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Edinburgh Explorer II

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4SRKT

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On the Spitfire website it now says that the Fife Circle mini-tour will be operated by 'WCRC traction' rather than the 50s. Is this a coded way of saying it will be a duff? 37s would be an excellent substitute, but a duff not so. I suppose it is Spitfire keeping their options open, but it'd be nice to know in advance so I can get my £££ back for the mini-tour and just spend the time in Edinburgh instead.
 
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4SRKT

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If it turns out to be tractors then I will be very happy indeed. However the vagueness of 'WCRC traction' leads me to fear the worst. If it was going to be tractors they'd be shouting it from the rooftops.
 

Chester025

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I would assume it would be 47s/Ronnie otherwise it would slow the train down affecting the timings?
 

table38

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Further down their page it says:

THE MINI TOUR ROUTE (with WCRC Class 47/57) EDINBURGH-Niddrie Jun-Haymarket West Jun-North Queensferry-Inverkeithing-Rosyth-Dunfermline Town-Cowdenbeath-Cardenden-Thornton West Jn-Thornton South Jn-Kirkcaldy-Burntisland-Inverkeithing Central Jn-Inverkeithing-North Queensferry-Haymarket West Jun-Niddrie Jun-EDINBURGH
 

4SRKT

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This is very bad news.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
I would assume it would be 47s/Ronnie otherwise it would slow the train down affecting the timings?

A pair of tractors wouldn't, and it's booked for 3 hours round the circle so frankly a single 31 probably wouldn't struggle! ;)
 

Chester025

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A pair of tractors wouldn't, and it's booked for 3 hours round the circle so frankly a single 31 probably wouldn't struggle! ;)

No, what I meant was if it was on the back all day it would restrict the train to 80mph vice 95mph with a 47/57 on.

Anyway it's by the by really as it is shown as 47/57 on the website!
 

Drimnagh Road

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Ah, so it's going around by the Edinburgh suburban, was wondering how it could possibly take over three hours to do the Fife circle, when the scheduled 67 hauled all shacks only take two... Still looks like a stagger though.

If 57001 were to appear though, that would be desperate move time...
 

142094

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Least this mini-tour is still going ahead (although I understand the traction is not to taste!) - The Sand Blower from York a few weeks ago was rescheduled then cancelled. Good job I thought ahead - so had a nice day bashing the units in Yorkshire.
 

4SRKT

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Now there's a picture of yet another recent Spitfire tour on their website with mostly aircons in the rake. I have a feeling that on Saturday as we find ourselves sitting in an aircon being hauled by a duff round the Fife Circle for 3 hours that my friends and I will be on our last Spitfire tour.
 
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Drimnagh Road

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The Lowland Growler III from Birmingham-Edinburgh and mini tour to Perth the following week (26th) has been thrown in the bin due to pathing issues.
 

scotsman

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Now there's a picture of yet another recent Spitfire tour on their website with mostly aircons in the rake. I have a feeling that on Saturday as we find ourselves sitting in an aircon being hauled by a duff round the Fife Circle for 3 hours that my friends and I will be on our last Spitfire tour.

scot-rail reports that it's TnT 50s due to a lack of Duffs
 

4SRKT

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scot-rail reports that it's TnT 50s due to a lack of Duffs

Really? That would be much better. I thought the duff/'snatcher would be on the back of the rake as the emergency loco and that was what would haul the set around. The mini-tour ticket has a picture of a WCRC duff on it though :(
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
What are these pathing issues that seem to bedevil Spitfire at the moment? The current adverstised Fife Circle farce with the duff on the back hauling the mini-tour via the Suburban is apparently down to not being able to get a path between Edinburgh and Haymarket, surely not a section where paths are in short supply?
 

Track Basher

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I have just cancelled my ticket for the mini tour on the 29th. That should have been doing Alloa - Dunfermline but in no longer is. Rapidly loosing patience with Spifire. I was travelling the best part of 800 miles round trip to get to the mini tour as well!
 

4SRKT

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I was too late to cancel my mini-tour ticket: already in the post. OTOH I can't imagine what I'd do in Edinburgh for nearly 6 hours on a cold winter's day. Or rather I can and collossal drunkenness would be the result. Would have been very different on the scheduled August date!
 

matt

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Now there's a picture of yet another recent Spitfire tour on their website with mostly aircons in the rake. I have a feeling that on Saturday as we find ourselves sitting in an aircon being hauled by a duff round the Fife Circle for 3 hours that my friends and I will be on our last Spitfire tour.

Standard class is usual mark 1s (or mark 2As) with first class being air-con mark 2s
 

4SRKT

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Standard class is usual mark 1s (or mark 2As) with first class being air-con mark 2s

Here's hoping....
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
57001 for the mini tour?

I've actually come around to not minding the idea of this. Certainly would rather that than a duff. My mate hates GMs though and would rather have a duff, so I'm not mentioning my preference to him!
 

142094

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Spitfire couldn't run to Monk Brerron as well due to pathing issues - hope they are not going the same way as Rail Blue. Been on a few charters with Spitfire and found them to be very good, but recent news doesn't do them a lot of good.
 

scotsman

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I was too late to cancel my mini-tour ticket: already in the post. OTOH I can't imagine what I'd do in Edinburgh for nearly 6 hours on a cold winter's day. Or rather I can and collossal drunkenness would be the result. Would have been very different on the scheduled August date!

It's really not cold up here at the moment - was 12C today, not meant to change soon either
 

theblackwatch

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Spitfire couldn't run to Monk Brerron as well due to pathing issues - hope they are not going the same way as Rail Blue. Been on a few charters with Spitfire and found them to be very good, but recent news doesn't do them a lot of good.

As far as I know there was no pathing issue with Monk Bretton - it was cancelled as WCRC could not facilitate it.
 

4SRKT

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I've always found Spitfire good in the past, but this tour has been a debacle from start to finish. Postponed from August (when it would have been a lovely time of year for it) to November (when it will be dark all the way back); timings now with earlier starts and later finishes, causing a longer time in Edinburgh at a less favourable time of year; Dewsbury stop cancelled, meaning I have to wait in Leeds for a whole hour from 06:27 to 07:29 to catch it, and also miss the hoovers through the Morley tunnel; mini-tour run with a duff or 'snatcher instead of the advertised 50s; mini-tour taking 3 hours to cover 67 miles (!). Added to this the threat of aircons and it isn't a resounding success overall. Only good development is the inclusion of the Edinburgh Suburban, and I would frankly have foregone this for the 50s on the mini-tour.
 

scotsman

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I'd come and see y'all in Edinburgh, but I have PTS training in Aviemore (everyone on the Strathspey has to complete it by 31/12/11)
 

Drimnagh Road

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What are these pathing issues that seem to bedevil Spitfire at the moment?

I think the problem is that the "provisional timings" Spitfire put up are idealistic, but the "confirmed ones" turn out to be nowhere near the provisional ones in many cases.

For example, I think the Birmingham-Edinburgh via the West Coast had provisional times off at 05:xx, arrival to Edinburgh at 12:00, mini tour departs at 12:15, and back to Birmingham at 23.xx.

So, that's already pushing it in terms of a long day and what is tolerable to normals. I suspect - like the Crewe-Fortwilliam one, Network Rail could offer an 04.xx off Birmingham and a 00.xx arrival on the return.

Pathing any charter up the WCML Northern section is a nightmare, any one I've done has generally included a 50 minute pathing stop at Lockerbie loop, and again at Beattock.
 
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