Ribble steam railway

Well Normally i dont write things about my visits places but today i visited one of my local railways

The Ribble Steam Railway whilst Only short has to be one fo the Up and coming lines, Still used at least once a week for bitumen traffic With a large collection of locomotives on display in the museum all with descriptive boards laid out.

the Workshop complete with large gantry crane, has to have the largest collection of under overhaul locos outside of a major engineering firm I think there where at least 6 under restoration or overhaul/repair.

the staff are so freindly and willing to bend over backwards to help you too somethign the larger lines sometimes fail with.

Its a line thats going somewhere !

 

The Museum holds a variety of locomotives, there is a display on the history of Preston docks and its Railway. It’s a great fun visiting there.

 

Sadly, the planned visit of Tornado has been cancelled at the last moment.

* Tornado Cancelled (Updated 17/05)

 

I gather they were offered 48151 as a replacement and turned it down... Not as glamorous perhaps, but it would have been nice to see 'proper' steam on the line!

Instead, the usual suspects will be out on the line in an 'anything goes' weekend according to their website.

 

Preservation's Dinosaurs?

Given that the Stanier 8F 2-8-0 was indigenous to the area for a good many years and, although far from a common sight, examples from Lostock Hall shed are on record as, at times, having gone down that tortuous 1 in 29 into the Docks' reception sidings, for me the sight of 48151 would have been a far more attractive proposition than anything else other than, perhaps, a Super D !!

Oh, why, WHY on earth did the RSR board decline such an offer? An authentic ex-BR locomotive ... already sitting almost on their doorstep ... and, correct me if I'm wrong here, but this would probably also have produced the first occasion upon which 48151 would have worked services on a preserved railway!

Apart from the fact that it would also have produced the first steam to have worked down the branch in over 45 years, the sheer rarity value of its presence would have had the punters absolutely queuing to ride!

Okay, again I’m merely speculating here, what would it have cost to put on the event? … Around £7-8k tops, I would guess, but that expense would have been almost the same irrespective of which main-line engine had been booked.

Furthermore, I don’t accept at all the feeble excuse currently being proffered on the RSR website that there is a nation-wide shortage of steam motive power for hire. If the ‘will’ had been there, it could all have happened. I am afraid that the “Anything Goes” substitute offering … that now appears to be the alternative (with the same old regular ex-industrial steam AND two diesels as well) certainly does not cut-the-mustard for me and, I strongly suspect, for most others too! I, for one, won't be there.

Even more amazingly, as ‘Tornado’ is now ‘out-of-the-frame’ (as a consequence of issues that really should have been clarified by the RSR management months ago), the date could have been re-scheduled to occur a little later in the summer and at a time when the potential would have been immensely more lucrative. Just think of the publicity value, for example,that such a spectacle would have created in this year that will soon see all roads leading into the city-centre (less than a mile distant) becoming grid-locked with traffic heading towards the world-famous Preston Guild celebrations.

Yet another ‘lost opportunity’ and one that the Ribble Steam Railway seems to be creating a reputation for! Forgive me, therefore, for concluding that it is indeed a great pity that the corporate attitudeof a handful of dinosaurs appears intent upon consigning this interesting little line into yet another of preservation’s forgotten backwaters!

 

Re: Preservation's Dinosaurs?

I think the point of having Tornado was that it is a celebrity loco that attract lots of non railway people milling about at the guild. Most people don't know or care what an 8f is, let alone that 48151 doesn't appear on preserved railways. Whereas Tornado "is that train off Top Gear". I doubt many enthusiasts would come out to see it trundle up 1 1/2 miles of largely flat branch line when you can see it thundering about on the mainline either. The novelty value of it running over the swing bridge is nice but it's not really a heritage scene.

The line does need to make its presence felt a bit more. I suspect it suffers from being tucked away at the far end of the docks. A station on strand road or more pie in the sky reversing into the old platform 1 in Preston station would certainly improve things. More so than blowing a load of money hiring in some ex-BR rubbish.

 

What's this? Have a go at Ribby week? I was there ten days ago just after the disappointing news broke. I would be interested to know if the offer of 48151 was fact or rumour. What I do know is that Tornado was booked around a year ago yet its representatives only made a site visit in the last few weeks and cancelled the visit a few days later. This was totally outside RSR's control and I believe it has cost them a lot in wasted advertising and Tornado souvenirs. As regards the snide comments about "dinosaurs", I have known some of these guys since the 70's - some were on the board of Steamport( RSR's forerunner) with me and a lesser group would not achieved the commercial success that Ribby has become. Instead of moaning about the lack of "proper" engines (most passengers don't care) and the lack of a Strand Rd. station ( which is in the long term plan) why not go along and support the "Anything goes " event. Maybe D800 would like to tell us what his grudge is and what preservation project he is actively involved in. I'm not hiding behind a pseudonym. Regards Ray Hulock

 

Re: Preservation's Dinosaurs?

The problem with that statement is that Tornado was scheduled to visit Preston this week (late May), whereas the Guild festivities actually only take place between 31 August and 9 September. Clearly, during the current week, there will be few people "milling about" in the Preston locality, irrespective of whether "the train off Top Gear" is in the area or not, or even whether the RSR is running trains at all! Certainly the alternative total apology of an event, that is now advertised, has the potential to solicit few takers.

Admittedly, the dates for Tornado's visit were never ideal, but, as had previously been clearly explained in the railway press, those were the only ones free in the locomotive's otherwise very hectic 2012 schedule.

My understanding of the reasons behind its non-appearance is the fact that there are curves on the Ribble branch of down to 5 chains radius, whereas, like most large pacifics, the A1 is not permitted to work today over trackwork of less than 8 chains radius - for fear of derailment. (I believe similar problems were experienced on the Nene Valley line during Tornado's visit there a few weeks ago.) I am forced to conclude by adding to that my view that I find it amazing that, despite the booking for the visit having been made many months ago, the Railway's own management failed to check out this fact until the very last moment - AND particularly after all the publicity that had been created!

The "novelty value" would really have made its impact, had 60163 headed the bitumen tanker train along the branch (as was planned), producing its very first ever appearance at the head of a regular scheduled freight working. Lots of 'parasites' around with cameras, for sure, but where my own view is at variance with that of "meee" is in that I would have felt fairly confident that passenger workings would also have attracted numerous enthusiasts seriously intent upon travelling.

I believe that, in the longer term, some sort of platform is ultimated planned for the Strand Road end of the line (nearest the city centre). Let's but hope that this can be put in place before the Guild week!

Although it has been suggested many times by many people, working up the 1 in 29 to Preston station would present far too many operational difficulties and is unlikely ever to be sanctioned - even if the tracks were totally segregated from NR. Futhermore, if past experience is anything to go by, whilst in no way intentionally having a snide dig at anyone at all, I sincerely doubt that the RSR board currently has any member with the calibre to really make that 'work'!

In describing the various options of hired-in motive power as "ex-BR rubbish", I fear that "meee" really does reveal his true colours and I can only speculate at his motives! Certainly, he appears to adopt a very blinkered approach in many of his reactions. If managed correctly any big main-line loco attracts immense publicity wherever it appears and there certainly is truth in the idiom that you "have to spend money to make money"! A missed opportunity, for sure!