Tornado

Yes, just seen that myself.

Quoted below:

 

Behind all the hullabaloo following the successful test run remains the issue which is at the nub of many of the supporters ire ….

The stated aim of the Trust is to Build and OPERATE an A1 Pacific. So now that the Trustees have sold the family silver to get themselves off the hook, the Trust are no longer operating her. As far as I can see, all the volunteer support crew and stewards are now denied the pleasure and reward that their years of contributions had hitherto provided.

For some (including myself ), this is akin to losing a loved one, or a long-lived family pet. So please do enjoy taking your snaps, debating the livery or riding around in those lovely Mk2’s but maybe spare a thought for those of us who until 2022 were part of a very special dream.

 

Not wishing to overstay my welcome, but…

…it was that very dream that my late grandfather signed up for, and when he passed, I signed up to help make that dream a reality. It was only a small amount per month, but hey, it was to see that new build steam locomotive get over the finish line and onto the main line.

I fear, looking from the outside in, that covenantors and supporters have been excluded for a long time on being able to contribute meaningfully to the direction of the trust, and to being able to contribute meaningfully towards the best decisions taken in the name of building and then operating Tornado.

Make no mistake - hooking up with WCRC is a good move, and Tornado will run on the mainline. It’ll be enjoyed for some years running.

It is however undoubtedly sad that both the apple green and the ability to operate the locomotive by the trusts volunteers have been effectively parked. Maybe this says something about the potential dangers of being out of steam for a few years, I know this well from my work with the MNLPS and obviously difficult decisions do have to be made.

I think we all would have liked this done differently - maybe some tough lessons have been learned.

I wish the trust well and regardless of my views on the livery change (!) - she does look good in a well applied and finished British Railways dark green.

 

I thought Mk. 2s were bloody horrible even when they were new! Those fearsomely-sprung internal sliding doors... Mk. 1 or better still, Mk. 3 please.

Still, look on the bright side - no way upon God's Earth can a P2 be anything other than Apple Green

 

According to RCTS, Nos 2001-6 all acquired wartime black prior to rebuilding to A2/2. But as for No 2007 ....????

 

Ooh, now that's interesting? I wonder...

 

And still the axes are being sharpened…..I’d have thought an operating, signed off, certified A1 on the mainline in 2025 would be cause for joy….Clearly not!

 

Interesting turn of phrase there Harry. I thought it was the grinding that sharpened the axe and not vv.......

OK I'm being a clever clogs. Sorry

Peter

 

Yup and I still wait on hearing what the preferred alternative that isn't West Coast would have been - to run on the mainline you need a train operating company and there are only a handful in the UK.
The others would have come with a lot more compromises than a coat of paint.

I will depart this thread again until the next bit of news, which should be the first steam locomotive operating on the mainline under ETCS - a monumental achievement that has huge implications beyond just Tornado. Indeed if it works as expected it should allow steam to keep operating on the big railway for another 50 - 60 years.

I might even set my alarm clock to see steam on the Cambrian for the first time in a decade and a half..

 

Sorry I was a bit tired You are of course right! Duly edited.

 

Going further down the line than the previous aborted plan.

 

And none of underlying issues have been addressed, so why should questions stop being asked?

 

I have always said that the A1 trust would have to partner with one of the main operators of steam on NR, and , I have been proved right, and that in doing so, the trust would lose a degree of independence , again, I have been proven right, On the main line the engine will be operated by, and be under West coasts safety case, so it will be west coast calling the shots, This is just a statement of fact, it's not a condemnation of anyone, for the record, and to get certain people off my back, I wish Tornado every success, I remain concerned about the longer term and how the boiler will stand up to use, and that at some point it may need to have a boiler swop, and the original boiler will need a new complete inner and outer box, restaying, etc. as per the original intension, but for now i hope it has a good trouble-free spell,
As for the people who run the trust, they messed up, made wrong decisions, and have left an impression that they are out of their depth, that is something they will need to think upon, and change is needed, and the appointing of at least one very good project manager if the trust is going to regain trust.

 

It can............but I'd better not say too much at this time...............

 

The "preferred alternative" is not necessarily not WCR, but a clear explaination as to why
1) the boiler is out of square
2) why the bodge job of turning the tyres down was attempted and what has been learned from this
3) what has happened with the new boilers
4) why were the defective cannon boxes signed off in the first place and what has been learned
5)how much "moral courage" does the trust have...?

 

Don't worry about the people on your back. It proves you are asking the right questions. If there were real answers they wouldn't need to have a go at you...

 

It's a source of joy for this old man, long may it continue.
I've got money invested in that loco. and it's nice to see my nut and bolt are still in place. I went up to see it when it was being built at Darlington, money was not a problem so I put a fiver in the collecting box.

 

No dog in the fight, but in 'operating' unless one expected them to set up as a TOC they were always going to have to use WCR or ANother, as for support crew when WCR operate other parties locomotives they retain their volunteer support crew (Bahamas being one that’s regularly mentioned on here) similarly there are several posters on here who are not WCR employees but steward on WCR operated trains?

 

But that statement needs qualification. Reading Mr Davies's remarks in the Communication Cord, there are potentially two modes of operation : Tornado hired in by WCR for their own work, Northern Belle etc, and Tornado operated by WCR for the A1 Group on trips marketed by 21st Century Steam. It remains to be seen what comes of the second strand, but that is currently the intention.

 

Tell me I'm wrong but WCRC normally only supply a driver and fireman. All the rest of the job is done by support crew and not WCRC, even with Mr. Riley's locos. If a qualified volunteer is available, I'm sure he/she will be used. Why pay when you can get free labour?