Stanier 8F to Plymouth July 2nd

I have just received an email from SD stating that this train has been postponed, with a new date of 29th October 2011.

 

Confirmed on uksteam. Looks as it was almost fully booked as well. Haven't found the "excuse" yet.

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs11.htm#twk

 

'Reason' would be a better word surely.

 

I was being sarcastic!

 

Basically 45 minutes to do the shunt at Taunton so would mean a very early start 6.50 and late return 23.00. But there was no acceptable path for steam to Taunton so it would have been another tour cut in half by diesel haulage to Taunton. Rearranged date means the winter timetable in force so there is a path to Taunton but Minehead section is via a bus connection to BL not by rail.

What really annoys me is that this tour has been advertised for months but yet again 1 week before gets written off by NR. There really needs to be a shake up of how these tours are organised before too many people get upset and don't bother booking.

As a side note the supposed run back from Bristol the other week by the 47 in Tornado's path was a load of tosh, we spent most of the time in the upper 80.s and still made no time up.

 

When you read all about the various "reasons" it makes you wonder how the railways run years ago particularly during the war years. If the railways ran during the war & blackouts etc, like they do now, god knows what would of happened. We would be under German rule now.

 

Phooey, I was really looking forward to seeing 4492 storming down the Great Western main line next Saturday. Now I'll have to go to running club instead :'(

 

Call me a prophet of doom but I always suspected this wouldn't happen in the advertised format. You have to hand it to Steam Dreams for always trying something new but this business of splitting trains and connecting them up again was just too complicated.

Can't work up much enthusiasm for doing this one in October so I shall be cancelling - will be rebooking on something else no doubt!

However actually I would have settled for diesel haulage as far as Taunton just to get the 8F over the Devon banks - others would probably have been up in arms though judging by the reaction to the change in itinerary on the Shrewsbury trip.

The main point though is as raised by "spindizzy" - there is no point in all parties provisionally agreeing these trips months in advance only to discover a week in advance that they cannot be done.

 

You didn't have Network Rail, TOC's, ORR and all the other paraphenailia though during the war. Due principly to the activities of Major and co it is however like it is nowadays so best to work on that basis I think.

 

Sad. It was a great idea, but the 'no can do' culture prevailed.

 

But why is it that a tour can be advertised for months but 1 week from the go date is it cancelled, cancelled is the correct word here as the revised tour is not the same. This tour is similar to the Mayflower run last year, no path was available out of Paddington then so we were left with climbing Camden Bank in the very early hours. Loco put on at Taunton and off to Plymouth. Network Rail should have flagged up the lack of time to do the shunting in the Summer Timetable when the tour was first advertised last year and not leave it to the last minute . NR and the promoters really do need to get their acts sorted out. Now will there be a non stop London Southampton run on the 9th, I cant see it leaving at the advertised time as previous fast runs have left at 7.20. I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

This was not advertised in its current format last year. Seperate tours were planned to Pylmouth 7/7 & Minehead 10/8. The promoters usually indentify a suitable path, but Network Rail not them letting use it has been the problem in the past. The SD trip to Worcester was meant to travel on the North Cotswold line, path indenitified but Network Rail would not let them use it, because they were concerned Steam would not keep to time. The promoters have to take a chance they can get a suitable path. There was a fast path given Waterloo and Salibury 12th September 2007 90 mins 9.55 start.

 

It is on the "modern" railway!

 

Just to re-emphasise my previous post I am actually applauding them for doing something different but at the same time I couldn't help thinking that other forces would conspire against them. Unfortunately these days it seems that the only tours you can be sure of are the tried and tested ones using well established paths.

 

That's my point really - goodness knows how they would cope with something like the Atlantic Coast Express these days!

 

Thats my point Ralph, promoters are there to make money and as such shouldn't advertise products that they don't know can run.

This tour has been moved to the Winter timetable to allow for a path to Taunton yet the splitting of the train has been left out. The question is how is the train going to go over the Devon Banks with the vacated coaches un-assisted?

 

I suspect it will be double headed from Taunton.