'Weymouth Seaside Express', 2014

Flight without landing gear, leaking fuel comes to my mind.

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Official-Dads-Army-Panic-Boxed/dp/B0065GFA7Q

''Don't panic''. <BJ>

 

Wonderful acceleration departing from Bath this evening .....Braunton was also in attendance. The train was running
27 mins early from Bath, arriving at Bristol 31 early. I wonder why that was? Answers on a postcard please.

Thank goodness we still have the Torbay Express. <BJ>

 

This is getting beyond a joke. The driver in the diesel is possibly culpable by just having a go, sod the passengers who have paid good money. If someone tells me that the crew on Braunton may have requested assistance, then I will reject that as a stupid response. If I was a passenger today, and unfortunately I was unable to be, then on arrival at BTM, I would have headed to the rear and asked what the heck he was doing!

 

What is the criteria on this? Is there some sort of guideline which should be strictly adhered to, ie assist as & when only required or at the box drivers' whim because he is probably p£$%^d off at having to work on a Sunday (a bank holiday one at that) probably on at least double time. So he thought he would ruin everybody's day because his was.
Reading on here it seems "assistance" was provided unnecessarily.
If this was the case & proven, he should be hauled up on a disciplinary hearing.

 

You wouldn't be the only one! I wouldn't mince my words either.

 

Well if you're happy to pay good money to be shoved around by a diesel then fair enough but there's quite a few who are less than happy at parting with their cash only to find the steam is largely for show.

 

Please note that I am NOT the only one with these views as you can probably see. I just word it differently, say it as I see it.
Can you explain why 34046 was being apparently being shoved around all day then?

 

I travelled on the WSE two weeks ago, behind 34046/47 237. Never again (if it runs next year). It was a complete disappointment in comparison with the Torbay Express, on which I'd travelled the previous week. The latter was extremely exhilarating, 5029 being really allowed to "do her stuff".

Today's return trip, at Stratton (between Dorchester & Maiden Newton)

​

 

To be honest, I was on the train, and the only time I heard the diesel working was up Evershot, when Braunton had been taken off. Most of the time I could hear Braunton, though... And I was in the buffet car, in the middle of the train.

Between Bath and Bristol was the best running of the day... There may have been assistance, but the Bulleid chatter and glowing soot hitting me in the face said Braunton was providing enough effort as it was.

Though I wasn't on the platform at the time, during the water stop at Frome, the hose apparently detached from the tender and started spraying the people on the platform who'd come to take a closer look

 

Nice to see the usual speculation is still rife on NP.

 

A couple of quotes from the passengers. <BJ>

''As an aside, did have to chuckle a bit at Frome on return when fire engine hose detached on platform soaking some passengers and onlookers''.

''Felt sorry for those soaked by the fire hose at Frome, I was lucky enough to be stood by the loco just out of shot of the water. People had to travel on the train totally soaked through''.

 

Nice to hear an account from someone who was actually on the train! Now before anyone starts - I do not subscribe to the theory that only those who travel on the steam tours are allowed to comment. They may however be able to present a more accurate picture of what was happening over the duration of the tour rather than at isolated locations.

I think we have to give West Coast crews some credit for knowing what they are doing in operating these trains. They are all very experienced drivers and I'm sure that the steam/diesel drivers do agree in advance when and where assistance is needed. From what I've seen many West Coast drivers drive both forms of traction so it's funny how a driver can be a hero one week when he's on the steam loco and a villain next week when he's on the diesel!

 

Agreed but previous seasons have been box free on the WSE runs - fire ban excepted - so it would be interesting to learn why diesel assistance was required yesterday.