Royal Duchy 2018

We did find out that no coal had been ordered. St Blazey Depot has easy road access and never been a problem for getting coal 'half way' on the route for the 20 years or years that trains have run to Par. Unlike you we do get our facts right before posting.

 

Agreed but in certain quarters only LSL has been identified as the"guilty" party before any wider facts are known. Not good practice.
Who knows why the coal wasn't where it should have been and who was involved in its procurement or whether a different supplier than other Duchy's was used?
As the saying goes success has many fathers while failure is an orphan .....

 

Question for our Southern Doyens, Big Al and Don:

Do you think a rebuilt West Country could run the 238 miles from Taunton to Par and back with a reasonable safety margin for possible delays etc. on a tender full of coal?

 

How did you obtain the information that no coal had been ordered? Or rather, what is your source if LSL, whom you believe responsible, were uncommunicative?

 

Having done many of the Duchys RTC have run, LSL engines haven't been booked for many, of them, 6 to me recollection. The best 2 by a country mile were their first 2:

29th September 2013 with Braunton; and
6th September 2015 with Britannia.

interestingly both were 'full Duchys'; Bristol-Par and return and to my recollection took on coal at St Blazey.

They seem to have jinxed themselves with the truncated Taunton-Par versions: 1 trouble free, the Scot's first run on 30th July last; 2 have run short of coal; and 1 was a no show.

Its called face to face contact with WCR personnel and the support crew on their POB. You should try it sometime.

 

Are you not feeling well?

 

With all due respect, though, that's just hearsay. At the moment there are conflicting reports over whether it was a failure to order or a failure in delivery. The confirmation of which can only be given from the 'person' responsible.
You seem to imply it was a conscious decision not to have coal because of the Taunton start/finish steam leg rather than Bristol. How could that be unilaterally the loco owners decision?
Hope you are as forthright with any apology should it prove appropriate.

 

.

 

RTT now showing that Braunton is on the move - due to arrive at Bishops Lydeard at 1451

 

Did those expecting something as important as a coal delivery to turn up at Par not have concrete verification in good time that it was going to do so for Braunton's servicing at Par ? & if not WHY ?
Perhaps someone with that reponsibilty could explain to this & other RTC onboard customers what went wrong & what will prevent it happening again on say 16th September................... ?

 

Fair play to you for admitting your errors and hopefully a useful lesson in verifying facts/source/evidence. Maybe you could take the coal supplier to task now?

 

Heres my video of an eventful day with the Royal Duchy.
Braunton is seen at Whiteball,Langford Bridge and Treboul. 37668 is seen light engine at Dawlish and storming through Tiverton Parkway on the return.

 

It seems to have been established that was in fact the planned arrangement but for some reason the delivery was not effected. It is a curious set of coincidences that LSL seem to have been uniquely blighted by coal problems on the Duchy's, I wonder if they use a different supplier than other owners?

 

Icons of Steam/LSL have published this regarding Sunday’s Duchy on Facebook.



James

 

"We encountered logistical problems"

That ranges from "No-one knows what happened", through "we ordered it it but it never showed" to "we forgot to get some" .

I doubt anyone outside the operation will ever find out the verifiable truth, lessons will be learned, and it (or something very similar) will happen again. When you run stuff thats outside the norm, it always will.

 

Not exactly the brightest either, Screenshots of said posts could be winging their way to employers,
No good being freelance if no one wants to use you is there.
Heres some free advice for you , engage your brain before speaking cause after last night you look like an idiot,

 

well those screenshots have done you no good wonder how steam railway etc are gonna react to them

 

Steam Railway will approve of sensationalised opinion. That’s all they do themselves!

 

Very true although from @1020Shireman it sounds as though "WCR Staff" were quick to pedal the "not ordered" line. Blockbusting conspiracy theory incoming sometime soon from supasoaraway sensationalist journo ....... ?