Tornado

I don’t buy this no dog in fight nonsense that some people come out with. As I keep reminding people who donate to the loco I’m heavily involved with, £1 is just as good as £1000, because it all helps.

You’ll claim I have no dog in the fight, probably because you have donated many many more pounds than myself. I have donated to Tornado, infact I’ve lost count of the number of groups I’ve made a donation to. Largely this is through a purchase from their shop/or sales stands, etc which although many don’t want to believe it is still a donation. I generally purchase things like polo shirts that I can then wear on the MPD at the SVR and so on. And those purchases are still as good as a standard donation.

The fact is if you’ve stuck £1 in the pot, you’ve just as much right to comment, as anyone. Those who’ve stuck £1000’s in have no more right to comment because that’s not how it works. Were is shares, and each share got a vote, then yes £1000 would be worth more sway than a £1. But it’s not. And those who claim it is are just showing a sense of entitlement that isn’t there.

 

Are you still here? Clearly you have no business moral compass or concept of ethics.

 

I sincerely hope not. The thought of the A1 and especially the P2 ending up in Hosking's grasp especially fills me with both dread and anger.

The situation we now appear to be in reminds me of a phrase Margaret Thatcher used nearly forty years ago to describe the television industry at that time: "a cosy duopoly".

However - I haven't seen 60007 on the main line since it was in NE black!

 

So can we assume you’d rather the A1 didn’t run, and was stuffed and mounted, rather than end up working for LSL? Or WCR?

 

A couple of points. Firstly, especially if there is no formal membership structure, those who've donated over the years do have a position to comment. That's not about amount - from my own fundraising involvement, I'm well aware of how important the widow's mite is - but about commitment.

Second, a purchase is not the same as a donation. If you're a taxpayer, you can't Gift Aid it, while that £10 you give is actually only worth a deal less to the organisation, given the costs of stock.

 

I have principles. You should try them some time.

 

My point was that the statement contained enough genuine reasons for cancelling the trip and therefore there was no need for others on here to dream up new ones. It was not a defence of the Trust's business sense which continues to be bewildering..

 

Tornado has a smaller but similar "Flying Scotsman" effect on the general public because of the press coverage of the new build an launch and things like Top Gear.
Yes Blue Peter may look identical to the general public but it will never have that "mystical thing" that the public seem to have as a view of it and FS.
I am not great fan of any of the locos I have mentioned but it is far more likely you will stand on a bridge waiting to photograph a tour and someone will say are you waiting for FS, or maybe even Tornado. I would be majorly surprised if some random dog walker said are you waiting for Blue Peter, which when all said and done, however great it looks and the money spent on it is just another restored steam loco.

 

No coach stewards required really, the train isn't in passenger service so the Guard can just ensure the budget locks are on the coaches and internal locks on the Pullman vehicles.

 

But At the end of the day, Tornado has to have a main line partner, and that would mean most likely one, or both of the two main players, You of course have your own views on the personalities, and possible politics of the people who own these companies, but that should not affect any business dealings, The A1 trust does not have its own steam safety case, or access to stock,
This whole overhaul seems to have been affected by a lack of anyone with any oversite, at every stage, and that's my main gripe, mistake following mishap, timescales, where not achievable even if everything went smoothly, and everything fitted and was ready on time, the boiler problem, should have never happened, once the decision was made to overhaul , instead of replace, then where was the project engineering inspector to ensure there would be no hidden problems, IMHO,work should have stopped when the first tube issue came to light, the boiler returned to Germany , and laid aside, and a full independent assessment carried out on the work done, those who were in positions of influence, should have resigned, because the buck should have stopped with them, the new redesigned boiler finished and installed in tornado, it was, at the time said to be just months away, was this another lie?

 

One thing has occurred to me regarding communications with the public, donors/enthusiasts and the A1SLT and that is "what happened to the roadshows?". Sure, Covid put the tin hat on them but four years on it's nowhere near the menace it was (although one venue is now used for housing asylum seekers so is out of bounds). I used to enjoy those roadshows: it was a good opportunity to meet the "top table" and discuss things with them, even if it did get expensive - Mandy Grant especially was damned good at getting money out of me

Messrs. Allatt and Elliott are a difficult act to follow though.

 

That is the very essence of the situation facing the Trust. A1SLT has lost that which made it so special.

 

I imagine Vintage Trains are not best pleased with the A1 Steam Trust after gearing up to operate the Ribblehead Rambler on three dates, finally to have the trip cancelled altogether.

I was booked on the trip, which was to have been my first with Tornado. One of the attractions of the Ribblehead Rambler was that the original date in June meant that there would be daylight well into the evening. If they do eventually reschedule it, no doubt it will be in the depths of winter when most of the return journey will be in the dark, something I don’t find very appealing.

I think the refund will now end up being spent with another promoter on a tour that is likely to run, has carriages with opening windows, and where there is a significant mileage without any diesel involvement. In reality, this is likely to be with Vintage Trains – I am already booked on The Mayflower and much looking forward to it.

Nick M.

 

I believe the A1SLT have said that this is a concern and so it won't be undertaken in winter.

 

I agree, how will it run to the volume required without LSL/WCR is beyond me.

Ultismtely this is very much akin to the Erlestoke Manor story with SVR/WSR….It has to go where the work can be provided to pay the fees needed. It might not always be popular with some people, but if it didn’t go, it wouldn’t steam for long. Tornado is in a very similar patch, and I’d hedge my bets that it will find the work it needs no matter how popular it with its support.