Tornado

If it is terminal, I wonder whether Belmond and DB would be interested in an enhanced programme next year which utilises both Clan Line and Tornado on the British Pullman.

 

I wonder what progress there has been in sorting rolling stock for Flying Scotsman to haul on charters? Steam Railway stated Eastern Rail Services were putting together a charter rake.
That could open the door for use by Tornado and for hire to RTC. However, I can not see them being able to deliver the same volume as West Coast. RTC need a solution now too.
Unfortunately this is the danger of monopolies and eggs all in one basket, but the warning signs have been there for a while with 10A.

 

Eastern have plenty of Mk 2 and a few Mk 3.

 

And the Mk2s cooked the passengers on a Branch Line Society tour the other week.

 

Thanks to their behaviour over the past few years, the A1SLT is left with no operator to partner with and no one to hire rolling stock from.

 

If a compromise with WCR is off the table, what would you have them do? Some work has to be better than no work?

 

I’ve read the statement 3 or 4 times over and what strikes me is the hidden detail. I infer that WCR were simply being safe operators, and asking the A1 trust to ensure their loco was fit to be used. The suggestion by the A1 group is that WCR weren’t following the long established practices of the A1 group, but surely the boss here is WCR, and it is down to the A1 group to follow WCR’s long established policies.
So for me I think there’s some hidden messaging in that statement, which implies more of this could be at the door of the A1 Trust than meets the eye

 

My initial thought was that the A1 Trust have a very strict, regimented vehicle maintenance plan, and the amount of work WCRC wanted them to undertake meant they couldn't stick to it. With 200 mile engine and coach moves between tours, it wouldn't be easy. Even the rest of RTC's programme makes it a bit of a stretch, such three tours in 8 days out of London next month.

 

Wasn't there talk earlier this year from DB about them wanting to do their own tours?

It was hinting at them getting their own coaching stock and doing regular trips ie something like the Surrey Hills. A trip that could run multiple times a year, their crews know the route and is more easier to run then training their crews on routes for one off railtours.

Now with Tornado and Scotsman added to their fleet alongside Clan Line they have the opportunity to run regular railtours, probably with Tornado at the helm and Scotsman and Clan Line stepping when they aren't busy with Heritage Lines and Belmond work respectively.

If this were to happen this would solve so many problems concerning Tornado and even Scotsman as that no longer does railtours now.

 

But you’d imagine the A1 Trust knew this when they signed up to it. I mean it was pretty obvious any air brake loco was going to get used, and if it’s FTR is a pass then use it. But again that’s just my inference of the statement

 

The support coach matter doesn’t exactly seem overly straight forward. It’s being blamed on a valve, or isolation cock, but surely if a valve like that was opened the whole train would lose air pressure not just the coach? It sounds like they are inferring it was a 7029 on Hemerdon style situation, but really to me I question that. The driver would have seen a loss of air pressure, the train itself would have lost air. So I think there’s a bit more to that too.

 

Another possibility is that the Trust are struggling for manpower - I heard recently that they were in dispute with their lead fitter.

 

Sounds like a distinct possibility to me. I certainly think WCR were doing the right thing, and more of this lies with the A1. But I could of course be barking up the wrong tree

 

As it’s the support coach then it will also be a brake too. Being dragged with the handbrake on is not exactly unusual, but I have no evidence for this. Of course blaming the veg gets personnel off the hook …..

 

But don't forget when they signed up, WCRC had 34067 available and 34028 due shortly. Now the former is reportedly out for overhaul, and no sign of the latter gracing the mainline any time soon.

RTC have 10 tours next month, WCRC four and there's a pair for Northern Belle booked for steam. 15 tours to be covered by 4 locos isn't bad (plus 35028 is booked for one RTC trip), but the same number being covered by two is going to be a struggle. If they signed up on the basis of a trip a week but are now being expected to do twice that, with no real downtime for maintenence, you can see why there's been a falling out. The support crew are virtually all volunteers as well, so it'll be hard on them as well. Bit different if they were all paid staff.

 

And if I was the Finance Director of DBC, a company that appears to have lost a lot of work, and I believe from other threads, was offering drivers the opportunity to transfer to GBRF, I would love to see the Business Case that shows that would be a profitable course of action.

 

I would agree, WCRC have a set of SOP's that they work to, A1 has a different set. I would have though the TOC SOP would trump that as they will be the ones carrying the can. But then I do look a everything through an aviation world view so maybe more I do not understand.

 

This isn't the first time that West Coast has refused to work with 60163, is it?
Pat

 

..... and all this after they painted it cow pat green to humour WCRC!