Cathedrals Express Canterbury-Salisbury 12 July with 70000 - Cancelled

Steam Dreams have just tweeted that they can't run this train because of loco failure and will rearrange for another date in autumn

https://twitter.com/On_Train/status/222417867558240258

 

We were advised on the train yesterday that Britannia needs a new brick arch.

The trip from Cambridge to Canterbury will be 35028 from London to Canterbury and return, with the section between Cambridge and London to Cambridge and return hopefully hauled by Bittern ( not yet confirmed).

 

Once again this proves my point that there are too many trips planned by too many company's with no form of co-ordination. One loco working 2 or 3 times per week with no time for volunteer support crews to carry out maintenance and repairs between trips is a recipe for chaos.

We do need a body to oversee as TBF keeps saying.This level of cancellation and confusion will not endear the product of a steam hauled railtour to the principal market, which is not the enthusiast market and will, long term, prove harmful to repeat bookings.

 

I think you're being a little harsh here. The Jacobite locos work seven days in succession so 2 to 3 times a week for other locos is less hectic - albeit longer runs. Loco failures can happen any time irrespective of the frequency of use.

 

No Ian,

Years of practical experience. Week on/week off operations such as the Jacobite are fine, after all it is the way major preserved line operate. But with one off main line excursions where there is not a continuous engineering presence to

check and adjust the locos after each day's run you are asking, potentially, for trouble. Also to the person who made a 'reputation comment' about what does having an interval between runs have to do with 70000 failing with a cracked brick arch, I will put it in terms that they might just be able to comprehend, If there was a week between runs, rather than a couple of days a new brick arch (usually moulded concrete these days) could probably have been installed and thus the tour would not have had to been cancelled.