Main Line Steam - Possible ramifications of the WCRC suspension

You are Ronnie Barker (or Gerald Wiley) and I claim by £5 (large white notes only accepted as payment!)

Steven

 

i can give you that James & Tom in my short story below - enjoy! ((Mods we need a little sunny south story to lighten the mood ?))

http://locoyard.com/2014/07/30/atlantic-coast-express/

my tale also can be read here http://www.atlantic-coast-express.co.uk/ace-2/ace-6

 

I await contact from them then. Which will be the first contact we have had from them since the saga begun.

Unlike the other affected tour we were booked on with another operator. They e-mailed us the day of the suspension advising they expected our trip to be affected, and would contact us after Easter with more details which they duly did (we can't make the re-arranged date due to it being the week before a another trip of theirs we are booked on). SD have yet to tell us as passengers that there was a possibility of a problem, and If I hadn't had my ear to the ground here and elsewhere would have known nothing until the contact from them comes through. Too late to cancel my leave I took though.

 

This link seems to suggest NR are in consultation over WCRC's Jacobite operations. Can anyone with knowledge of the processes clarify, please. This is taken from a FB posting.

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse...Jacobite' - Section 18 - Closes 29 April 2015

 

It looks routine, in that West Coast's previous S18 track access contract was for 5 years ending last autumn: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse documents/track access/2 completed consultations/2010/2010.03.26 west coast railway (the jacobite) track access contract - consultation closed 23 april 2010/s18 jacobite 2010.pdf

 

Yes, I do remember the Ronnie Barker Sketch. That was brilliant!

 

Thanks for that.

John

 

Most of Tony Streeter's "Down Main" column in Steam Railway issue 440 (which hit my doormat this morning) discusses the implications of the WCRC's suspension. It's rather out-of-date, of course, since the magazine closed for press on Wed 15th, apparently before WCRC handed in their response to NR and RTC sent their first e-mail to GB8 passengers, and certainly before ORR started the official consultation on revoking WCR's licence.

There is one piece of "news" in there, though - a quote from Peter Greenwood of the Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust. When asked if the trust is considering starting its own TOC, he said "That's not going to happen, certainly in the short term. Our honest position is that we hope West Coast can continue. We realise that there are hurdles to overcome, but we are absolutely not talking to David Smith about buying West Coast, and we're not looking to start our own TOC."

 

That seems fair enough. Also, and despite my speculation about the ramifications of WCRC's licence not being renewed for some of the Bulleid fleet on another thread, LSL are right not to pre-judge the situation. However, some head-scratching will probably have to be done at some point to ensure each locomotive is earning its keep and not being a complete drain on JH's finances. It has to be said that it is more of a 'never say never' statement than a complete refutal, so we'll have to wait and see what the longer-term brings.

 

Some of us are rather showing our age.

Me included! LOL.

 

the point i was trying to make was that LSL's locos are already on DBS's books and so would not have to do any extra work to meet their standards, yes i am well aware that DBS have a limited number of steam trained crews

 

It's all very well saying LSL's locos are registered with both WCRC and DBS, but that's not much use with them all languishing in the shed at Crewe in various states of overhaul!

I do not claim an acquaintance with JH, but I can only imagine his level of frustration to have purchased so many mainline locos and not having a single one running!

 

The Brit at Swanage & the A4 at Ropley did look lovely in the sun last weekend.... are you sure none of his engines are currently running? (Not sure if Raveningham Hall or the Western tank were in steam last weekend??).

 

Apologies... re-phrase that - I do not claim an acquaintance with JH, but I can only imagine his level of frustration to have purchased so many mainline locos and only having one running!

The A4 is off the mainline for 2015 (as per the LSL website).

 

Lets not forget that 'JH' isn't the only person who currently has a large collection of unemployed ML Steam locomotives... And please, lets not have another Air v Vac Brake debate - its only a EWS/DBS policy not a Steam Driver issues as most of the (older) drivers worked with both systems during their career! Finally, I can't think of many occasions WCRC haven't been able to rescue their own failed trains, eventually...

 

Did no one pick up on the snippet that WCRC may be talking to First Class Partnerships with a view to them assisting in achieving compliance? Has to be good news if true.

 

Perhaps that's why he bought the shed at Crewe.

 

All very well having the shed, and the money, but he will need a lot of people who know what they're doing to fix what he has lying around........
Money doesn't seem to have finished royal scot very quickly? 6 years to put it right this year?