S&C Pathfinder Charter - Aug 2018: Now 16/3/19 and with 60163

What a nice photo.

 

Thanks Alan.

 

Not sure if this year 'A1 condition' was the best metaphor Victor could have used. Anyway best wishes to the A1ST for Tornado's repair and let's hope the A1 is back with us soon.

 

I will replace A1 with.............top class condition.

 

Total respect and admiration for the owner/support crew for responding to the call, my question was more directed at the organisers for seeking such help in the first place given the other assertions about tight margins and need to keep costs down. If its unaffordable to give part refunds how is it cost effective to use 60009 in such a way? If Mr Cameron and DBC waived their charges, I can see it being viable and respect to them if so.

 

want it clean? send for the 'master neverers'

 

A true blast from the past.

 

I had to chuckle that the only post about the DCE last week mentioned the dirty loco looking nothing like the brochure. No mention of the fact it was not actually working.
Of course depends what you like, even as a Bulleid fan a dirty A4 is better than a gleaming Clan Line. Just my choice (grabs his coat as he runs for the door!)

 

or on second thoughts, a 52A shedplate

 

When I first started trainspotting on the ECML at Longhirst in Northumberland and about every other weekend that summer on Newcastle Central and at Gateshead shed, it was a couple of months before I realised that v2s were actually green, although I'd seen quite a few by that time. We were on the platform at Newcastle and a cleanish V2 rolled in. Green paint and orange and black lining. Who'd have thought!

 

I would be not far away at Plessey Checks crossing seeing Miles Beevor etc in No 9 condition

 

Probably scope for a new thread here.
The same was true in the north west. Apart from 70013 which was always clean(ish) after it's last Crewe works visit the cleanest loco I remember was a gleaming 45632 Tonga at Latchford. Could read the nameplate from a good 50 yards away.
Brdatabase refers to it being seen in Crewe in 1962 and reallocated to Stockport at the end of July that year so I guess that's a memory from 1962 (when I was 7 - and my eyes were better too) !

 

It was also true in west London, where in 1962, (I was 12) having read newspaper flyers heralding the end of steam, I sat on the footbridge at Drayton Green all night to see how many diesels were about, 3 I recall, still plenty steam, all black, so I thought, until the year I was finally allowed to walk to front of train for a look at the loco, as we boarded at Kings + for the yearly trip to Edinburgh Waverly, what a surprise, a green loco, the next year, it was a red loco under the grime, mind you, in 1958, somewhere on route to Edinburgh, Grantham I think, saw a Garret with a rake of 16 ton mineral wagons full of coal, the only one I ever saw, until some appeared in museums many years later. memories.

 

Well now less than 4 weeks to GE2. The weather in my bit of the NW has become more normal, since GE1 we have had some rain on all but 3 days and more light rain forecast in the next 3/4 days so fire risk assistance should not be required. Tornado is looking a non starter so what is going on the front? Or should Pathfinder postpone until Tornado is available or simply give up and cancel? There were plenty of opinions in the run up to GE1 so what do you think should happen? And no waiting until 4 days before or 1 day after.

I would like to see it run, if possible with DoS or if not available then possibly 60009 - but I was hoping for 60009 on The Auld Reekie.

 

The tour appears to have disappeared from Pathfinder's website. Has it been cancelled?

 

That's the classic sign unfortunately.

 

Agree with that.

 

Time for a sensible update from the A1slt and not the "we hope to start testing next week" we have had for the last month or so. They need either a reliable completion date or to remove it from all booked operations until it has completed it's loaded test run.

 

More than half expected No.9 to substitute as its in a rare quiet period for it on the mainline, unless of course its maintenance time for the A4.