Why, haven't they got any steam?
Well Tornado was
Myself said:A steam rescue locomotive would have to be kept fired up all day on the off chance that it is needed to rescue something, that means wasting fuel and paying people to keep an eye on it. A diesel rescue locomotive can be parked up in a siding, the engine turned off, its driver deployed onto other duties and if it is required someone sent out pushes a button to start and away it goes. Which is the better option?
You have answered your own question. Interest in keeping steam on the mainline, don't see any interest in keeping many Class 33's mainline.
That's just one example! There are loads.
Im pretty sure there would be!
Why, haven't they got any steam?
Well there's always room for more! What with the East Grinstead and Ardingly extension. They are a very profitable business as well and one of the biggest tourist attractions in Sussex. People flock during the Summer to experience the power of steam haulage.
Most heritage diesel railways always look run down and tatty! Why? Well why do you think?
Well there's always room for more! What with the East Grinstead and Ardingly extension. They are a very profitable business as well and one of the biggest tourist attractions in Sussex. People flock during the Summer to experience the power of steam haulage.
Most heritage diesel railways always look run down and tatty! Why? Well why do you think?
So, hang on, let me get this straight. You want to run steam trains all over the southern region through the winter and then in the summer move all of those locos to a little heritage line (I say 'a' because you've mentioned but one)?
I'm actually laughing now.
i think quite a few people are including myself
So, hang on, let me get this straight. You want to run steam trains all over the southern region through the winter and then in the summer move all of those locos to a little heritage line (I say 'a' because you've mentioned but one)?
I'm actually laughing now.
I disagree with all of what you have said there! Mainline steam loco's have outlived most heritage loco's and they are far older, look at the Class 60 fleet most of them are in store now or at the scrap yard, they are about 2 decades old. This disproves everything you have said about diesel being more reliable. Oh and even some 66's are in store now!
At least you can see a mainline steam loco (quite a few actually), but most heritage diesel traction you can only see on private railways or at a scrap yard.
It wouldn't affect the charter market in the slightest. There are very few charters down South compared to up North so this would be tapping into a Niche market.
Well Tornado was
No your barking up the wrong tree there, I was asked whether anyone would be interested in the steam loco's if they were to be sold
in comparison to the diesel which quite frankly not many are interested in, steam is far more popular.
No your barking up the wrong tree there, I was asked whether anyone would be interested in the steam loco's if they were to be sold, in comparison to the diesel which quite frankly not many are interested in, steam is far more popular.
I was going to bed until I saw this, now I might hang around it's a laugh a minute!
slowed down now, means i have to get back on with work dam him i was enjoying that little break!
The 66s are in store because there has been a reduction in railfreight. They have been stored such that they can be brought back into service when demand increases again.
What, apart from all the diesel hauled railtours that you get on the mainline?
There's probably few charters there for a reason. If the market was there, someone would be running them already.
Tornado was used to pick up people because it was in the right place at the right time completely by chance running a charter. It did not rescue the stuck unit, it picked up the passengers from it.
If there was, someone would be making them to sell in this country. There clearly isn't as they would be little, if any, use whatsoever, and more likely a drain on resources.
What do you really think the market for modern day kettles is?
So why haven't the preserved railways that are mostly diesel all gone bust if there's no interest or demand?
Probably because of the cost and reliablity of the freight opperators and their loco's. I don't see the road haulage company's struggling in the economic downturn!
Far more types of mainline steam loco than Mainline heritage diesel traction! Clan Line is out on the VSOE via Guildford on a regular basis.
What big towns/cities like Brighton, Hastings, Eastbourne, Worthing, Chichester, Portsmouth etc. with major events and tourism? Think there's a market to tap into there. Takes one to start a trend!
But they could have said ''Oh no it's not reliable so we won't use it as a rescue loco, call in another 375''!
Well what did they do with Tornado then? That was built and sold in this country just over 2 years ago.
Seen any diesel loco's built recently in this country and sold recently? NO!
Im suprised they havn't, give it time!
This has to be one of the most insane threads I've ever seen!
Agreed! I thought it started off in a light hearted fashion, but has clearly descended into madness. I wish I'd been logged in last night, I've missed all the fun now!
In no way is it cost effective to build and maintain a fleet of steam locos for operation for two weeks of the year, and then have them spend the other eleven months chugging around preserved lines on occasional weekends.
And stored class 60s and 66s proves nothing other than a downturn in the railfreight market. If I were to use SteamBuffer100s’ skewed argument, then clearly diesel is more reliable than steam purely because a massive fleet of over two hundred 9Fs was withdrawn after less than a decade in service. To the ignorance of all the actual valid reasons that diesel traction is of course more reliable and cost effective than steam, as stated above by many others.
:roll:
Morning folks!
Regardless of what you say, nothing can every beat steam in my mind! This is just my opinion though. Ok so maybe I was wrong about the freight company's and their loco's, they have invested in new diesel loco's but only because the original heritage loco's were so unreliable.
I have also explained all the things these steam loco's could be doing on the other few weeks of the year. They wouldn't just be sitting at the bluebell railway unless they needed to be sold or hired out. There is still a case here!
Morning!
No there is not. You could prove us all wrong by buying or building a fleet of steam engines to hire out, but I would advise against it unless you are able to take a huge financial risk!
Morning folks!
Regardless of what you say, nothing can every beat steam in my mind! This is just my opinion though. Ok so maybe I was wrong about the freight company's and their loco's, they have invested in new diesel loco's but only because the original heritage loco's were so unreliable.
I have also explained all the things these steam loco's could be doing on the other few weeks of the year. They wouldn't just be sitting at the bluebell railway unless they needed to be sold or hired out. There is still a case here!
There isn't. There would never be enough bit-part work for these locos to be doing when not on their winter duties.
How many do you want to build, by the way?