Dorset Coast Expresses - 2013 season

Wonder what the alternative was? Tornado?

 

Doubt it! Dorset Coast Express is WCRC operated and Tornado has done the route concerned before. Can't for the life of me think what is available down here at the moment that could cause gauging problems. Maybe a redish coloured Jubilee was offered?

 

Nothing!! as the two 5's are obviously not fixed, and they would be in gauge............

 

Off the top of my head the only engine I can think of that is running currently and of a class that hasn't recently been down the ex-LSWR main line is Nunney Castle.

D of Gloucester, Britannia/Ol Cromwell, Tornado, Clan Line, Bittern, Tangmere, Braunton, Black 5s, Scots Guardsman, and Sir Lamiel have all been down in the last two or three years so one would assume are of types gauged OK although not all have been back north in reverse which might make a difference.

The secondary question then is have engineering works recently changed anything or have any of those listed above not been up the Southampton - Basingstoke via Salisbury stretch so would have to be approved for that leg?

Nunney is clearly Ok south of Dorchester Junction but the obvious question N Rail would have to gauge for is - would she clout the platform on the very tight curve through Dorchester South?

 

Mainline steam in the South is certainly missing Tangmere. Lets hope the boys at Carnforth understand how useful, and reliable 34067 is. And get its boiler fixed ASAP!
It seems that it's the only loco that can stand the pace.

 

Any else appreciate the irony of a broken reliable loco?

 

Gauging is a bit more complicated than this. Any loco that has not passed over the route in the last 6 months has to be re-gauged. This takes time and can not be done by Network Rail at short notice. So nearly all of the locos listed above would be ruled out on these grounds. By my reckoning, only 34046 or a Black 5 would be acceptable as a late substitute for 70013 without re-gauging, as nothing else has covered this route in the last 6 months. Moreover to provide a safety margin to allow for possible undetected track movement, the required clearances may actually *increase* depending on the time since the gauging train last covered the route, so that an engine which may be OK in a given 6 month period may no longer be acceptable in the following 6 month period even if nothing has physically changed !

David

 

Thanks for that David.

 

Yes, I thought that was an interesting concept (although I know what twr12 means).

 

Yes so do I, at one time down south it was only Tangers that was propping the whole tour market up, poor old girl got worn out.

 

They make their own knocking noise.

 

On a serious note why wasn't 34046 made available?

Have RTC actually run one DCE this year according to plan. Though we have been away quite a lot I have been waiting 2 engines to be advertised so I can book. I am simply not going to pay good money to be DL pushed or hauled for most of the day, having had only about 2 hours in Weymouth. Always next year I suppose

Don

 

Is there going to be a next year for the DCE?

 

.

 

The DCE was part of my retirement plans!still not been on it!!just a credit from rtc

 

Re 34046. Possibly the realistic cost of the ECS workings required to/from Bristol for the necessary 47&WC combo', inability to get the two necessary paths for the positioning moves and possibly also lack of crew availability to do it even if the other factors didn't apply. Only supposition but my guess is they possibly lined up Tornado or Clan Line as IIRC they were both in the London area but as David explained although both have done the route recently neither would have been cleared by doing the run within the relevant 6-months window. In any event 34046 couldn't have done both legs without the Southampton reversal or returning direct to Bristol from Weymouth with diesel only for the return DCE.

However you look at that scenario cancellation given the short notice of the need to re-plan was the logical outcome given NR's policy on gauging and need for a tour to cover the running costs.

 

Neither Tornado nor Clan Line would have been likely substitutes. It was a WCRC-operated TOC and as discussed elsewhere, they don't accept Tornado on their saftey case. Although they've hired Clan Line on one previous occassion, she was busy with the VSOE train to Bath yesterday.

34046 is gauged for the route, so must have been unavailable for some other reason. The loco that came to my mind when I read the RTC news page was 5029 Nunney Castle. However, we will probably never know.

 

Sorry for confusion. Had missed that conflicting VSOE trip with Clan Line on same day.

 

I know someone just mentioned 34067. I couldn't agree more. She has been quite a stalwart on the main line circuit. That was a huge blow very similar in fashion to what happened to 46115 in 2011.

Having Bittern stuck in York the whole summer hasn't helped Either.