Classes 44/45/46 on mainline tours?

[31160]

Well the problem is as i see it both the tours listed forvthe peak will be sold out well before it becomes clear if the peak is ready, now if the 37's turn up will i be disappointed, hell yes but if you wait to make sure you wont get on anyway, so u pays your money and takes your chance, and £129 first on a refurbished first class coach vs £115 standard on one of pathfinders/riveiras rolling wreaks ,dark/cold coaches i know where's my moneys going

 

[xotGD]

I am guessing you don't really remember peaks on the mainline for you to ask that question.
I still have memories from service trains and specials - my first special was 4th December 1978 with 45008 Paddington-Doncaster and Lincoln-St Pancras on the RPPR Lincolnshire Coaster. The run up the MML at night with Guy Fawkes night bonfires visible and the warm slipstream out the huge grille on the side of the 45 were utterly hellfire.

My final peak tour was probably the class 46 farewell "Lynn Liner" tour with 46026 and it's stunning run back to the west. Had to bale at Westbury for a Crompton to Bristol and a 45/1 on the Glasgow sleeper.

37s are for kids who don't remember those 16 wheeled Sulzer leviathans.

If you check out my records over on the 'Back in the Day' thread you'll see that I had a lot of Peaks back in the 80s. I had a bit of a soft spot for the 46s, being local Gateshead locos. But given the choice of a Peak or a Syphon? Well, an easy decision.

 

[Wyrleybart]

If you check out my records over on the 'Back in the Day' thread you'll see that I had a lot of Peaks back in the 80s. I had a bit of a soft spot for the 46s, being local Gateshead locos. But given the choice of a Peak or a Syphon? Well, an easy decision.

Fair play, and each to their own. 37s certainly have their place - Scotland and Wales secondary routes. I loved those ED and IS 37/0s back then, but they couldn't really achieve the magic of a peak in full flight on a 100mph route.

Oi, us kids can like both 37s and Peaks lol I may lean more towards EE stuff generally, but I can appreciate/enjoy a Sulzer-powered machine just as much.

Perhaps this is a sign of my age, but I've personally never really understood this EE v. Sulzer business at least as far as the sometimes ahem... passionate debate that can occur between bashers/enthusiasts on either side of it is concerned. The way I see it, simplistic and ripe for tearing apart as it is, is that you can like either EE or Sulzer or both. Nothing wrong with any of those preferences as far as I'm concerned.

(wonder how many people I'll end up annoying with this post lol)

I am right with you "Strathclyder." My all time fave class were the boilered 25s closely followed by the 40s and the peaks. It is then a matter of the other Sulzers, then 37s etc

 

[Stathern Jc]

It would be great if a Peak was able to get some runs on the main lines.
I know it wasn't their stamping ground but I'd love to hear one singing up the hill to Slochd.

 

[Wyrleybart]

It would be great if a Peak was able to get some runs on the main lines.
I know it wasn't their stamping ground but I'd love to hear one singing up the hill to Slochd.

Ironically, wasn't D8 based on the Strathspey railway for a short time in preservation ?
Boat of Garten - B.R. 'Peak' class 44008 | During its brief … | Flickr

 

[45076]

Its down to costs. To get mainline certification costs a fortune, bogies would need a full and thorough overhaul. All the new blackbox recording systems plus any new versions of monitoring equipment would be needed. Then there's the question of insurance if one failed on the mainline. Would there be sufficient demand for a loco after the first couple of tours?
Loco services Ltd are having 45118 fully refurbished at Barrow Hill as has been said on here, thats great news but lets face it that company can afford to do that.

 

[Wyrleybart]

Its down to costs. To get mainline certification costs a fortune, bogies would need a full and thorough overhaul. All the new blackbox recording systems plus any new versions of monitoring equipment would be needed. Then there's the question of insurance if one failed on the mainline. Would there be sufficient demand for a loco after the first couple of tours?
Loco services Ltd are having 45118 fully refurbished at Barrow Hill as has been said on here, thats great news but lets face it that company can afford to do that.

Indeed, and is probably the only company to, now that 45112 seems to have become a static ETHEL at Wetmore. And that is not to criticise it's owner at all.

 

[47827]

Its down to costs. To get mainline certification costs a fortune, bogies would need a full and thorough overhaul. All the new blackbox recording systems plus any new versions of monitoring equipment would be needed. Then there's the question of insurance if one failed on the mainline. Would there be sufficient demand for a loco after the first couple of tours?
Loco services Ltd are having 45118 fully refurbished at Barrow Hill as has been said on here, thats great news but lets face it that company can afford to do that.

Yes, correct. Unless the owners or "sponsors" of a particular loco have amounts starting at £100k+ they can simply afford to never see again (however its received/earned) then regardless of the condition of the locomotive it'll likely never get off a preserved railway under its own power. A few groups with aggressive fundraising teams, strong member bases or just darn good luck (say a few wealthy donors) have bucked the trend - see 40145/D1015 etc. I'm a shareholder of one of the only class 47s (580) - that held such a lucky status. It begun with Vintage Trains supporting the return to mainline use then WCRC taking several years more worth of semi regular hire work that raised enough to keep "Essex" on the mainline and the upkeep of 367+596. Whilst the loco is still in ticket it's not likely to see another period of similar use after generator repairs as the tyres are thin (on last turn and only good for 75mph) and need replacing and repairs were expensive. We have 2 other locos to keep with limited resources and volunteer labour with income being thin now for the last 3 years. There are funds to replace 580s wheels left over in the post hire war chest but it could jeopardise things thereafter especially as we don't think there will be so much use this time around to attract hire fees thus if anything goes wrong with a large repair bill it could kill off the group entirely.

 

[Cowley]

With the relatively recent return of multiple class 40 locomotives to mainline railtour haulage and the crowds these locomotives draw; it got me wondering why there seems to be no Peak haulage on similar tours despite the relatively high number of these locomotives that are preserved? Other locomotives from their time period appear very popular, so it seems logical that the Peaks would be too?

Do any of the preserved 44/45/46’s venture onto the mainline or are there any future plans for them to do so?

Looks like the Peak Fairy was listening @Iskra …

THE TORBAY DELIGHT

inter-city.co.uk

Travel in First Class comfort in our InterCity carriages, hauled by our Class 45 ‘Peak’ locomotive 45118 The Royal Artilleryman, subject to availability. The palm trees that are dotted about the centre of the town give the impression that you’re on a continental holiday and you can imagine yourself being almost anywhere in the world!

To be fair whenever I’ve been in Paignton I haven’t managed to get it mixed up with Monaco…

 

[Iskra]

Looks like the Peak Fairy was listening @Iskra …

THE TORBAY DELIGHT

inter-city.co.uk

To be fair whenever I’ve been in Paignton I haven’t managed to get it mixed up with Monaco…

And picking up from Sheffield too, can’t be a coincidence that

Although there is a big IF in there…

Should I book on, I’ll be heading to Dartmouth and the Steam Railway. Sorry Paignton.

 

[Cowley]

And picking up from Sheffield too, can’t be a coincidence that

Although there is a big IF in there…

Should I book on, I’ll be heading to Dartmouth and the Steam Railway.

If so then I might meet you down there.

 

[Iskra]

If so then I might meet you down there.

I will let you know! I’m 50/50 on doing that one or the Midland Pullman to Fort William…

 

[Skymonster]

Really want to book on this but if the 45 isn’t ready a pair of bags of bolts wouldn’t be an acceptable alternative…

 

[Iskra]

Really want to book on this but if the 45 isn’t ready a pair of bags of bolts wouldn’t be an acceptable alternative…

I can understand that, it really changes the tour.

However, would you want to miss out if it did run as advertised…