Steam special cancelled ... again!

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I've not kept a log, but of (?) 4 or 5 steam specials scheduled to call at Melksham in the last 5 years, 2 or 3 have been cancelled; I can recall 2 actually running.   Have we just been "unlucky" on the TransWilts, or is the cancellation rate for steam specials really that high in general?

I will confess to putting "unlucky" in quotes quite intentionally; good publicity for the station comes from these specials being scheduled, but if they actually run we get big crowds beyond the capacity of the facilities, and were I wearing a health and safety hat, I would be expressing concerns.  In fact (for the record) I have expressed concern to the organisers ... which has been acknowledged.  And I don't know what they planned for today in terms of marshals had the train run, so this concern may now be ungrounded.

[patch38]

On the flip side, Kemble saw two steam specials last week, on Thursday and Saturday, and I believe Reading hosted no fewer than five steam-hauled trains in the previous seven days.

[Adelante_CCT]

and I believe Reading hosted no fewer than five steam-hauled trains in the previous seven days.

Yes we did, including an extra long stop for Tangmere which failed at Reading for a couple of hours on its return from Worcester on Saturday

[patch38]

I see there are also provisional times published for another Cotswold Explorer this Saturday (3 Oct):

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t15/t1003a.htm

Should be a nice day on Saturday so I'll be at my usual lineside spot for that one, or I might head over to Sapperton to watch a bit of smoke on the climb!

Graham - I guess Melksham has just been unlucky with that gauging cancellation although, overall, 2015 has been a bit bleak for heritage runs following the fallout from the Wootton Bassett Junction SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger - very bad!).

[RobT]

I see there are also provisional times published for another Cotswold Explorer this Saturday (3 Oct):

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t15/t1003a.htm

Should be a nice day on Saturday so I'll be at my usual lineside spot for that one, or I might head over to Sapperton to watch a bit of smoke on the climb!

Graham - I guess Melksham has just been unlucky with that gauging cancellation although, overall, 2015 has been a bit bleak for heritage runs following the fallout from the Wootton Bassett Junction SPAD^▸ (Signal Passed At Danger - very bad!).

Unfortunately this tour was diesel-hauled (class 47) due to 4965 Rood Ashton Hall failing a FTR^▸ (Fitness To Run - All locomotives or rolling stock that have been in store and need to be moved by rail need to have a 'fitness to run' test before being moved) exam the previous evening. The loco originally rostered had been 5043 Earl of Mount Edgumbe, but is currently under repair.
It has been a terrible year for steam on the mainline as a look at http://uksteam.info/tours/trs15.htm will show, much of it following the Wootton Bassett SPAD in March, as well as loco unavailability, gauging, GWML^▸ (Great Western Main Line) electrification, pathing issues etc etc..