Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Ah, finally after all these years finally your reasoning is clear, you're a hardcore gricer at heart who likes to hear the engine working hard and you don't get that with big chuffers on short trains! It's alright Paul, we forgive you, and sympathise with your views.

 

The Ivatt manages 5 quite happily on our hills. The view is that the additional strain is compensated for by the fact that the locomotive gets "properly hot" and so the lubrication works as designed. More than 5 would be a massive challenge to keep time though, so 5 is enough. It must also be bourne in mind that loading the locomotive to 5 at night, or in poor weather conditions would be too great a challenge, so there are occasions when a bigger locomotive is necessary.

 

I can understand why the load may need to be reduced in poor weather but why is there an issue at night? Or is the resistance of the lighting generators on the coaches that high?

 

Dampness, making poor railhead condition, having to use steam heat, , anything that limits the haulage capability of the engine , i would imagine the 2mt is at its limits with 5 on, with very little in reserve .

 

Not the selling of food as such but the weight and maintenance of specialist catering vehicles.

 

Even when the available locos have power to spare?

 

Things Paul doesn't like:

Mk1s
Catering vehicles
Toilets
Long trains
Running tender first
Passengers who like trains
Inauthentic locomotives
Anything bigger than a 2mt
The world after 1870.
Lines longer than 2 miles

Things Paul does like

Passengers who love grouping and pre grouping carriages. Such passengers are drawn to Paul like bees to a flower, where they always tell him how much they love the window straps.
Hampers
Ivatt's on the IOW - not authentic but there is a special argument that they would have been. Aka if your aunt had balls
S160s

What you have to remember is the Isle of Wight is the only place that looks at the Isle of Man as a hotbed of dangerous permissive progressiveness. I mean 'Dining trains'. Quick mother, the smelling salts.

 

But if those vehicles bring in sufficiently more income from the food they sell (and from making a journey by steam train in the first place a more attractive proposition to the non-enthusiast) then surely it's worth the slight increase in fuel and maintenance costs if the take home cash the railway makes is increased? Just because the IoW doesn't have them doesn't mean all railways should get rid of them.

 

You know that bloke who stands at the door right behind the engine, with the tape recorder in hand, microphone out the window, combover, Jesus sandals, smells of wee and appears to be wearing clothes he bought in 1972. I think you might have unmasked their identity.

No wonder, something like P&O, hardly exerts itself which makes for a rubbish recording. A terrier on the other hand...

 

80% inaccurate.

 

100% tosh

 

Which statements are inaccurate?

Have you considered writing a manifesto - a Das Kapital for railway preservation? Maybe ten commandments - although that might be a bit long. Should be capped at 4 otherwise it isn't authentic

I know @flying scotsman123 does sign writing, I am sure at a push he could carve some tablets of stone for you as you ascend from Hayling Island

 

I find it odd that he apparently goes to the trouble of commuting to the IoW from Hayling Island - no big chuffers (or small ones, come to that) light trains, no significant civil engineering, no catering stock etc., all assets wholly owned by the operating company - I refer of course to the Hayling Island Railway!

 

While some may take the mick out of @Paulthehitch I suggest that he does raise useful questions that we might be wise to at least consider.

As a 'For Example' The Swanage no longer has 'on train' catering - clearly they asked the question about was it worth it.

I suspect that we may be entering an era less 'favourable' for heritage railways and not thinking hard about what we do and why is not going to help lines to survive and thrive

 

?

 

If I said what I really think the Moderators would be very displeased.

 

One of the rakes has a micro-buffet located (I think) in a seating bay at the end of a TSO (or possibly it's a BSO). So they do do on train catering, but don't do it with an RMB.

 

OK, OT, but I'm reminded of this ...



Tom

 

Yes all that and there is a human factor also. Night work is harder and requires more concentration. That means it is prudent to allow more capacity available from the loco.