Flying Scotsman

Painful listening IMHO...

Didn't really give any real answers regarding Main Line running...



Sarah Price - "I might not be here in 2029..." - Going by the NRM's employment record, probably never a truer word spoken!!!

 

Oh ye of little faith - none of us might be here in 2029, I think Sarah's only saying you never know what's going to happen. I mean, we might not have main line steam at all by 2029.

 

In God we trust. Everyone else needs to provide evidence...

 

The way things in the greater picture are going, a human extinction event might not be unwelcome

 

What size though is DB's steam crew pool now? and what's their route knowledge, judging by the British Pulman, Workings, it's going to be limited to those set routes, unless they train up more drivers, or extend route knowledge, possibly using conductor drivers etc? them you have the RA of Scotsman, Will it fit the present routes, for example would it fit round the surrey hills and Kent route?

 

In the Marchington era, Scotsman regularly worked the Surrey Hills circuit. Mind you, that's no guarantee she will still fit - look at the shenanigans with 31806 on the Dorset Coast route, last year (or was it 2023?) for example. As for Kent, Steam Dreams amazed us all by running 60103 to Canterbury in March 2022. Popular wisdom said she wouldn't fit, but she did, albeit not the same route as 35028 took with the pullmans last Thursday. If I remember correctly, it was Victoria- Redhill- Ashford- Canterbury West - Martin Mill-Dover- Ashford and back via Redhill.

 

Scotsman has worked the Surrey Hills circuit in recent years but with speed restrictions in place in several places. For example she was/is a tight fit at Worplesdon and had to slow to walking pace through the platforms as can be seen in my videos below:




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DB staff drive freight trains when not driving steam, so route knowledge will be pretty good. I don't think they have a huge pool of drivers now, but in an interview with Steam Railway a while back their charter boss did state they wished to expand this side of the business - Flying Scotsman therefore presents a good opportunity.
Stock availability is the biggest issue, however, Eastern Rail Services is putting together a CDL fitted charter rake which will be available for hire.

 

So that will be Mk 2's or Mk3's from their website. And as @Big Al have told us a number of times DB apparently prefer the diesel behind the steam loco.. So if folks seem to hate the WCRC offering guess they would hate this even more.

 

DB generally dislike diesels full stop and prefer generator cars, not seen a diesel behind Clan Line!!

 

There are three scenarios where you will see a diesel with Clan Line, if the generator car is out of action and during leaf fall season, in both cases it will be on the back. The third is during high fire risk when it’s normally coupled behind the steam. For other TOCs I don’t know but I assume a risk assessment is carried out on the likelihood of anything going wrong. Bahamas is with Vintage Trains going over Shap and the S&C at the end of March with no diesel as far as I know.

 

From what I've heard, there is zero chance of that happening! Give them a chance - I don't think the delay in getting this new setup sorted is entirely of their making...

 

I think you would need to explain that logic a little more. How can it not be of their making having won the contract.

 

There are usually at least two parties to any contract.

 

Indeed but 41 years in Procurement I tend to see contractual issues very much in black & white.
So if I am the Science Museum buyer and my contract with NSS does not provide for them to have a mainline TOC (assuming the NRM want it on the mainline) then I have done a pretty crap job. Because if it is not a full support contract it just gives mammoth opportunity to try to shift blame when things go wrong, as they will at some point.
If it is a full support contract then it has been awarded without all the facilities in place, which begs the question why was it signed.
Even if a TOC was in place and has pulled out, that is till not a buyer issue it is a supplier issue.

But we have no right to know what the contract says, and to me with little interest in this loco I find the contractual issues far more engaging.
Others may say just get a life

 

That may be true in principle, but when you have a transition between suppliers, it can get messier. And it is what is in the contract that will ultimately define whether something is a "buyer" or "supplier" issue

 

That's the nub of it!

 

Not entirely accurate. She said main line running is still very much part of the plan, that they are working on potential options for the second half of the year, that she would prefer to see it do shorter trips such as York - Scarborough so they’re more accessible to the average person than a full day trip, and finally that they plan to withdraw it in 29 when its mainline certification expires so they can overhaul it for another stint on the mainline, rather than run it exclusively at Heritage lines for 3 years.
I’d say that at the very least it confirms a definite future based around mainline running as well as Heritage railways.

 

The agreement may say that the engine will be overhauled in 2029, but, nothings certain, does Northern steam have the experience, and facilities to carry out a full overhaul, and more important will it be able to afford to? The Science Museum group gave the contract to operate, and overhaul the engine to a firm that before was not very well known, with no ties to an already operating TOC at the time, and its telling that the one that knew the engine best, have said they won't be operating it, because of Northern steams lack of experience,

 

It would be fascinating to know who else bid. I don’t think there is a big list of potential providers to the NRM and I know that some who were canvassed about bidding in the past declined. It’s a very high profile locomotive to look after. The opportunity to get the price wrong is tremendous when dealing with something so old, and which has had some problems.