way the whole Torbay experience offers so much for enthusiasts and the public alike and hopefully in 2015, a good variety of locomotives will be available.
     
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  12. Steamage

    Steamage Part of the furniture

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    The way it was explained to me was they had to avoid the longer trips, because of crew availibility, etc. Part of the reason for this is that DBS have (how shall I say this?) a "less flexible" approach to crew duty hours and rest periods between shifts than WCRC. The example given to me of the sort of trips they couldn't take on was Bristol-Par and back on the same day. This was immediately after SD switched back to WCRC. Maybe the revised internal arrangements that Sheff alluded to will make a difference in the future next year?
     
  13. maureen

    maureen Member

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    Yes DBS has the site at St Blazey, but I wouldn't say they manage it! have you seen the rundown state of the turntable? the vacuum pumps on it don't work it takes 5 to 6 men to manually turn it around, you can only bring the engine on and off one way and the recess is full of weeds and vegetation, in fact it was so bad that some of the crew used a spade to trim down some of the stuff when they turned the 2 ACE locos, you only have to ask some of the support crew to know how bad it is, DBS have said that they have no need to use it so don't want to spend money on repairing it, it is not rumour that they don't want to go in Cornwall, they couldn't resource the extra crews that would be needed for a long trip like that, and the fact that they are not bothered about the turntable confirms it. and the same crewing difficulties applies to double heading.
     
  14. rule55

    rule55 Member

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    Thank you Maureen for confirming what I had already concluded.. ;)
     
  15. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    On the 'flexible' hours point, all I know is that when the Orient Express work with EWS/DBS was set up years ago, as I recall it one reassuring factor for the MNLPS at the time was the high degree of safeguarding in place, specifically the use of a highly skilled Traction Inspector in addition to the locomotive crews and, inter alia, the checks on working hours etc. I distinctly remember that when DBS operated one of the SD Explorer trips, the crews' hours affected one of the start days in Scotland. Inconvenient, possibly, but would you seriously want it any different given the nature of the work?

    As far as I can make out both WCR and DBS do a good job when their crews take steam out on the main line and we should be grateful for that as without them where would we be? It is also the case that Devon (and Cornwall) has been served well by both TOCs on steam charters this year. I hope that the Torbays continue into next year and by that I also include the charters from both TOCs to Kingswear.

    I sense this thread has run its course for 2014 and suggest any related debate is started up in the Steam Traction thread.
     
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  16. John Petley

    John Petley Part of the furniture

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    ....and I wish they would have another crack at the "Bath Spa Express" I gather it would have run fairly full were it not for loco availability issues 2 years back.
     

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