Flying Scotsman

The truth can sit between Pete and 35Bs take. It's quite astonishing that control failed to know about Flying Scotsman when it was just about the only 1Zxx running that day. They understandably asked the driver to do a job they got told would be impossible by many metrics and a suitable alternative was found. Is there not a WCRC loco based in the central belt for this sort of job? Nothing had been through Gleaneagles since 11am on a day with flooding around Scotland on the railway and the road. The last month or so I've heard the usual statements about learning lessons from Carmont.

The problem here mirrors what is seen in the Emergency Services. Call centres are increasingly centralised which means a loss of local knowledge that would have more insight into the situation on ground than what a computer screen says. The issues also only seem to crop up when the system is being tested to its limit.

 

It is standard practice for the driver of the next train through a section to be told by the signaller to examine the line if there is a suspected defect and is in the rules. It is the same whether it is a suspected cow on the line, track defect, landslip or whatever. The rules lay down a maximum speed of 20 mph (10mph in tunnels.) The loco will be carrying a portable headlamp which is allowed in the rules so the request was perfectly acceptable within the rulebook. It provides sufficient illumination to see the line ahead. Although 20mph is specified it is a maximum speed and the driver has discretion to go at the speed he considers is safe in the circumstances. The train crew made a perfectly reasonable alternative suggestion which was accepted by Control and was no doubt a quicker option. If that alternative had not been available, I'm pretty sure that the train crew would have gone ahead and carried out the instructions given. The next train through the section instead would have been similarly cautioned.

 

I was also with Peter on Saturday night. NR made a request and we gave them an answer.

With all the trouble the torrential rain caused generally across the Highlands over the weekend, which culminated in the almost total collapse of the Scotrail timetable, NR Control may be for forgiven for their suggestions, in order to keep the remaining trains running. The point was we worked with them and the train got back to Edinburgh via Fife - safely.

JS

 

RAIB confirming they are investigating what happened at Strathspey https://www.gov.uk/government/news/collision-at-aviemore-station-strathspey-railway

 

Sadly there are way to many signallers and controllers now who are way out their depth, and do not have the interest in the job to learn about the various aspects of the railway that make it work. Many, to many are only interested in the money, train? whats a train, let alone the specific class and its abilities or otherwise.

 

Or simply work sufficiently far from the trains they signal that they aren't triggered to think of what it is that they're signalling. After all, there are 1Zxx workings formed of units - quite apart from which many (most?) shunts are units. People have conditioned reflexes.

 

The BBC are improving......they haven't called it a train!!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-67389730

 

Mayor of Doncaster thumbs up for no 'the'...

 

I assume this statement is just a regulatory/contractual necessity as the end of a contract approaches:

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/1...ring-future-operation-of-flying-scotsman.html

Seems unlikely to me that any major changes will be made so soon after a heavy general and with everything seemingly going well. I wouldn't be surprised if such a conversation happened more seriously as 2030ish approaches though.

 

An interesting photo of Flying Scotsman crossing the M5:

 

Was the work last year not an intermediate overhaul? I think the general overhaul was completed in late 2015.

 

I would imagine its boiler ticket expires in 2025 then, so the question has to be, does the NRM group intend to overhaul it, , of course, they won't want to pay, dispite having earned quite a lot of money out of it, when its been on hire to preserved railways, but of course i could be wrong, i;m have expecting it to stay at Locomotion for a while posibly until it's almost at the end of its ticket, then be towed to York, and not steam again.

 

Your evidence for this please Martin?

How do you know this? Have you seen the accounts? Do you know how much they pay their rep when it's out and about? Or how much their insurance costs? Or the transport costs?

Again, what is your evidence for this? Why would the NRM waste the boiler ticket?

I fear you've gone over to your fantasy/conspiracy world again.

 

Believe the Current Hiatus is to do with Rileys maintenance contract coming to an end ? so its not just a question of what happens but who makes it happen and what will it cost. Normally this would have already been tendered, negotiated and a handover arranged.. but that paperwork is no doubt stuck in a tray in a Gov. department somewhere...

 

OK, less wait and see, so when does the boiler ticket expire and lets face facts, the NRM, does not now carry out in house overhauls, it often has a third party who will be expected to raise the money, that is known NRM policy, is it not,

 

Didnt it have a retube in 2022 to restart its ticket.

 

was the boiler lifted at the time? normally the retube is done to extend the boiler ticket for a further 3 years, up to the ten year mark,after that the boiler under normal situations has to be lifted, for a full inspection.

 

Normally a return is done when it is needed.

(Just saying …)

Tom

 

I'm sure the NRM have had a significant income from FS. The questions are, how much have they spent on it since it returned to service and how much would they have to spend to overhaul it again.

 

For main line running an intermediate overhaul and retube is needed to extend the certification from 7 to 10 years. If it isn’t done then for the last three years of the boiler certificate it’s restricted to heritage lines as has happened with Leander. Whether the boiler needs lifting and superheater header needs to be taken out and tested for another 10 year certification at that point is down to the boiler inspector. Thankfully, with Clan Line he decided it wasn’t necessary so the current overhaul will give it another full term of mainline running