CME 2023

The water supply consists of a couple of big plastic containers up on the hill and a pipe running down to the delivery pipe. It is quite possible that following around a week of very cold weather, despite the "warmer" day they remained frozen. On the Friday afternoon before the trip I went for a walk (in Darwen about 30 miles from Hellifield) and was surprised to find that some puddles remained frozen with no signs of thawing.

 

A view I fully endorse as if I was flying somewhere on BA I would not expect a Swissport baggage loader to come up and tell the passengers why the bags were late being loaded, or a Gate Gourmet employee to announce why the catering was late to the aircraft. That is all down to who you are contracted with.

The other thing to remember these days is that by and large the modern railway is highly risk averse. I am unsure if that is NR driven or not. But if you read any of the forums related to the day to day operation the answer to most issues appears to be cancellation or bustitution, at least the train did run.

 

Yes, the modern railway is risk averse. Been there and done that for both timetabling and possession planning for some years before taking retirement. One worthwhile outcome which took 10 years to mature, was the Train Planning Rules. These document headways, junction margins, platform lengths and many other aspects of putting a timetable or just a single train together. If used properly the TPR together with timetabling software gives consistent planning outcomes. It's all on line - hidden in plain sight. All much more consistent than asking around the office or even asking signalmen how quickly certain moves could be made.

The risk averse attitude is not so much at the behest of Network Rail as the Delay Attribution repayment system which has reduced initiative. That can be traced back to the whole divide and rule scenario of railway privatisation. Quite a number of people are employed dispute incidents and minutes delay to another organisation. That applies within NR operating and engineering functions, Passenger Operators, Freight Operators and charter TOC's including WCR, LSL, ROG and DB Cargo. Then of course it comes down to how an incident is reported. Did the train lose time because it was steam hauled or planned with the wrong timing load, or poor adhesion which affected a previous train, trespass or a temporary speed restriction. The trouble is the first report of an incident on the control log is very difficult to disprove. That's where the ball aching research starts to dispute a delay!

Cheers, Neil

PS I have almost given up on the modern scene forums. On here there are people who either have first hand experience or have learnt what happens outside.

 

Another way of minimising risk is repeat itenary, using a schedule that works - time and time again. I believe the CME is now a protected path for use by West Coast whenever it is needed and has been used by unaided steam numerous times without causing issues to other users. Once again, if something abnormal was happening on Saturday then let the passengers know.

 

That was the first use on a new path from Euston, although the steam section was as before. Looks like Avanti now have as service from Euston at 07:10 to New Street. So a path that is protected until it is not.

 

Whatever Kelly says the final say isn’t down to her. She and her staff always tell me what is planned and is to the best of their belief. JS is closest to the action but even he may not know until the day of the tour

 

Thanks. The way privatization developed has been a complete mess. Commercial incentive has almost gone in the regular passenger business the and the absurd fragmentation means that there is no real railway lobby anymore to stand up to the H&S zealots.

 

Pretty sure I’m wrong but 90 percent of the passengers on any tour don’t give a monkeys about what’s on the front or back although I could be wrong. All I know is in the modern age we are blessed with steam tours be it pushed or not .

 

Yes we are. (Blessed)

I also think that some of the “gripes” might have been considered as “adventures” if the posters were still in their 20’s!

 

I think you are wrong. On the Belmond virtually none of the passengers are railway enthusiasts but they pay a premium for the steam hauled tours. Back at Victoria the support crew have to do a Clark Kent transformation and ditch the overalls for collar and tie as many of them come up front and are very interested to look at the engine and talk to us about it.

 

John, if I may clarify what I think @sgthompson is getting at, it is that the passengers do care about what is on the front and are usually curious about it. What they do not "give a monkeys about" is how it is driven or how it performs. If it makes the right noises and they see steam wafting past the windows their expectations are met and they are quite happy. He is right though about the fact that they "dont give a monkeys" about what is on the back.

Peter

 

I didn’t read it like that but I may be wrong

 

Gentlemen, is it not time this subject was put to rest because it is getting as boring as listening to the Ginger whinger and his Missus from across the pond!!

 

Here we have a couple of shot that I didn't use in my original upload of the 1st WCME on the 21st January with 44932 tnt 47802.

 

But Al if something goes bang on your car at Goodwood, your not exactly holding anyone up except people who have paid to be there, it really won’t affect anyone apart from those at the track.

If something goes bang for whatever reason out on the big railway how many people do you inconvenience and for how far do those ripples spread?

 

And what costs are incurred - to be paid by the tour organiser IIRC !

 

Thats a very different thing. Closer to the mark might be sticking a bunch of people on an old London double decker bus with an incorrect engine and see who gives a s**t!

 

I think this is a too polarised view. In dining there are travellers such as me who are tracking performance and keeping an eye on other traffic, and others clueless about it all. However, the largest number occupy positions in between. I have often been asked by other nearby travellers to explain what is happening once they realise I am tracking progress.