KKWVR Winter Steam Gala 2013

Things like this annoy me, when will people realise (usually non operational/owning groups) that these engines cant be flogged. They are vintage pieces of machinary. Also its not always a case of well, those crews did it every day. I've met some of these crews and on todays preserved lines some are not that good. Some have the attitude 'well if it breaks, some one will fix it for me' . Having a run at a bank at realistic speeds will always help an engine get up a hill, starting and stopping does not help. In a nutshell, stop flogging small locos for work that they wernt designed for day in day out. (On another note, the last thing you want on a gala is a chance that said loco will sit down and then cock up the timetable (coal tank at Llangollen etc etc). rant over.

 

And people wonder why the number of loco owners that post on here these days has declined..........

 

When are the timetable and loco allocations expected to be published? We need to decide whether a day visit by train (our first for 41 years) from Swanwick, near Southampton, is practical and if so to buy our rail tickets in advance to get best prices.

Thanks

Don

 

Not all owners would agree with that, for example, if you had a class 2 loco and it was to loaded to 8 coaches on the SVR and ran 100 days a year at £500 a day then you could probably say that you could do the suitable amount of annual maintenance every year to allow the loco to do this day in day out and it would probably pay for it "10 yearly" overhaul as well.

A big part of the equation is how well are the locos maintained/ restored in the first place.

 

Plenty of ways to abuse a loco far more seriously than working it hard, of course!

 

The old thing about being a victim of your own success.

In the early days of preservation we thought of jolly little branch lines with two coach trains as the norm; small tank engines seemed all we needed apart from a few glamorous express locos (if someone could raise the funds!) to come out on high days and holidays. Now, those small engines are either no use any more apart from demonstation pick-up freights, and languish at the back of a long queue for repairs and overhaul, or get passed on to new projects, or they get asked to haul longer trains than they used to do in their BR days. I think the Mickey Mouses are superb branch line engines, but in their natural habitat they didn't usually work six coach trains - I recall Moat Lane Jn to Brecon as a two coach job. I appreciate that these days they have to work harder for their living, and we shouldn't see the popularity of steam railways as a problem!

 

...Getting back on 'track'
To answer a few questions:
Timetables we hope to have published in the next couple of days
Nunlow will remain on shuttles only (it has thin tyres)
78019 & 1300 will take solo runs as well as double headers and freights

 

Many thanks for that solid info - trains to Yorkshire, and local accommodation duly booked!

John

 

Couple of updates on the website:

Winter Steam Gala - 1st, 2nd & 3rd March 2013

(please read carefully)

 

Timetable with loco allocations now on the KWVR website.

 

Just got back from KWVR today, found the WD in steam next to the 4f on shed doing its steam test.

 

Produce - YouTube
test run up the loop for 90733

 

Brilliant news about 90733. Refreshing to hear that distinctive clank in the Worth Valley again and will be nice to see her at the head of the goods. Well done to all involved and roll on the gala.

 

Timetable link for ease;

http://www.kwvr.co.uk/pdf/Steam Gala Mar 13 Public Timetable A4.pdf

 

Thank you for that, most useful!

Regards

 

Brilliant news about 90773 (another of my personal favourites) and I think 78019 is a very acceptable guest. I must also say I'm glad 1300 is staying in the valley for a while. Even though the KWVR was a Midland branch I always think L&Y engines look very much at home on the line. Any plans / timescales as yet for 957 to return?

One other thought, will there be shed tours at Howarth / carriage and wagon tours at Oxenhope as on some previous galas? The old man and I both enjoyed our visits in prior years, and it made seeing the L&Y club coach enter service all the more special.

 

The gala starts tomorrow and I'm just having breakfast and then I'll start out. I've had a quick look at the KWVR's website for the most recent info and find that the publicity for the WSG is given second billing to the following Diesel Gala!

The KWVR really is a most peculiar railway! Why give a gala that is second on the calendar more publicity to the first which is about to start?

In spite of this I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Regards

 

Cannot see any mention of the diesel gala on the front page?

Steam gala is also top on the events page?

Both pages have Winter Steam Gala this weekend on them?