Steam Failures 2010

Is 2010 an exceptional year or are there significantly more examples of steam loco failures this year? How many loco's has the mainline lost this year with the obvious impact on railtours? Clan Line, Oliver Cromwell, Tangmere, Tornado, Duke of Gloucester and others are under repair. Diseasal replacements will only harm the "Joe Public" market as they turn up for a steam ride and get a box. The knock on effect into 2011 could be alarming if people think they have had a bad return on their investment.

This is not a criticism of the owners who deserve all the respect and support for the work they do on these old beasts. The time and money they spend on keeping our hobby alive is truly appreciated. Just wondered if 2010 had been an unlucky year.

 

Nowt wrong with any of the Stanier locos though. Scots Guardsman has had a hiccup and, hopefully, is over that now.

 

Its whats called running a railway! These things happen.

Am sure that most would prefer the tour to run, whilst maybe having the dissapointment of having a diesel, rather than have a wasted day out

 

I feel the use of the words "nowt" and "Stanier" in the same sentence indicates you may well come come from a part of the country where logging down the failures of steam locos that run around with that strange hooting noise and jammed open cylinder cocks is not an acceptable hobby! (wink).

In the same way that some of us who speak proper like I do, would not spend much time noting down locos that slip and slide on hilly restarts or have injector failures!

But yes. It doesn't seem to be a very good year. I do wonder if there is any underlying and common cause.

Is it possible that the age profile of those fully experienced in steam operation is taking it's toll now?

Are we moving towards a merging of individual groups into a smaller number of loco owners/operators where expertise is more concentrated than now? And maybe where the opportunity increases for training more people to take steam further into the 21st century?

I did raise the question of nominated long term steam routes recently. A concentrating of physical and manpower resources could be part of that. More so than at present. Difficult and expensive yes. But maybe such strategic thinking and subsequent action could be the only way to see main line steam continue beyond the immediate future?

 

Maybe if you had spent good money on accommodation etc and your reason was, say, TBE and you got a box instead of the pretty Coast train I think most would be bitterly disappointed. If you have a family and promise the kids Gordon, Henry etc and you get BoCo I think you will feel let down.

We seem to have a reduced stock available at the moment with a higher number of tours, as Saggin dragon points out. The market has a core of enthusiasts but that is not sufficient alone. The Day Trippers are the majority and they think they have bought something specific. If you have shelled out £100's for a trip and not got what you bought, would you buy again?

Are we over reaching ourselves on the number of tours?

 

Its a fine balance between there being enough operational loco's to meet the needs of the rail tour operators... Too many and one suspects that there isnt enough work to go round and i thought that this was going to be the case this year but; Royal Scott never happened, then no Tornado, Clan line and Oliver cromwell for a month or two and all of a sudden the subs bench is empty...

 

How much does it really cost to light up two locomotives the night before instead of one, and let one simmer for the day ?

I mean their must be crew available as they pull out the rescue diesel on demand.. why not a steam locomotive on standby ?

 

FTR exam costs for one thing. The diesel crew may not be passed for steam so even if they are available at short notice, they may not be available to drive the steam loco. Not only that but you'd need someone to tend to the loco all the while it was in steam. Don't you think if it was cheap and easy to provide a back up loco, the organisers would do just that?

 

Not a chance. Box = refund as far as I'm concerned if the failure occurs beforehand. Even more so if you've got to take time off and /or book accommodation, connecting trains etc. The other worry I have is the disruption to other TOCs if the failure is during the run. That's what will do for steam tours, as much as disenchanted punters. Iain

 

Surely thats the quickest way to send tour companies bankrupt. Read the small print, locos subject to availability etc. etc. Im sure a 67 on the Torbay last week-end upset 99% of the passengers but TEL could not be blamed and its them who would lose out by refunding monies,ie post etc.
Although kettle heads come out with the old chestnut "It as though its alive" its not,its a piece of machinery,it breaks down.
Even the best machines, D1015 Western Champion that is, break down so lesser ones will

 

If the steam loco fails on the train, fair enough. If it fails beforehand, then surely you postpone if possible? Otherwise you should give the punters the choice - refund or go with the box? I'd rather take a postponement myself.

 

Agreed. But I do feel Tour Promoters should build this into their pricing: unless the market is so price sensitive they cannot risk doing that. In which case any 100% steam enthusiast turning up to find a box on the train is well and truly b.ggered.

Didn't we go over all this ground on the fire risk thread?

 

If it fails the day before, the problem is trying to get hold of all the passengers, so it is more likely a tour will go ahead with a boxl. When Bittern failed its FTR the day before a trip to York, Steam Dreams were informed at 9.00PM.

At moment we are missing Tangmere and Cromwell, which will fit almost anywhere, powerful enough for most tours, passed for 75mph, and have large support crews, so might be able to cover at short notice.

 

As one of the affected customers on Sunday's Torbay Express, here's my view.

I was very disappointed that 71000 failed. However, I do not feel it was any fault of TEL's, it was just one of the risks I take when I book a steam tour.

I still had a great day out. The Torbay Express is not just about the motive power, it's a leisurely trip down to the English Riviera, as it has always been, with the ride along the Dawlish coast as one of the highlights, and 4-5 hours in Paignton, Kingswear and Dartmouth. It's a reserved seat in heritage chocolate and cream stock, with attentive (and entertaining!) staff. It's the chance to ride the Paignton and Dartmouth Railway in the Devon Belle observation car behind one of their superb GWR steam loco's. etc etc. I got all of that, and reasonably nice weather to boot. And most of the families waiting at the lineside still waved and smiled at the train, rather than scowling.

In fact the biggest blot on the day was not the bright orange "celebrity diesel" on the front, it was actually the fact that when we got there, there was a floating block of flats totally dominating the harbour 200 yards away from the station!



You think a class 67 is ugly? You've seen nothing till you see something like this ruining one of the most beautiful harbour views in England.

Anyway, I'm not blaming TEL for that either!

I've given my opinion on this before, but in a nutshell, I'd still like TEL to be there running the train next year, not in liquidation. They cannot carry the risk in this situation and I accept that I do have to. They did all they could on the day to explain and apologise, and we still got a super day out with good treatment. I'll catch up with 71000 another day and it will then be like it never happened. I'll probably take the trip again next year, hopefully behind 6024.

So if you're feeling indignant on my behalf, there's really no need.

 

If you shelled out £100+ for first class seating and got revamped second, is that a cause for complaint as well?
If so, my advice is NOT to book first class on the Cambrian this year!

Frank N.

 

Surely for another thread and feel free to start it. Shell out £100s for Premier Dining and have no lights in the coach when the train slows!

 

I don't doubt the many logistical and financial arguments for running with a 'box', and they are all valid to an extent. But if you're Joe Public, and most are, you have paid good money for a STEAM hauled excursion. Otherwise you would have used the car or a normal service train, or maybe if you wanted just the heritage stock, one of the cheaper box hauled alternatives. In the open market place, I think you risk alieanting your customer base if you don't offer an alternative to the box (e.g. refund, postponment, discount off another tour etc). Remember that we view things differently through our rose-tinted specs.