Tornado

Given that Tornado needs to put some trial miles in, it is much better to get a reasonable additional income by offering DE trips. There may well also be some extra spending by people/family going with the "drivers".

 

And how much coal do you think it will use? At £350/ton it will soon eat into that without considering any hire fees.

 

One has to wonder if the management are in the right job. The loco. is still not 'right'. They just seem to be lurching from one crisis to another. It's a magnificent bit of kit, a credit and a legacy to those at Darlington who had the vision, get the thing in a shed and sort it out once and for all, get the thing fit and healthy and back on the main line where it belongs. There's a fella at Heywood who would not have tolerated this shambles

 

I think its common sense, as I have said before, get Christmas and new year over, the mainline scene will then be quieter, Tyseley can then arrange the test runs, do whatever snagging is required, and hopefully announce the first A1 tour in spring 2025, tthen with the engine accepted hopefully it can then begin to repair the A1 trust's public image, as long as it does not struggle to be reliable, If it misses tour dates because it's having to be repaired, defects found and sorted out, it will be the final nail in the A1 trusts coffin.

 

Well Eastern Rail Services might have rolling stock.
This is from their Facebook page:
In preparation for a site visit tomorrow we had a shunt around and formed up a rake of mk2s. This consisted of a mk3 gen van - mk2 BUO - 3 standards - lounge car - 4 first class coaches, essentially a charter set.

Dave B

 

I think that’s what I was trying to say. Also there’s still the small question of the ETCS commissioning and testing …..

 

Well the original plan for that was to use the Old Dalby Test Track, but that changed due to a landslip on it. I believe that has been sorted, so given the close proximity Tornado now is to the Test Track maybe the ETCS testing might revert to the original plan.

Dave B

 

Nope, just saying that there's a main line a few miles away from Wansford.

 

During 60007's last ticket, we booked and paid for a experience with her, the cost £600.07.
Never happened due to mechanical issues, preventing her getting to the line that was due to hire her.
That was 10 years ago, at least, so £600 now, probably represents the going rate.

 

What, to your knowledge, is wrong with it?

 

To my eyes at least it seemed to be happily puffing away on the NVR at the end of October?

 

But the demands on it taking 6 coaches over the Nene Valley at 25mph are much lower than that of taking twice that load over the mainline at 3 times the speed. With the amount of reserve power a loco as large as Tornado has, it can probably handle a service train out of Wansford quite easily even if it's not at 100% condition. That's not to say I know if something's wrong with it, and if so, what it is. It's just to make the point that just because a month ago it was hauling trains on a preserved line, doesn't mean it's ready to go back on the mainline yet

 

D'you know, I'd never have guessed that? How silly of me.

 

I think jumping to conclusions about her period of inactivity, when they could have been working to resolve issues with the first install of ECRTM (i think), is probably nearer the truth.
In the back of my mind i wonder if they are being recompensed by NR for the delays and issues, prior to mainline testing.
However a simple update email would no doubt help the situation.

 

Sorry, but that's far too sensible a conclusion for this thread!

 

It is conceivable that time has continued to be lost sorting out ETCS, but if so the Trust should have said so.

 

I've no idea, I'm not involved.

 

I think this ultimately is the biggest issue people have had with the trust over the last year or more - the lack of updates, clarity and honesty about troubles they are facing and seeming instead to be trying to paint a picture of 'everything is fine' despite evidence to the contrary. A cynic would say it gives the impression that there is something they are trying to hide

 

They also may be tied into a confidentiality agreement, to protect NR, hence the lack of real updates???