Fire Risk

A difficult 'like' but I think that sums it up.
The Met Office website suggests high pressure systems and above average temperatures into September (other forecasts are available - and seem generally consistent). I'd be surprised if we see much resumption of main line steam before October.

 

Can't disagree with that summary either, I had a feeling when on the ill fated VT Liverpool trip last month that it maybe sometime before mainline steam came back.
An NR friend of mine just msgd to say there were 9 lineside fires yesterday alone, that's without the additional risk of steam.

 

Is the Jacobite now steam again, they’ve had a lot of rain up there?

 

I don't think it really stopped, certainly steam at the weekend on both services according to YouTube.

 

For me, I'm more concerned about the Autumn Gala season being wiped out, especially the early one's in September.

 

The Government needs to appoint a minister for drought - that worked last time!

(Then we can all complain about the heavy flooding we will inevitably be getting …)

Tom

 

We have not had the "Save Water Bath with a Friend" campaign yet.
Although some water companies could run that all year it seems.

 

Yes and yes. Very wet up here last week with plenty of "liquid sunshine". Not much that could be set fire to around here. Good to enjoy some of the real stuff (sunshine) today.

Peter in Fort William

 

You are right - this is becoming a very real concern.

I suspect that many railway managements will now quietly be making contingency plans in case they are unable to go ahead with planned autumn steam galas. I suppose the main options are either cancellation or replacement with a diesel gala.

 

Having been a formulary chemist in water based cleaning in the past, we had a good saying - "Save water - dilute it!"

 

That would be the special homeopathic water …

Tom

 

We've just put our visit to the Swanage event on hold, thinking it probably won't happen. Wouldn't be happy to go all the way down there for a pair of 33's.

 

We also had grade 1 tapolene, which we used to confuse issues with some of the more gullible customers . If the pricing was difficult for them an adjustment with this material often helped.

 

MSLR have been diesel only for a couple of weekends now, so you were lucky to get steam.

60007 has also lost several trips, and I can't see it working any of the Kingswear trips before it heads to the Moors in a little over a month's time. Even the light engine move must be in doubt now.

The risk of flooding when it does rain will be very high, and NR will have a lot of infrastructure problems to deal with. They've already reduced services and lowered speeds on the LSW between Salisbury and Exeter due to clay shrinkage distorting the trackbed, and other places must be affected as well. The danger is when the rain does appear it'll end up with heavy, wet soil on top of very dry ground underneath and landslips occurring. On s very local level, our lawn has dropped by two inches in the last few months. It's easy to tell how much it's gone down by - the spike for the washing line was an inch below the top of the soil when I put it in, and it's now an inch proud of the dead grass!

 

Bo'ness still steam as well. I was there on Thursday. Spent last week in Linlithgow and it rained every day. Thick green grass on the fields as well, I'd forgotten what green grass looked like!

 

My payment for our accommodation for the moors gala is due in a few weeks, you'd hope that part of the country should see some rain by early September. The Swanage gala is definitely a concern right now.