Telegrammed by Eboracum (50A)
Who knew kettles could be so much fun?
On page 7 of the latest issue of Steam Railway there is the following line:
The real prospect of a ‘Scotsman’ that can ‘suck’ as well as ‘blow’ will come as a huge relief to all enthusiasts.
I’m speechless!
Telegrammed by Eboracum (50A)
The sharp eyed cranks amongst you will have noticed that all the recent test runs of new ‘Uber Kettle’ Tornado have been crewed by EWS rather than the expected operator West Coast Railways.
How can this be?
Alas, it would appear that the A1 Trust declined to paint the loco in BR Brunswick Green.
So the loco, in battleship grey, is now running on an EWS ticket.
Surprisingly the choice of photographic grey has proved surprisingly beneficial to the A1 trust.
Not least because it helped show off the logo of test run sponsor National Express to great effect.
Indeed so great was the horde of spectators lining the route of the first test run that Railway Eye understand a sponsor for the second mainline test has already been signed up...
UPDATE: A reader writes:
"It appears there is an inaccuracy with your latest post about Tornado - a sponsor for the 'second mainline test' is unlikely to have been found, because all 3 tests (light engine, 60mph and 75mph) have all been completed successfully.
Indeed, her next appearance in a few weeks time will be in apple green with British Railways on the tender."
Railway Eye stands corrected!
Telegrammed by Eboracum (50A)
Time is running out for ex Porterbrook flagship locomotive 55016 Gordon Highlander.
A group of Deltic cranks are busy saving up their used stamps, tinfoil and milk bottle tops in a desperate last ditch attempt to save the loco but despite this there seems to be no agreement in place on how this might be done.
With scrap prices remaining firm current owner Harry Needle Railroad Company is known to be comfortable wielding the gas-axe to convert D9016 into razor blades.
Curiously HNRC's near neighbours at Barrow Hill; The Deltic Preservation Society and the Napier Power Heritage Trust have remained silent about the whole affair and are probably saving their pennies for the expected spares windfall.
These parts are well needed bearing in mind DPS reliability problems over the last two years.
With the loco's last official outing at Peak Rail this weekend at least one crank website is trying to organise a 'protest' over the threatened scrapping.
Perhaps Peak Rail need to draft in their uniformed Nazi battle re-enactors to quell any potential civil unrest?
Telegrammed by Eboracum (50A)
The RAIB report into the collision of a train with a demolished footbridge at Barrow upon Soar was published today.
Section 9 of the report is reproduced below
"The causal factor was that the lorry driver forgot to fully lower the body of the lorry
because he was distracted from his normal routine by having to unlock the cab passenger
door to allow access for the COSS."
The COSS is of course the Controller of Site Safety – or perhaps not!
Telegrammed by Eboracum (50A)
Despite NEG’s promise that GNER’s high customer service standards would be maintained on the ECML this seems not to be the case.
Yesterday late afternoon 3 out of four sets of the automatic doors into
Perhaps passenger numbers would be a little higher if they could actually get into the station in the first place!
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