Alton to Canterbury Cathedrals Express 3-10-13. Loco ???

Anyone else booked on this? A week to go and I wonder what is hauling this trip?
Just looked at the Icons of Steam website to see if it stated which loco out of 34046 (rumoured to be the standby) & 70000 is hauling this run and rather worryingly the trip is not even listed on their website anymore under the See & travel section. The first ML run they have listed is the 6th October CE to Stratford. Does this mean it will now be a WCRC loco instead on the Canterbury run?

 

A further update: Now the UKsteam site has 70000 crossed out and TBA next to this trip.

 

Check out the loco movements, 70000 is on its way down to Southall today.

 

I am a little confused about the loco allocations being given out by both SD & Locomotive Services Ltd. The other day I had an e-mail from SD about the Sunday Luncheon train on 6th October stating that 34046 would be hauling this trip. When you look on the LSL site it has 70000 allocated to the trip on the 6th which is why I thought she was being moved South today. There is still no mention of the Alton - Canterbury trip on the LSL site at all. Also the SD site is preparing to put the timings up for the 3rd. The timing sheet has 70000 on the top! What is going on?

 

Possibly one of the locos at Southall WCRC - 44932, 45231 or 70013 ?
This is the first Steam Dreams trip operated by WCRC under the new arrangements.

 

Thanks for the info. Had the tickets and timings sent through for this today but still no clues as to what is actually pulling the train. SD have lost the Clapham Jct pick-up on the outward run with Kensington Olympia being used instead. On the return journey the set down is at Clapham Jct as they can't stop at Kensington Olympia on the return!

 

If correct, the timings are interesting. 08.18 from Alton is 4 minutes behind a service train; however, the tour can't wait in the other platform as that already occupied by the previous incoming service train. I guess that means the tour has to come off MHR metals. However...

That seems a bit cheeky to me, especially as the website gives you the option of booking from Alresford for the same fare as the other starting points.

Also, is the loop outside Alton on MHR long enough for the tour to be held in while the MHR connecting service arrives? Or will in be held in the run round loop in Alton station? The simplest option I can see is for the tour to start from Alresford and work straight through; a diesel will drag the stock down from Southall anyway, so no reason why it can't bank the train up to Medstead.

 

A few years ago there was a rail tour starting from Alresford with 8F 48151 but for some reason the tour started from Alton. Anyone wishing to start the tour at Alresford could catch a shuttle from Alresford to Alton. From memory the tour train stayed in the Meon loop until the service train had left platform two. See link below for 2011 rail tour from Alton.

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t11/t0619b.htm

 

Times are here
www.uksteam.info/tours/t13/t1003a.htm
Still not sure about the loco.

 

Thanks for posting the link. Is there still a shortage of loco's? I like a surprise now and then but this is getting silly. I have a friend from work who is going with her Parents for the first time on a steam Charter and she is getting worried that it is going to be diesel hauled (she regularly checks uksteam info on the web and has seen the TBA).

 

Why are you getting so jumpy? There at least two fully working, still warm, ready to go stinking great big engines at Southall ready to haul this service.

 

Because NR can still play their favourite trick and say that they're out of gauge at the last moment.

 

But this goes back to some of the points raised in the railtour management thread thing.
3 days to go, and a recent change of operator and a TBA for the traction doesn't instil much confidence in the mugs/customers that have shelled out some fairly hefty sums of money to travel (or not).
All a bit half baked, but we knew that anyway.

 

stop at Woking up yard, pathing or water? Can't ever remember that happening before

 

If anybodies interested, here are the LE moves...............................

WEDNESDAY

FRIDAY

 

Slight typo there I think, both of those are Fridays ECS moves

here is Wednesdays positioning move.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U53348/2013/10/02/advanced

 

Ooops!

That's copy & paste for you..........................................

 

If it was any other year I wouldn't be so worried but this year has been a terrible year for ML Steam in my experience as it has been for others on here. Now two days to go and they still can't say what's pulling it.

 

Having had a shufty at the icons of Steam website, there is no mention of 70000 or 34046 mentioned as doing anything before the weekend, when Brittany takes the Sunday lunch trip to Stratford................................................ I could be wrong, BUT assuming that everything is now A OK with Cromwell, she'll be doing this one.........................

 

Just been on the SD site for the times.................................... 70000, shown as motive power..........................................