Mainline Steam Tours - Serious Fire Risk

Ah, well, that's the way with the British. We like a good moan, and the weather is the perfect excuse! Photographers, especially railway photographers, are much like farmers - there's always a number of flies in the ointment to spoil any occasion ;-)

 

I think you miss the point with respect. Yes, we enoy this weather as it brings smiles. But the reality is that it is exceptional. Hotter than Spain, Portugal and Greece.

It is not about Network Rail insisting on a diesel on the back, it is their potential insistance that it is on the front as with Nunney Castle and the Class 37 to Worcester. And if it gets hotter and hotter, as predicted, I fear that it will be the diesel on its own. Now that would be a disaster!

Tours for this weekend at risk must surely be Friday 22nd Preston to Bristol with 5029. Saturday 23rd 45305 + 70013 Bristol to Penzance and 7000 Paddington to Stratford and Sunday 24th 5029 Bristol to Paddington.

I really hope I am wrong but with temperatures hitting 25 degrees in the South today, I am fearful of a reaction from NR

 

There are more important things than mainline steam tours...

 

Dictionary.com
dis·as·ter   [dih-zas-ter, -zah-ster]
–noun
a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash, or business failure.

PS I'm looking forward to a hot sunny day at Didcot on Saturday, two Kings running together, the diesel railcar, and FireFly. Beats the hell out of being there in the cold and the rain, especially for rides in the open third-class broad gauge coach!

 

Talking about the weather on this forum, things must be boring.

Lets start a livery debate.

 

I like green.

 

Red, orange and yellow (with a tinge of grey or black) are my favourite colours to be seen near a steam engine.

 

Okay, fair enough. DISASTER is way over the top but would be very DISAPPOINTING for those passengers who have paid a lot of money for steam haulage!

 

I'm booked on the SRPS West Highlander next month, so naturally I'm watching this dry spell with interest, particularly as it goes through some pretty sparsely populated areas such as Rannoch. However, I presume there will be a diesel attached in any case as it is scheduled to haul the train back to Polmont on the return. It's typical that the moment you get decent weather, out rolls the fire risk!

 

:lol:

 

Can't be far away from that in parts of the UK now. Especially here in a very dry SE of England.

Que sera sera...............

Oh. Liveries. I reckon black with red wheels etc always looks superb.

 

Well, just to say, for the many many thousands of people enjoying the beaches at Brighton, Blackpool, Scarborough and wherever this Easter, I wish you warm sunshine. For all the heritage railways, I hope you get the weather to bring in the crowds in their thousands. For the millions who'll turn out for the Royal Wedding next week, I hope you get the right weather for your street parties and other forms of celebration. For the hundreds of people riding on steam tours, I hope you don't get a diesel.

As for livery, well I am still impressed by this one:

 

I think Green Five will remember this one!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPX7yICLCCE

 

I think some heritage railways have found that they actually get more visitors when the weather is poor. Given the choice of lying on a beach or sitting on a train, most non-enthusiasts will go for the beach if the weather is sunny, but, if its raining, they may go for a train ride.

 

I remember it well! I was partially deaf by the time I got home from that one. I could still hear the bl**dy 37 the next day!

 

Just heard on a BBC radio 2 traffic report news of a grass fire by the side of a UK Motorway.

Any steam locos being transported by road today for maintentance to get the blame? LOL!

But what is not funny are the probems etc that will arise if this year turns into another 1976. IMHO that would make it certain that most if not all main line steam excursions would have to have considerable box assistance. Something that my views on are very well known, but in such circumstances probably unavoidable. Be interesting to see what impact a few months of operations like that had on train loadings.

I'll just spend my spare time photographing birds instead.

Feathered variety.

Of course!

 

I'm on the Stratford on Avon trip Saturday and yes, would be very disappointed if we got towed or pushed all the way. We are, I feel going through a period of exteme conditions and what will be, will be. Looking at how far we have got into the year and what is possibly to come I can't help feeling we may all have more things to worry about than no mainline steam. Hope I'm wrong.

 

There was quite a big woodland fire at Martins Heron, Bracknell, yesterday, so things are definitely getting to a dangerous point.

From the BBC today:

 

Clan Line wasn't on a VSOE to Bristol yesterday was it? Anyway, as I said earlier in the thread & got slagged off for it, these aren't normal conditions for April, what are June, July & August going to be like? Even the hot weather lovers must realise you can have too much of it.
Putting the effect on main line steam operations aside (the couple of video links already posted on this thread are a warning) there are other things. Remember water rationing, hose pipe bans, queuing up at water bowsers in the street with every available container & the like? If this happens we will see what the hot dry weather lovers have to say then.
Back to steam, when does a steam loco have the most visual effect, hot or colder conditions?

 

Depends if its set fire to the countryside or not!

According to the Met Office website - there will be a huge downpour over the Midlands on.............yes you guessed it - Saturday!