The Great Britain VIII

I found one........................

"Passengers on the train (including brother in law) are complaining about the lack of confirmed arrangements after tomorrow. According to one DBS employee speaking on arrival at Exeter steam on Wednesday is not yet certain. The stewards, when asked, don't seem to be any better informed than the passengers."

 

Or they've put together a complete rake of "Quiet Coaches" so no-one can use their mobiles.

 

I had just copied that from WNXX to post here, but you beat me to it.

 

Also a Carnforth - Carnforth Steamtown move after arrival with a further Carnforth Steamtown - Arpley Sidings move after suggesting diesel throughout

 

Here, here. I hate this situation. It is truly unprecedented. All we want is to revert to the norm which is STEAM ON THE MAINLINE.

 

Reality can hurt sometimes, and now its hurting.

 

I rest my case m'lord. I hate being right when I am chastised for providing accurate information as awful as it may be. TRUST ME. DBS finish their rota at Carnforth. BAD NEWS is hard to accept sometimes, but I reject the constant suggestions from moderators that the information is ill founded and inaccurate. Sometimes, we just GET IT RIGHT.

My main business these days is in telecoms and today I met someone, quite amazingly, who filmed 70000 near Twyford (Ruscombe actually) and who only last week was in Japan filming steam. He knew what was going on and even knew who Hatherton Hall was from the National Preservation postings! He referred to two people he knows who flew in from Tokyo with the sole purpose of shadowing the GB8 for photographic purposes. Because of the horrible situation with WCR, he is going to the narrow gauge railways in Wales for his photographs. WHAT A MASSIVE SHAME on an international scale.

 

Looks like intermittent cap shift syndrome here. As for those flying all the way from Tokyo to line side the GB8 - tough - and the one having to "make do" with Welsh n.g., I'm sure he'll survive and have great time. Sh1t happens sometimes but life goes on. As for me - four days of Irish main line steam next week and then the air show season gets into full swing. If the WCRC situation is resolved then some more trips to book, if not I'll make the trek to Bristol for a Torbay Express. There is life beyond WCRC you know and much worse things happen at sea.

 

Good post, and I really do wish people would recognise the seriousness of this situation goes well beyond the effect on one big railtour. A read of Nigel Harris's comment piece in the latest RAIL magazine, (published today) makes further disturbing reading incidentally.

 

At Carnforth. It's maroon with 47XXX on the side and tucked inside the Shed. Or on the back.

 

looks like the 5's move has ben capped

Wed 29-Apr 44871+45407: Grosmont-Shrewsbury [Times] [CANCELLED] (28/04) 2E+C

 

IMO you're ranting and saying nothing. "I hear on good authority" means nothing.

 

If HH's Japanese friends have flown 10,000 miles for steam and are prepared to drive the length and breadth of the country to get it, then nothing is stopping them. A day each on the Bluebell, West Somerset, Talyllyn, Severn Valley, Foxfield, North York Moors and Beamish, with maybe a spare day at the NRM or Shildon would give a good variety of what the country has on offer and would, I'd suggest, produce better photos than standing by a bit of track just to see a single engine flash by once with a rake of Mark IIs, probably under overhead wires...

Tom

 

Hope for RTC, steam comes on at, Plymouth, otherwise you could see a mass exodus of passengers getting off at, Bristol. And rightly so.

 

If thats the one I read last Thursday, it was quite frankly a vitriolic rant of someone who clearly has an axe to grind. I could see the wide eyed froth and spittle leap out of the page as I opened it.

 

Well it's interesting you say that as I've been a subscriber to RAIL since the late 90s, and NH has been Managing Editor throughout. As a rule his comment pieces are very pro industry, frequently lambasting the media, and especially the BBC for being biased in their coverage of matters rail. He's very pro privatisation and the current status quo as a rule so his first comment piece on this matter, (published a fortnight ago, and to which you refer), and the latest, (published today), rather surprised me, especially in the latest one, a very direct attack on a statement from the Chairman of WCR made to RAIL's sister mag, Steam Railway. I'll say no more than that.

 

I'll toddle over to my reading library (WH Smith) for a quick peruse.

 

Here is my footage of Day One's trip yesterday down to Exeter. Seen at Crofton and attacking Whiteball Bank. Despite the diesel at the rear, she did very well. Hope you enjoy.

 

I have said this elsewhere, considering the previous somewhat frosty (or at least unwillingness to engage) relationship between WCRC and various media outlets I do suspect a fair few scores are being settled in the reporting of this.

Not saying that the magnitude of this doesn't warrant detailed scrutiny and reporting but I do bear in mind that certain responses may not be entirely unbiased.

 

I know it's difficult with several closely-related threads running ATM, but can we keep this one for posts related to the GB8 tour, and make the more general comments in the "ramifications..." thread, please?

Sad though it is that tomorrow will be diesel-only, I think we need to let it go and think about Friday and beyond. Has anyone heard any news yet? Is there a plan in RTT? I couldn't find anything. What about Riley's Fives? Ian said he hoped the move was "postponed" not cancelled.