Horsham to Ely - 9th December.

To be fair to SD,I guess postponement of this one was not an option as a substantial number of passengers would be heading for the special carol service at Ely cathedral. However I do wonder what rebate has been given to passengers(given the presumably massive reduction in the cost of running the trip),and in particular if people who didnt want to do the trip with diesel were given the option of cancellation/rebooking. I think I can guess the answer.....

 

On the other hand the website still says steam and they seem to be accepting bookings "while these locomotives cannot be guaranteed".
Unless you check at the bottom of the page and establish that the srtike is happening.

 

That's a good point, but my whinge about risk assessment still stands.

 

FBU Strike causes a Red Alert - Total Steam Ban. No negotiation. Sorry.

 

In those circumstances SD seem to have no choice at all except to run with diesel haulage.

 

I'd kill to see a Deltic through Dorking.

 

Hey hold up, choir couldn't operate without Ivor

 

I saw a northbound Deltic through Pulborough. Can't remember where it went after Horsham.

 

Is that one of your early productions?

With you doing the voice over.

 

Yes indeed, Hence the black and whet

No that was the wife, she is from Hereford.

 

Seems to have disappeared off the RTT radar around Camden Road.

 

I felt sorry for the passengers on this today as it was running well over half an hour late at all of its pick-up points and the passengers (who almost all looked quite elderly) were standing about in the cold weather. The ECS was over an hour late leaving Southall, presumably owing to the continuing signal problem at Acton (?).

 

Arrived 10 early at Ely according to Rtt.

 

I remember that it was 55007 and the loco was Pinza, but I've had to trawl the internet for further details:-l

1Z80 09:25 London Victoria - Bognor Regis, "The Man of Kent" DAA railtour (via Sittingborne, Dover & London Bridge) then 1Z80 Bognor Regis - Littlehampton (class 73 hauled with 55007 at the rear) and 1Z80 Littlehampton - London Victoria return (via Preston Park). 26/03/78. I think you'll therefore find it went southbound down the Horsham- Arundel line. I'm sure I saw a picture in a book of it emerging from Stoke Tunnel.

It's ironic, even 20 years ago, any loco-hauled passenger train departing form Horsham via Dorking would have been something to get excited about. How things have changed!

 

I was on that - was a very long time ago - Sittingborne stop was long enough for a ride on the SKLR…

Simon

 

Amazing! Not even thought of the SKLR for decades and in the space of a few days I see the above post after having heard the locos whistling when I was out on the Sheppey Marshes Owling over the weekend!

Used to be the January 1st, get some steam mileage on the first day of the year, trip with big brother Don once. Mostly with a bad hangover. I wasn't teetotal back then.

Nice to know it is still running.

 

It was an interesting run, my one and only on the SKLR, but to be honest it was as nothing in the context of a Deltic out've Victoria. And a nice shiny racehorse she was too.

Simon