Spa Valley Railway - Latest News

I mean they still have 80078 to run the service instead. It's not like 34072 is the only loco they have to run the Polar Express...

 

Yes, of course, I have been photgraphing both locos on this service over the past few weeks. Mostly 80078 because of the unscheduled repairs needed on 34072. I have posted photos of both locos on this thread.

I was more concerned about the costs of those repairs eating into what I hope is good income from the Polar Express Company.

 

We do the repair work with volunteers.

We're having quite a day of it on Monday and Tuesday this week, the aim is to have 828 steam tested following maintenance tomorrow to get that back in service, 34072 is having its spring changed as soon as it arrives and back into service with 80078 then as the spare engine.

 

A busy day, last night saw all the engines out of service but today 34072 has had a new spring fitted and is returned to service, should run on Wednesday to Saturday. 80078 had an injector steam valve failed right at the end of service, this has now been replaced and 828 has been brought into steam for a test. So we're back at full strength again.

 

Many thanks again Jonnie. It sounds like some incredible efforts have been put in to get the Railway back to full strength. Fingers crossed all will be well for the rest of this week and then, hopefully, you can all relax for a very well deserved Christmas. Albeit, looking at your calendar, a rather short break before the Thumper service starts on 27 December. I'll probably take advantage of 34072 being back again, later this week.

 

The Class 207 DEMU is running from 27th December to 1st January and then 6th & 7th January.

Steam returns on 13th & 14th January, likely to be 34072 or 828 as 80078 is having a piston and valve exam in January.

 

A bit more info now I've had a chance to sit down!

34072's leading bogie spring was found to have cracked on Saturday evening during the post-running exam we do. We didn't have a spare spring on site but an SLL volunteer made their way to Dorset to collect one at the earliest opportunity which arrived at 14:00 today. We'd removed the broken spring by the time the new one arrived. This was duly fitted, set up and declared fit for service. 34072 was then made ready for a warming fire.

80078 had been in steam all of Saturday as a standby engine and was therefore available to operate on Sunday so the locomotive went out again and hauled the Polar Express. Upon arrival at Tunbridge Wells West one of the injector steam valves needed attention which was done first thing this morning and the locomotive was available for service once again, the loco was only unavailable for around 12hrs at most and that was only because it was 22:00 last night when we put the engine away. We're very lucky that one of the people who helps support 78's ongoing operation in preservation/generally and was heavily involved in the overhaul is also one of our engineering staff/drivers so knows the engine very well. We had a great evening out on 78 the other Thursday which was the first time we'd crewed an engine together, due to the limited number of people a several drivers have covered firing turns this last month. 80078 really is a credit to its owner and the team that maintain her and we're delighted to be able to have the engine at Tunbridge Wells West hauling some of the busiest heritage railway trains at Christmas.

828 had been put of service whilst we had 34072 and 80078 available to do some work on some of the valves in the cab, and the injectors. We had planned to lower the left hand connecting rod to inspect the big end bearing as a precaution following the right hand one needing attention in October but with luck having not been on our side we kept the engine as available for service as we could. Today the engine was warmed through and brought into steam to test the various valves that'd been worked on, everything was successful and 828 was put back into service.

828 isn't expected to operate before Christmas, it is 34072 or if that isn't available 80078 steps in but when you go from three to no working steam engines and the only two diesels we have available at present are 31430 and 33063 the pressure and stress is somewhat increased when you've an event on the scale of Polar Express to operate. We are carrying around 1,800 people a day so the next 4-days of running are the final passengers to take to the North Pole this year.

Next year doesn't have any respite as we head straight into 2024 with our trains running. Why? Well, can I afford the pay the electricity bill and all the other bills without some sort of income, the answer is no without spending the Polar money which we'd rather use towards big projects like the replacement of Broom Lane Bridge.

The Kent Cheese Train which was an idea I came up with last year has taken off somewhat and we've had to add even more trains to the 2024 calendar to the point there is nearly one every weekend until June as things stand!

 

Alot of railways need see how you chaps are doing things I feel...

How much % of the total amount of money needed for Broom Lane Bridge Replacement do you have at the moment (if your able to say).

 

I like the idea of a cheese train as long as it's better stocked than Monty Python's infamous cheese shop.

 

If I'm honest, very little as it constantly changes how we can spend our money. I could be presented with a bill for a new this or a new that or a replacement other pretty much any day of the week.

When we had the storm right before the Scottish Steam Gala in 2022 we ended up using £5k from around that time to replacement a roller shutter door that was blown apart by the wind.

2023 we eneded up having to spend unplanned on a variety of other things, one of those was a lot of things to suddenly bring the dining trains in house following the chef/company we had falling seriously ill.

 

Thank you for more very interesting and helpful information. Especially about the speed with which you sourced the spring and then repaired 34072's bogie. And also the very quick return to traffic of 80078. Whilst my prime focus will always be Bulleid pacifics, BR Class 4, 2-6-4 tanks are very close indeed to those pacifics in my interest when I'm over at your railway - with 80078 looking and sounding superb as it brings back memories of watching and photographing the class operating through Groombridge in 1962.

 

Ah! the vagaries of managing a railway, not just locomotives and rolling stock as it is often assumed

 

It isn't as exciting as locomotives but today we had a coal delivery and the day before a diesel delivery...

Oh, and the absolutely most exciting thing of all, I paid some invoices and checked over the VAT return for November which was then submitted.

 

Yes, I know.
Anyway, it seems that all is going well for these Polar Express services, are they the new Santa Specials now?
Along with these Train Of Lights services that are becoming more popular.

 

The Polar Express is popular with the film, right now people who were children in 2004 at at a time of their lives where they're having families so it is probably in a golden period for the experience but if too many places do it then the market gets saturated and there isn't any point. There are clauses in the contracts relating to things like that to stop it though.

Something that is not always talked about is just how many railways do similar things and everyone jumping on and doing the same doesn't always help our cause. It is the same with other local attractions or places though, why would you pay for a train ride if you could go to the local shopping centre to see Peppa Pig for example.

 

Time to be making hay while the sun shines!

Sent from my SM-A526B using Tapatalk

 

True, but both Embsay and Wensleydale are doing Polar Express rides this year and appear to be highly successful; both would hope to attract families from the Leeds/Bradford area though Wensleydale potentially has more appeal to those in York and up towards Middlesbrough/Teeside too.

 

I hear the Bacon Sandwiches are wonderful at Peppa Pig World

 

Especially with crackling from the greased piglet...

 

I very much hope that Spa Valley Railway can continue to run successful Polar Expresses, and that the contract with the Polar Express Company means there is good net income for the Railway. The Railway seems to be in an excellent catchment area with Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells in the immediate vicinity and along with Maidstone and even the Medway Valley not far away. A very, very large number of potential pyjama clad families to board the express! And, I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong (it is Nat Pres after all!), I can't see that catchment area having another Polar Express suitable heritage railway so well placed.

I was across again today, 34072 was back in service, it was dull and damp so ideal for no worries about trying to shoot into the sun or even bright light, and plenty of clag around. And I have sorted some photo spots from the roadside where, with the right lens, I can just about get clear/almost clear shots of this lovely Bulleid pacific as it heads back to 75 F.