Nene Valley Railway

Shots of the A1 at various locations along the line today, great to see it finally run at the line, hope it proves successful for all involved:

 

The NVR will be offering Driver Experiences with 45596 Bahamas on the 3rd and 4th of January at £550 - but there is a competition option available at £20 per entry on the 3rd.

Competition

Regular experience

 

Fron NVR FB https://www.facebook.com/NeneValley...VJUmg89HQvRNgduL2VFQHMRMZozBUywccsCLtjrCFkUfl

"Christmas Tornado
We are pleased to announce with the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust that 60163 TORNADO will be helping the Nene Valley Railway with its Christmas on the Railway Trains. As well as a popular extra Driving Experience Course on 19th December, 60163 will also be hauling the Christmas Services on 18th and 20th December
Places are now on sale for the Driving Experience course on19th December where you will take to the regulator to Drive and Fire the locomotive, but book fast these are limited places. For further information and to book https://nvr.org.uk/.../ea14719825b9ae3fc81d7db1c19bf74e
To book to travel behind Tornado on the 18th and 20th please click here https://nvr.org.uk/.../58c177af781c55044f9d233621240ae6
60163 is provided with grateful thanks to the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust"

 

Just posted the e-mail from the A1SLT in the "Tornado" thread

 

Speaking of the NVR: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgz74n01xqo

The Danish Tank? Really?

 

The photo was from the preview day a few weeks ago.

 

I was gonna say... Bananas has been T&T'ed with The Royal Tank Regiment when I've looked on Railcam.

 

For a railway that's been appealing for cash to survive at various times this year, hiring in two high-profile locos to run Santas cannot be cheap?! I've heard from a fairly reliable source that Bananas' steaming fees aren't the cheapest, and I can't imagine the A1 Trust are going to charge peanuts either unless it's a mutually benficial deal where NVR get the use of the loco and hte A1 Trust get to accumulate some more miles for testing purposes.

 

Well put it this way - I think the only steam loco currently in serviceable condition from the NVR home fleet is the Danish Tank. Regardless of your conclusions on whether the Danish Tank is suitable for the 8 coach trains, even if it's just looking pretty and warming the passengers while the Peak does the work (if the railway's rule book allows power to come from the rear loco when the tank is leading), it's hardly ideal to only have one serviceable steam loco in place - what if something goes wrong with it? If you accept that and decide to hire in a new loco, you then run into the question of 'what is available?' Every operable mid size (about class 4) loco in the country is probably being held tightly by it's home railway as it's the perfect combination of power and economy for Christmas duties, so you either hire something that's a bit too small or a bit too big. The advantage of getting something a bit too big, especially if it's a tender loco, is the reserve fuel capacity you have - it might well enable you to do a whole day's work without having to top the tank up, which then increases your operational flexibility a bit. Then, from Bahamas' owning group's perspective, their loco gets used, giving their bank account a welcome boost, and and the owning group might already have a good relationship with the railway - I think you can say that's definitely the case for the A1SLT with the NVR.
There is always a base cost associated with running steam locos, and even small locos are not exactly cheap anymore. So if you accept that, then you can look at the additional cost of a larger loco as worth it for the extra wiggle room it allows you to be confident you can operate your biggest money earning services of the year, and do a good enough job that you can encourage this year's customers to come back again, perhaps both next Christmas but also at another time in the year.

 

These are all excellent points - I accept the argument!

On that note, of the NVR's active home fleet, it seems only 34092 (EDIT: 34081, of course) is a 'big' engine. I'm not sure how powerful the Polish 0-8-0 is... what are their requirements on say, summer school holiday services?

 

Deleted

 

Try 34081 .

 

It's a relatively flat line and I think they tend to max out at 6 coaches in the summer which is probably within the capabilities of a class 2 (which the Danish Tank is probably at the lower edge of, based on some googling it's got a tractive effort of 16896). Based on further googling the Polish Tank's tractive effort looks to be just under 28,000 so that would probably be considered a class 6
Of course tractive effort isn't the entire equation as a loco can have a massive tractive effort but limited potential for sustained steam generation and thus power output (e.g. Maerdy Monster) but for back of the napkin maths it's a good starter for 10

 

I wish I could remember how many carriages 78018 hauled when it visited.

 

4 or 5 on its own on service trains, 7 plus class 14 on Santas. @Oli15 is one to ask about how it performed.

 

There was concern about 656's water capacity when it was being overhauled, but it doesn't seem to be an issue any more. 5485 is powerful, but it's not an ideal engine for sustained 25mph running. To be honest, they've been running with 4 coaches a fair bit and capacity hasn't been an issue. It's only the Santas being load 8 means the tanks aren't really usable.

 

It'd be nice if I could find my photos of it...

 

According to a friend who is footplate crew, the Polish tank is a beast...

 

This evening it has been concerned that 34081 92 Squadron is leaving the NVR to take up permanent residence on the East Lancashire Railway.

https://elrchairman.wordpress.com/2024/12/05/news-from-the-boardroom-november-december-2024/

Partnership Announcement – Locomotive 34081

We are delighted to announce that the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has entered into a partnership with the Battle of Britain Locomotive Society (BBLS) for the future care and operation of Locomotive 34081. This renowned locomotive will soon be joining our heritage line as part of its operational transition.

Key Details: Reason for Move: Due to dwindling volunteer numbers and limited facilities at its current location, the BBLS Board decided that ELR’s expertise and facilities provide the best opportunity for securing 34081’s future.

Arrival Timeline: Locomotive 34081 is expected to arrive at ELR before Christmas, aiming to support Santa Special duties.

Partnership Overview: While BBLS will retain ownership and remain an independent organization, ELR will oversee the operational management of 34081.

We are honored to be entrusted with the care of this historic locomotive, and we extend our gratitude to BBLS for selecting ELR as its new home. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to preserving railway heritage and ensuring the continued operation of iconic machines like 34081.

Please join us in warmly welcoming 34081 and in making this transition as seamless as possible. Together, we’ll ensure that 34081 continues to captivate railway enthusiasts and visitors for years to come.

Following on from the above discussion, it does leave the NVR short of a large steam locomotive until the Standard 5 returns.

 

It's obviously a shame for the NVR, but the reality is that she has only had 2 or 3 dozen steaming days in the last 2 years, due the various issues.

The effect of that are twofold... The NVR has learnt to operate without her a lot of the time, and also no doubt the BBLS funds are much depleted compared to what they hoped they would be.

The other issue is workshop space. 73050 still takes up the majority of the main overhaul shop, and is likely to for the next few years, and there is an intention to put Swedish 101 in after City of Peterborough, so opportunities for overhaul at Wansford are limited.

It will be a sad to see her go, as she has been a good workhorse at times, but in the circumstances, a sensible move for the BBLS.

The ELR will be busy with overhauls for 92 Squadron, the crab and Jinty!