Fire Risk

A very clear analysis of what tour operators and engine owners now face. Diesel assistance on amber fire risk is all very well but it still relies on the judgment of the crews about the combustability of the various locations they travel through. It’s not a new problem, as a youngster I remember watching a few acres of wheat go up on my Uncle’s farm caused by a passing B1 on the March- Wisbech line. Cereal crop fires around harvest time are frightening, they will spread faster than anyone can outrun them.
All we can do is pray for rain

 

Tell me about it. I'm booked on one of the tours on Saturday and if it isn't steam then, as it is Wednesday and the day in question is Saturday, it just shouldn't run full stop.

I've had no confirmation from the tour operator that the tour isn't running as booked. Suffice to say it is the tour that isn't in the NW region and goes no where near it that I'm on.

Andrew

 

Can anyone tell me what is the scenario for Saturdays English Riviera to Devon. I imagine that with tinder dry linesides and fields this will be diesel hauled at best?

 

I would suspect it could potentially be the case, especially given 5029 did cause a lineside fire on it's last trip down in Devon so they may be hesitant to run it steam hauled given the conditions but I can't be sure.

 

I've come to think the same. It's why I made the decision to only go on railtours in the winter months, days may be shorter with less daylight but at least I know there's a steam locomotive at the head of the train.

 

Yes, I think that as well. A few years from now, steam will only be permitted to operate in Winter.

 

What do you mean by winter? I know this year is different, but in an average year I would see April, May and September as prime months for steam.

 

Give over! It earns NR money through track access and they’ll do all they can to run it. Let’s be honest this is pretty exceptional this summer. We keep hearing the words record breaking and so on!

 

Maybe going forward a reduction of railtours in peak summer months (June, July & August) might be wise, or to focus in these months on regions usually that get the most wet weather.

Something like the British Pullman could easily just run outside of these months, as long as they still run the same amount of trips as they normally would in a year, locomotive owners and company's shouldn't miss out on their income.

 

As global warming increases, the effects on our weather are impossible to predict. It's quite possible that our summers will become cooler and wetter. If the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation changes, as increasing evidence suggests is happening, NW Europe could become much colder.

 

This is one of the reasons I’ve been advocating and applying liquid fuels for the last 30 years.

 

Not end of Al! Cue a well monied owner with one of the Merchant Navy pacifics on the way back to service, to discuss the operation of oil firing with NR and if accepted and if it works, to clean up on the summer traffic. But I don't know how big those 'ifs' are though.

I've lost touch with German main line heritage steam operations, but I think the oil fired 012 pacifics were accepted for use ok in heatwaves when I was going over to enjoy 1970s type performances behind 012 100-4.

Bryan - three cylinder 012 thrash was wonderful to hear from the front coach - B

PS. And thrash it was, I was on the footplate of 012-100-4 climbing round the spiral onto the Rendsburg Kiel Kanal bridge when Volker S was using full and 45%, and kept that until a very, very rapid shut down approaching the bridge speed limit. And I think it was Tomas firing and he had to shut down the oil supply to the burners PDQ too! @gricerdon will remember when we went over that bridge in 1971 on the Nordpfeil Express and a fabulous experience from in the train.

 

How many remember that in the mid 1990s there was a ban on Mainline Steam between the end of May and the middle of August

 

Update

As above with the following changes:

Black: North West, Central and West Coast South (entire north west and central region), and Western. All ufn.

 

Thank you Will,

I wish all promoters were as forthcoming with this sort of information.

Understanding your earlier comment but for the avoidance of any doubt is the Western area effectively anything that runs from Paddington?

Thanks

Andrew

 

Accessible on NR’s website.

https://www.networkrail.co.uk/running-the-railway/our-regions/

Western is 14

 

That sucks but obviously the right move. I'll go see Tornado on the mainline when it's winter. Thank you for updating us, it makes it so much easier with planning if it's clear it won't run steam hauled.