Sunset Steam Express. Selected Tuesdays, July/August 2022 (Windsor trips cancelled)

The move that Mayflower was making to Crewe today (which was then reverted at Willesden and it returned to Southall) was supposedly for it to get Air brakes fitted.

Pretty much all of Steam Dreams' current trips are now 'awaiting a confirmed loco', a lot of the Windsor / Sunset runs are the same, except for the ones that were due to have Bahamas hauling them.

The question is, how can Bahamas still do the trips if she, equally, isn't on LSL's books and to my knowledge, not air braked? Surely if Steam Dreams have taken Mayflower off of the trips for now they would've done the same for a loco that certainly isn't on LSL's books compared to 61306 which now is.

 

Bahamas isn’t air braked

 

Presumably as there appears not to be a full rake of Mk1's for Saphos at the moment, then I guess the SD tours will be Mk2 coffins going forward.

 

That's what I thought on both fronts. It's just odd that Steam Dreams have taken 61306 off of almost all its trips, but not Bahamas.

 

I assume the kitchen car from the Steam Dreams/WCRC rake is included in the deal?

LSL have only got one set of steam stock at the moment. Not sure how they'll be able to run Steam Dreams tours, the Saphos set is out once or twice a week over the summer. Or as mentioned by @Gladiator 5076 , will it be coffins?

 

Bahamas is down to work a couple of them but I don’t think support crew resources will allow them to do any more.

 

Climbing well through Gomshall, with a few slips, quickly corrected. Rain had just cleared (with a rainbow) and the sun appeared in the nick of time. Short video here:


From what I read above this was presumably the last such run, unbeknown to me at the time of shooting! One never knows what's around the corner. It explains why none of the tour sites I have looked at have any more Windsor or SSE runs from now on. The Surrey hills route is losing its steam fast.

 

Thoughts from outside looking in.....

Workings which have been bid (hopefully 14 weeks before operation) will be assigned to which ever TOC bid them.
At the moment even regular trains like the Windsor Shuttles and evening Surrey Hills are bid on a trip by trip basis for each individual date of operation.
Following this change of operators, the following things need to be considered.

Does the LSL safety case include operation of VB trains?
Fitting AB to a loco is complex but not beyond the abilities of many workshops.
The stock normally used by Steam Dreams was in part the old Mid Hants green train formed of early mark 2 coaches. I understand that it's not possible to convert mark 2 stock
to dual brake operation. ( Query, not enough strengthened mounting points for a second set of brake gear.) Do LSL have enough AB stock to run the Steam Dreams operation in the south?

The trains have been advertised. Cancelling them will give LSL a bad press.
LSL can't hike the prices too quickly to their normal levels otherwise they will loose custom in a sensitive market.

Operationally -
WCRC give up the paths. Then A.N. Other operator could bid into the white space. Pure chance that it's LSL..... if not COLAS, GBRf or Heavy Haul will get in for ballast trains!
WCRC agree with LSL and they both bid a change of TOC for each path. ( From what I remember the admin and politics are awful, but the change in the computer system is easy.)
WCRC have an attach of "sour puss" and keep the booked paths and don't use them just to spite LSL.
Which train crew will they use? LSL don't have any "Southern" train crews and hire in from other operators. I can't see WCRC being prepared to co-operate.

Cheers, Neil

 

An 8k video frame from the noisy ascent of Gomshall bank.

 

Bahamas is no longer listed as running on 28 June and 2 August.

Sent from my SM-A125F using Tapatalk

 

It looks as if Saphos are taking over the working or cancelling the train. Maybe we could have an A4 on it! My understanding is that if the path is allocated to West Coast Saphos can only use it if they are not. I would think that WC will be rather upset at losing SD so suddenly so I assume, if they wanted to be awkward, they could just run a light diesel over the route to keep them out. This is only my understanding so someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Also the matter that Bahamas isn't air braked so wouldn't be able to haul LSL stock. Wouldn't say no to the A4 though!

 

It's also not registered with LSL. No loco has to be air braked, just have an air pump and a combined brake valve for working air braked trains. I think this is the situation with SNG. Clan Line isn't air braked so when it's working with DBC the loco is steam braked, the tender is vacuum and the train is air.

 

Timings for next Tuesdays runs. Oddly there is only one Windsor shuttle, with the stock being servied at Battersea Loop vice Willesden:
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...8/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=LS

 

I wonder if LSL realise there is only limited road access to Battersea Yard via the Dogs Home for watering the stock or loco?

Cheers, Neil

 

Would think so as The Royal Charter ECS with 70000 also went to Battersea Loop, so its a practice they've done before.

 

Based on the pool of locos on the SD site you could have your wish.

Motive power is likely to be from a pool of steam locomotives including; 61306 Mayflower, 34046 Braunton, 70000 Britannia, 46100 Royal Scot, 35028 Clan Line, 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley and various Black Fives.