Is there likely to be a Valenta HST farewell tour?

43123 and an MTU on the farewell trips. As predicted, "around 2" people on first York - Sunderland

 

It's a bit of a shame really. There were about half a dozen bashers out on Friday (the first 'last day'), and from what I have read on here a few more on Saturday.

Maybe there simply aren't many Valenta bashers around. All the froth on the Interweb is made by the same handful of posters, me included, and alone we aren't enough to sustain 2 shuttles today, especially at £50 or £100 a pop!

 

At least GC tried to put on a special. It is very expensive and the level of advertising was not great due to time constraints. At least they didnt let things simply slip away.

There were a few on the 1135 off York and the drvier put on a good show. If only i had the £50.....................

 

Trains are stopping between Northallo and Thirsk. Has 43123 gone pop?

 

You would complain if they hadn't, and now you're complaining that they're not doing it properly! I doubt any TOC could make you happy.

 

Personally I don't think GC should have bothered. The level of bashers out late last week and over the weekend when this could be done cheaply should have been a warning that the demand wasn't there, despite the level of noise coming off the web. I doubt that there'd be many more riding even if the fares were cheaper: they were cheaper on Friday and Saturday and hardly anyone was out then.

A weekday? Three days before Christmas? With very little notice? At a time when bookmakers are giving excellent odds on a new Ice Age having started? This was never, ever going to work in month of Sundays. The art of diesel loco bashing, something close to a mass movement 25 years ago, is essentially almost dead, killed by DMU-blandness, and we few hardy souls who remain and populate these boards are too geographically diverse to get it together for this.

 

I think it's also worth pointing out that EMT's farewell trip was a charity one which raised a tidy sum for The Railway Children. Perhaps people would be more willing to pay £25/£50 for the journey if the revenue from today was being donated to charity. (Before I'm accused of moaning that GC should be doing something for charity, I am aware the company has already done this on occasions, the most recent being the Halloween trip from Bradford - I am just pointing out this may have got a few more on board.)

 

I'm interested to know if they've enabled N5 for these trips?

 

My definition of complaining would be:
1. To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.
2. To make a formal accusation or bring a formal charge.

You were expressing dissatisfaction with it, implying that GC would be rubbing their hands with glee with the first class coach next to 43123. If I have misunderstood your post, then I apologise, but I will not apologise for my original post in this matter.

 

Hope, 43465 is in place of 084. Train is currently 99mins alte. Still working 1Z13 to York

 

serious signal problems north of York

 

Good Day. Did trains 2 & 3.

Bit of extra mileage as well.

York-Newcastle via High Level Bridge
Newcastle-Thornaby via Coast
Thornaby-Darlington
Darlington-York

Train nearly didnt return to York until word came through that the signal problems were sorted.

 

First of all, Valentas RIP. Second of all, well done to Grand Central for running a few trips for enthusiasts, in quite difficult circumstances, what with the short notice, one of the two Valentas going pop and obviously the dreadful weather and delays on the ECML.

Third, while it is disappointing about the level of support for these runs, I think people have to be a bit realistic about why there wasn't as many supporters as there could have been for the farewell:

Wednesday - Quite simply, A lot of bashers work during the week. With it been three days before Christmas, people might not have any annual leave left at this stage of the year or simply cannot get time off at what is a lot of companies busiest week.

Weather - People from further afield quite rightly would have been forgiven if they were put off from travelling due to the weather. With the state of the East Coast this week, who can blame people from been wary, and facing the prospect of been potentially four hours late arriving back to their destination.

43123 - I suppose, I myself would not have had any interest in doing it with just one Valenta power car, and perhaps other people would be in the same mindset as me. I know its take it or leave it, but this is the way enthusiasts think.

Christmas Week - For enthusiasts with families, quite simply it is the most expensive time of the year and cannot afford to be spending money on train trips, or cannot convince the wives to let them go.

 

Glad i went sunday, had a great time! Specially with the cambridge run on A61!

I hear they made 4th train into a public service run, i can't say i'd have been happy with that after forking out for a tour special.

 

Sadly Myself and another freind were planning on spending a bit of our christmas money to do this, but with the delays etc on the GWML over the past week or so. we didn't want to risk getting stuck somewhere especially with all of the delays etc on the east coast mainline today.

 

Absolutely agree!

I can't imagine that the attempt to send off these machines in glory could have been faced with any more adversity than was thrown at them this week.

Well done Grand Central!

 

You took the words right from me, couldn't have put it better. They did the best they could, when everything around them was going tits up. And now that's it, it's done. The last Valenta will soon be lifted out and put to rest. What we should be concentrating on now is cementing memories in our minds of that perfect screaming power unit, the hairs on the neck standing on end as N5 leapt out at you just as you thought N4 was beautiful enough. Not memories of screaming people, shouting about who didn't do what, and what they should've done, no?

 

R.I.P Valenta's!
As a Station Ambassador for Grand Central at Hartlepool, it used to give me a thrill when one went thrashing out of the station. Sadly this will be no more!

Is anyone out on Grand Central tomorrow, despite not being Valenta-powered, between 12.00 and 3.00? I will be stood at Hartlepool Station helping the customers!

 

Quite so, it's such a shame the grand farewell that was planned couldn't happen in the end. Such a lot that could be go wrong, has gone wrong.

Congratulations to GC are due for doing something. It may not have been the perfect send-off, but it's far more than NXEC did in 2008!

I wasn't anywhere near the ECML, as I was enjoying my day off. Too skint to go to this event anyway, what with it being Christmas time. Hard to believe it's all over now.

Retired HST basher I may be, but they formed a large part of my life (nearly 7 years) and were the sole reason I got into the rail scene. I'll always be grateful for that.

Farewell to the Valentas, the railway will forever be a quieter place without them.

 

Everyone has beaten me to it!

Well done GC, they pulled it off despite serios disruption and delays. As for the use of 1Z14 for pax that was sort of unavoidable with the problems being encountered. At least they went the extra mile to pull something off. A bit of a shame '465 was tagged on the rear but undertandable to cover for '123 in case of a failure: they would have been in a real mess if the set had been both '084 and '123!!!

Also top last departure from York looking at the videos: good to see the driver enjoying one last Valenta as well

One thing is for sure though: it won't quite be the same without 'em!

 

Yes, well done GC for marking this occasion. I clocked it, but again like others I was working and no holidays left!!

For me, Valentas and the HSTs will always have a special place for me. As a student apprentice at Brush, I spent a nice summer - 1975 I'm sure - working with the Brush site engineer at Old Oak and St Philp's Marsh. We were doing mods just before the first ones went into service, mostly overnight as the trains were out on driver training during the day.

My best memory of this time was a test run from St Philip's Marsh depot to Swindon and back via Badminton (no Parkway back then!). One power car was getting an overtemp cut-out at 65 mph, which then after powering off would clear and then the train would accelerate up normally. We found it to be a loose connection on the rectifier stack temperatue probe which resonated at 65 mph!! A quick tighten up at Swindon cleared it up.....

On the return run, up in the cab with the driver (now the leading power car), he said he'd open it up just to check all was OK. We topped out at 135 mph through Badminton and then coasted all the way back to Stoke Gifford under a clear road. No problems, but I'll always remember the roar of the Valentas, particularly from the engine compartment!! (with ear defenders of course....)

Oh, happy memories!!

 

I propose the Valenta out of 123 is donated to the NRM and displayed next to the prototype. It as a place in history as the last working Valenta after 38 years passenger service & deserves a place in the museum.

BTW I dont mean that particular powerunit has done 38 years service.

 

Bugger that.

NRM already have a Valenta and it is/was outside under a very small tarp that doesn't cover it from the elements. Disgraceful.

 

Yeah, meanwhile all the kettles are under cover, its what gets me going really, Diesels react in a bad way to the elements, steam doesnt so why on earth do the kettles get cover and the diesels get left to become soaking wet snowmen?

 

How many Valentas have the 125 Group saved/preserved?