ECML mid week steam ban or not?

I read a little while back that steam would be banned from the ECML on wekdays following break downs and line side fires, yet the Cathedrals' excursion KX - York - KX on Thursday 24th is still running.
The ECML trips on Sat 12th & Sat 26th both cancelled, yet this one is still advertised and has a few seats remaining.

 

It was mentioned in Steam Railway that Steam Dreams were still intending to run the trip, route not confirmed but would probably run via Lincoln, and Steam might come on at Peterborough.

 

Add to that the Northern Christmas Tynesider and the trip to Lincoln out of Newcastle.
However the trip out of London to Lincoln goes ahead, no real pattern to the events, except wcrc involved in all.
DBS seem able to get a trip out the cross, midweek though......
Remind me who provided the crews for the ill fated move of 30777 and 70013.......

 

The Northern Christmas Tynesider was cancelled as a result of 60007 not being available for the run on the 26th and nothing to do with any "steam ban." As she wasn't going to be coming south, there was no point in running the tour that was going to get her back north again on 17/12. The NCT has been replaced by a Christmas White Rose KGX - York and return with 60019/4492.

 

Oops. Steady on there. Pointing fingers have a nasty habit of returning to point back at the pointer sometimes! It's only 18 months since 35028's very serious incident.

Bit like us "anti box brigade" sounding off again, (should that read, "yet again"? or even "Yeti again"? lol!), about a forthcoming steam trip that could have a dreaded box on the back. Only for the train to go without a box and stall on a steep grade in Kent causing chaos, (shock, horror, red face).

Not that ever happens of course. Ooh. Got to stop, my nose is getting ever so long.......................

 

Bryan - there's a German Christmas Market in Leeds next to the town hall - complete with Bierkeller - there might be beer servers!

The only access to Leeds is unfortunately only by sparkies and heavy oil burners.

 

Serving wenches? Wearing dirndls?

On me way, oil burners or not.............

 

Times for 24/11/11 on Steam Dreams' website

http://www.steamdreams.co.uk/executables/GT410WebContent.exe?ActionCode=Timings

67 from KX to Peterborough, 60163 to York and then 60163 throughout on the Return.

Andrew

 

Looks like 60163 is going for water once the 67's been removed and if so that means she'll be coupled inside the box and dragged there.

 

How come this train gets to run on a weekday when there is meant to be a ban?

 

Haven't followed this one that closely, but I'm not sure an "official" ban actually happened?

And re the timings on the SD website. I rather like the way they have set down the full timings like that.

 

6 hours 2 minutes York - KX , now there's a trip for Mr Notley to write up!

 

I was so impressed with the detail shown by SD I hadn't checked what the timings were like.

If my brain is switched on tonight, (Yetis do have a rudimentary brain), I make that 302 minutes running time from York to the Cross. (Gulp).

But who knows what has needed to have been done to get steam over that route mid week.

 

it is going back via gainsborough towards lincoln and back on the ecml at newark so more mile's then just on the ecml from doncaster to newark!!!!

 

I hadn't noticed that, but it is still a very long time coming home.

 

I have worked out the York - KX rtn leg via Ferrybridge and Pyewipe is around 206 miles. Therefore it is around 17.5 miles longer than direct down the ECML.

 

On the face of it the times aren't exactly challenging are they?

 

The worrying thing is that NR are obviously refusing to play ball and promote a quick path for this, and have now directly caused other cancelled trips.

Customers end up being inconvenienced, as most are regulars and not enthusiasts, the chances of doing it again after an early start, late finish diminsh.

NR trying to pull the plug on ECML steam once and for all?????

Know it open access and all that, but operators are being given the poor end of the job, however they do have themselves to blame in some respects.

Might well have to be a box on any ECML tour from now on, just to get NR back on side.......

 

Sometimes in life it's best to just go with the flow for a while, especially after what happened.

Maybe some time is needed for steam to re-prove itself on the ECML, who knows. But possibly a time for a little bit of patience.

Incidentally, virtually 4 hrs and a lot of miles to the water stop? Have I read that right?

As the loco isn't a Drummond 4-4-0 (30163 LOL!), I haven't followed it's exploits in great detail so don't know it's capability in such matters. But whilst awake in the night hoping to hear my local Tawny Owl call out to me, (little hussey didn't call, I think she's found someone else!), I was trying to recall my longest steam runs between water stops. Not just distance, but time as well. I think we did Osnabruck - Hamburg without taking water at Bremen with German 012 100-4 ten or so years ago, close on 150 miles. But only 4 stops, and once up to speed, (mainly 70s, but a few bursts into the 80s), with just ten cars on generally easy grades it must have been straightforward running. Plus a 7,200 gallon tender I think. Elapsed time for the whole journey was just over 3 hours.

Anyway. I hope that the run with Tornado goes as planned and starts to re-establish steam on this route mid week.

 

Not sure of the maximum range for Tornado but it can do London Kings Cross to a first water stop at Grantham at least. I agree that far better a leisurely schedule that goes faultlessly than pushing things too hard given recent problems on the ECML.