North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion

Well, it is the 7th April today, so I wonder if work as started on the scaffolding?

 

I’m somewhat perturbed by the mention of a number of moving parts.
I’d rather hoped that the number of these would be zero……

 

I really hope the railway can fully re open soon.

But the timescale shown, to have trains running over the bridge by the start of May, seems unrealistic to me. Given the work involved, testing afterwards etc. Half the contractors are likely on Easter break at the moment!

Happy to be proved wrong. But I'm not sure who is kidding who...

 

You Northern Monkeys need to get realistic about London Costs, this is the venue https://www.thebrewery.co.uk/gallery/.
The companies shortlisted in category alongside the NYMR are Clarksons,a Global Shipping Agency and UK Flight networks an internet agency with 40 million customers specialising in flights to Thailand. there don't seem to be any other heritage railways for some reason.

 

So the NYMR have actually paying to attend a piss-up in a Brewery? Well if you can’t organise one, I guess contracting it out has a certain degree of logic?

 

The NYMR are trying to snatch the Gold award from the current holders in their category, "Transpennine Express" (who I think have been privatised for about 3 years).

 

The parallels are remarkable. Cancelled trains, changing timetables, failure to reach the end of the line, obsessed with marketing, extortionate fares etc.

Throw in overpaid management who know sod all about trains and the trophy is in the bag.

 

I do find it mildly amusing that people seem to expect a Heritage Line (albeit one of the largest) to deliver a project in accordance with the first plan when our national infrastructure company are unable to do so with boring regularity.
Of course the NR logo is on many of the drawing attached to the Planning Application.
Should all go spiffingly then.

 

I have no expectation of a project like this going perfectly to plan. On the contrary, my low expectations mean that I regard the setting of hard deadlines as amplifying the risk to the railway, and undermining the railway's credibility as dates move while the plan is worked on.

The problem is not actually the plan or lack of a plan, but the reluctance to be open and honest about the risk inherent in this while detailed plans are worked on, and contracts let. There was, back in January, a window of opportunity to say "we intend to reopen as soon as possible, depending on the precise work required and the ability of contractors to do it". Once hard dates had been set, the plan was then undermined.

 

Just how exactly is the ‘winner’ of this prestigious award selected ?

 

Something tells me there isn't much competition - and if any category looks a bit crowded with entrants, well you just invent a new one! My hunch is no-one goes away from such awards ceremonies empty-handed.

Tom

 

You are right in the real world of course. But can you think of the vitriol that would have been on here if they had actually done that?

 

I think you can go back further to be honest. My issue is that it was well known about that Bridge 42 was going to need work imminently yet nothing seems to have actually been done to plan or prepare for it until the full closure that seemingly took the entire management structure by surprise. Whilst the amount of work and maybe the type of work changed, you'd think there would have been permissions already in place for what they thought they were going to need as well as potential contractors sounded out for availability/capability etc. At the very least there should have been an appeal out there during the majority of last season so starting money was ready to go. But there was no public mention of anything.

If one set of permissions had already been in place, and the conversations with the various bodies were already well underway, I would of thought it much easier to change the scope following that last survey that closed the bridge. Instead they've now got multiple people from the outside questioning everything when it just didn't need to be that way. And with everything being at the last minute I've no doubt its all going to cost a lot more than it should have done.

 

On the contrary, I think there would have been a lot more respect. It would have left open the question of why the sudden closure, but I like to think that a more open communications culture would have avoided that particular bear trap

 

I think all those who have an interest would have welcomed far more honesty, openness and disclosure from the outset - but hey, we are talking about the NYMR's paid management and honesty, openness and disclosure do not seem to feature highly - if at all - on their attributes.

 

Bridge 42 (and Br.18) have been known avbout for a good while. I'm well on the outside of things now and I knew about it about 18 months ago. I think nothing was done until it was critical because of the financial situation. Similar could be said about the signle slip at Goathland and other civilcprojects that are on hold. Goathland staion bridge was delayed until it had to be closed on safety grounds.

 

if it’s anything like an award I was offered when I was still in the fish and chip trade, you simply buy it. I don’t know why the Moors haven’t saved themselves the money and simply designed their own certificate and printed one out.

 

The Spa Valley Railway (not my railway but I am an armchair member) have had to replace a road overbridge in this winter break. Probably a bigger task proportionally than bridge 42in that they have no paid staff. Theyve also missed their re-opening date but the comms seems a lot better than the NYMR. https://broomlanebridge.blogspot.com/

 

I find it interesting that there has never been any suggestion of placing a weight limit on these aged structures. After all we are happily operating RA9 locos over a route that used to be only RA5 in BR days. I understand that last autumn the A3 was traversing Bridge 42 a total of 16 times a day every day it was operating. But I'm not any sort of engineer so maybe I just dont understand how safe failing bridges are. I think I must be missing something somewhere as I understand that both the A1 and A4 are expected to return in the autumn.

Peter

 

.... because the paid management thought that they could have an expensive night out in London without anyone spotting it, and they could use it to get the membership to stop complaining about the dire rubbish that Moors Line has now become now that they are producing it?
It's also telling, though, that no-one from either the Trust or Plc Boards has come on either here or the NYMR Unofficial Forum, or the FB page where the announcement was made to defend the announcement now that it has become clear what a con it is. Just scandalous and symptomatic of the rock bottom senior management the NYMR has sunk to.