Misc steam railway, traction, station and rail-related news

[Dogsauce]

Plenty of nice vintage diesels out there, I’m sure a few more rusting in the sidings of preserved lines could be rehabilitated.

I suspect some ‘steam’ lines might have to do a few oil-burning conversions to keep going, maybe on stuff that has limited historical appeal like austerity tank engines or something.

Portugal has converted the broad gauge steam loco they use for special trains to oil, partly down to lack of a domestic coal supply and also to reduce risk of lineside fires.

 

[teuchter]

Don't tell anyone but i won't be complaining if some steam engines get swapped out for some vintage diesel this summer.

Could also be a bit of an issue with diesel prices of course ...

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Plenty of nice vintage diesels out there, I’m sure a few more rusting in the sidings of preserved lines could be rehabilitated.

hmm

not convinced that heritage diesels will get the general public all that interested...

 

[StoneRoad]

Quite a proportion of passengers aren't too bothered what's on the front of the train - speaking from experience, as an ex-guard on a heritage railway.

Converting [back in some cases] to oil-burners, or trying some variety of ecologically friendly coal is going to make for an interesting summer or two for most lines.

 

[cybershot]

Once you're on it, anything could be pulling it.

 

[hash tag]

Quite a proportion of passengers aren't too bothered what's on the front of the train - speaking from experience, as an ex-guard on a heritage railway.

Converting [back in some cases] to oil-burners, or trying some variety of ecologically friendly coal is going to make for an interesting summer or two for most lines.

I/we wouldn't cross the road for an oil burner but are happy to travel miles for a steamer. It is for this reason we travelled up to the East Lancs on a Saturday rather than a Sunday
and it was well worth the drive and the effort. A great and very nostalgic day out.

 

[StoneRoad]

I/we wouldn't cross the road for an oil burner but are happy to travel miles for a steamer. It is for this reason we travelled up to the East Lancs on a Saturday rather than a Sunday
and it was well worth the drive and the effort. A great and very nostalgic day out.

That, I think, is the main difference between a "steam enthusiast" and the majority of the "general public", certainly of those who decide to travel on heritage / tourist railways.
Having said that, coal powered steam has an aroma & ambiance all of it's own, so much so that sometimes oil-firing the same loco produces a very different feeling, even if the route is the same. Experienced exactly that difference over the changes on a certain North Wales narrow-gauge line ...

 

[hash tag]

A steam engine is a living, breathing, powerful beast with bags of character and charm which I/we do not see in diesels.

 

[Storm Fox]

A steam engine is a living, breathing, powerful beast with bags of character and charm which I/we do not see in diesels.

I think Class 37s and Deltics blur that line a little, but generally I agree.

 

[editor]

Almost like the 1950s!

 

[StoneRoad]

A steam engine is a living, breathing, powerful beast with bags of character and charm which I/we do not see in diesels.

Don't disagree ...

But I would contend that a few 'heritage' diesels do have some character - note. I don't say charm - that can be appreciated.
And at times, such as high fire risk - or as "thunderbirds", diesels do have a part to play.

 

[editor]

This does look rather lovely, no?

 

[hash tag]

Don't disagree ...

But I would contend that a few 'heritage' diesels do have some character - note. I don't say charm - that can be appreciated.
And at times, such as high fire risk - or as "thunderbirds", diesels do have a part to play.

This was visiting East Lancs while we were there

 

[StoneRoad]

This does look rather lovely, no?

That's going to get some [paint] froth going ...

It is certainly different !

 

[Puddy_Tat]

This does look rather lovely, no?

personally, no.

 

[mx wcfc]

personally, no.

I'm with Puddy on this one.

 

[davesgcr]

Sir Felix Pole - GM of the GWR and sadly blind at the end of his life made the comment that the only value of his blindness was the inability to see the blue livery that that the King Class engines carried post nationalisation. (or some did anyway)


The Porterbrook livery of a class 57 or an ex 47 in purple , to my prejudiced eye looked awful. "Chacun a son gout"

 

[Dogsauce]

Sir Felix Pole - GM of the GWR and sadly blind at the end of his life made the comment that the only value of his blindness was the inability to see the blue livery that that the King Class engines carried post nationalisation. (or some did anyway)


The Porterbrook livery of a class 57 or an ex 47 in purple , to my prejudiced eye looked awful. "Chacun a son gout"

The Deltic in Porterbrook colours was pretty rancid too.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

The Deltic in Porterbrook colours

 

[hash tag]

This does look rather lovely, no?

No

 

[T & P]

I know it’s probably been debated to death already, but for the life of me I can’t understand the logic of scheduling mainline railway works on bank holidays. Of all the weekends in the year they could pick, they choose the ones with the highest demand (due to it being a bank holiday of course).

I don’t care what anyone says, I struggle to believe the amount of disruption and inconvenience caused if such works took place on an ordinary weekend + the following Monday would be greater than fucking up hundreds of thousands of people’s Easter plans. If announced well in advance, cancelling a working day Monday is not going to break Britain?

 

[Puddy_Tat]

before covid, the number of people travelling to work on a standard monday (across the whole network - a few individual lines may be different) was a heck of a lot more than people travelling on a bank holiday.

and (unless it's in school holidays) there aren't going to be the buses / coaches (and drivers) available to do a rail replacement service.

the point of a bank holiday weekend is it means there's 3 (or 4) days they can be working on stuff before they need to stick it all back together.

and i think there's an attitude that commuters' journeys are more time critical / important than leisure journeys.

post covid, it may be time to re-think it all, and there have been some blockades that have lasted 9 days across a half term holiday week (think a large chunk of the brighton main line was closed in february this year.)

 

[quiet guy]

I know it’s probably been debated to death already, but for the life of me I can’t understand the logic of scheduling mainline railway works on bank holidays. Of all the weekends in the year they could pick, they choose the ones with the highest demand (due to it being a bank holiday of course).

I don’t care what anyone says, I struggle to believe the amount of disruption and inconvenience caused if such works took place on an ordinary weekend + the following Monday would be greater than fucking up hundreds of thousands of people’s Easter plans. If announced well in advance, cancelling a working day Monday is not going to break Britain?

But this is the British way of doing things. Fuck up the most routes for the most people.

 

[T & P]

before covid, the number of people travelling to work on a standard monday (across the whole network - a few individual lines may be different) was a heck of a lot more than people travelling on a bank holiday.

and (unless it's in school holidays) there aren't going to be the buses / coaches (and drivers) available to do a rail replacement service.

the point of a bank holiday weekend is it means there's 3 (or 4) days they can be working on stuff before they need to stick it all back together.

and i think there's an attitude that commuters' journeys are more time critical / important than leisure journeys.

post covid, it may be time to re-think it all, and there have been some blockades that have lasted 9 days across a half term holiday week (think a large chunk of the brighton main line was closed in february this year.)

Regarding the paragraph I’ve highlighted in your post above, I guess that’s what bothers me. In this day and age (and before Covid as well if I’m honest), having to postpone a business trip to Manchester from a Monday to the Tuesday in a random calendar week cannot possibly affect as many people nor be as disrupting as fucking up the busiest leisure travel weekend outside of Christmas in the year.

 

[teuchter]

and (unless it's in school holidays) there aren't going to be the buses / coaches (and drivers) available to do a rail replacement service.

There is however rather more reliance now on bus replacements than previously. Relatively rare now to see large scale rail diversions. The system as a whole somewhat less flexible than it used to be.

 

[teuchter]

Regarding the paragraph I’ve highlighted in your post above, I guess that’s what bothers me. In this day and age (and before Covid as well if I’m honest), having to postpone a business trip to Manchester from a Monday to the Tuesday in a random calendar week cannot possibly affect as many people nor be as disrupting as fucking up the busiest leisure travel weekend outside of Christmas in the year.

It's those business fares that bring in the revenue though.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Regarding the paragraph I’ve highlighted in your post above, I guess that’s what bothers me. In this day and age (and before Covid as well if I’m honest), having to postpone a business trip to Manchester from a Monday to the Tuesday in a random calendar week cannot possibly affect as many people nor be as disrupting as fucking up the busiest leisure travel weekend outside of Christmas in the year.

it's not so much the occasional business trip, it is (or was) the quantity of daily commuting in to the major cities on weekdays (and around london at least, the 'commuter belt' is huge now

i'm sure the figures are there somewhere but i don't have the energy to go hunting for them now.

 

[T & P]

It's those business fares that bring in the revenue though.

I guess so, but as an ocasional occurrence I would like to think the business side of it could take the hit, at least on the most critical dates. Perhaps there’s a compromise to be had whereby additional weekends are earmarked for works in exchange for Easter and the other bank holiday weekends to be kept operational.

 

[StoneRoad]

Thing is, I don't think "the commute" is as demanding of special protection as it was pre-covid.
The remote working model during the first Lockdowns proved that it was possible to exist without relying on being in the office at all hours.
It also proved that having greater flexibility & work/life balance was also practicable.

The reason we are up the creek without a paddle is that there was far too much deferred maintenance and far too many avoiding routes were axed, all in the {false} aim of "saving" money ...

 

[Dogsauce]

A good chance some of these major engineering works were planned before Covid was around, some take years of planning and booking in.