Stupid Railfans Close East Coast Mainline.

[cascaderailroad]

I still can't see why railfans "Unconditionaly Love" the RR, and defend the RR like it is their own Mother ?
"Don't you talk that way about my beloved RR" ... "Or I'll sock you in the ol' kisser" ... train hugger defensive attitude.

The RR is a shoddy dirty business, that forever cuts costs and maintenance, to the bare minimum required by the FRA ... They are in it for the short haul ... to make as much money, as quickly as possible, on a shoestring budget, moving freight revenue down a track, as quickly, and as cheaply as it possibly can be done ... They do not care about you, nor are they citizen huggers !

If you ever worked for a RR (or any other carpy company) they only love you as long as you work hard for them ... commit an infraction, or unsafe action, miss work, get injured, ... etc ... they are ready and eager and waiting, just chomping at the bit, to jump on your case, use you up, chew you up, and spit you out, and terminate you, or ship you away to another State by having your job eliminated, or your position bumped by another person with higher seniority.

The RR's don't love citizens and foamer railfans at all ... why do railfans unconditionally love a RR ?

You don't see oil and gas well huggers, hugging up to a fracking company ... it just doesn't make any sense !

I like the big, ol', loud, noisy twain ... because the throbbing sound of a big ol' powerful diesel locomotive in run 8 just shakes my innards (and underds') ... I get so excited (calm down now foamer don't git' yer' panties all wadded up in a bunch).

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqoGf0J0N4U
2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_UXbW044l4
3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWPCgQnUIEY
*4) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhYXNwvcl6A
*5) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYg9nseBq4w
*6) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W30RzGKnsSU
*7) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lutNECOZFw
*8) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZF6BSeHjG4
*9) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5KRfhrDWys
*10) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhLhghib9z8
11) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa8QidoDH1w
12) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_fbwPqko9M
**13) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT9j2oK2Utg
14) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GwwXDitwxA
*15) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYMObCnbOfE
*****16) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55jNibyTGeg
*****17) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoAcqhujxwg&index=6&list=RDNYMObCnbOfE
18) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECTZCt06Ieg
*19) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ptZvfvrmrk
20) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRIkmeZS1Lg
*21) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M01sUxdQnQ
*****22) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF4T8H-tFLo

I used to be able get excited all the time ... but ever since I had my prostate operation, I can't seem to get excited about anything anymore ... except for getting a cold case of Yeungling for my BD!

This guy is my absolute hero, even looks like me: https://www.youtube.com/user/Millenniumforce/videos

 

[epa]

I read on ITV's website that someone tweeted to Virgin Trains about one of their trains blocking his shot of the Scotsman. They supposedly gave the man free airline tickets to Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Matt

 

[nicky9499]

I read on ITV's website that someone tweeted to Virgin Trains about one of their trains blocking his shot of the Scotsman. They supposedly gave the man free airline tickets to Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Matt

Classic Branson LOL.

 

[mquigg]

Were the tickets one way??
mike

 

[wholbr]

Hi everybody.
Apologies for bumping this thread but I felt forum members may be interested in an update in regard to the blocking of the east coast mainline by so called railfans on the 25th of february this year (2016)

With the return of the flying scotsman to edinburgh this week, Network Rail have been posting via the media severe warnings to railfans who may be considering “getting a good view of the locomotive” by once more trespassing onto the east coast mainline that under no circumstances should they do so.

Besides expanding on the severe physical dangers of railfans carrying out the above, Network Rail have also stated that anyone trespassing onto any mainline track are liable to a severe penalty for the offence. The foregoing means (according to network rail) that any person apprehended in carrying out the above may well find themselves in possession of a criminal record on conviction which will be retained against them for the rest of their lives.

The flying scotsman is due to provide power for the heritage service on a section of the journey between London and Edinburgh (from York onwards) and network rail are obviously desperately trying to avoid a repeat of the trespassing onto the line by brainless railfans that occurred in February. The reason for the foregoing would be that network rail has now had to pay out over £60,000 in compensation to passengers of trains that were delayed by the trespassing.

The foregoing many may feel is “strong stuff” by Network Rail as any person who has a criminal record in the UK is prescribed from obtaining any employment in the Civil Service, Local Councils, The Health Service, Social Services, Education and very many private and public companies or other organizations.

However, I certainly feel that the above is justified, as anyone who brings unwarranted disruption to other people's lives without good reason, should expect to have their own lives disrupted in a harsh manner.

On a separate note, the cost of tickets for the London to Edinburgh full journey is a staggering £749 for “ Premier Class Dining ”. The foregoing I would suggest is well beyond the pocket of the average salary earner in Britain, even though it was the average salary earner who through their tax payments contributed the largest amount for the restoration of the Flying Scotsman.

Of course in the above it would not have occurred to the Lords and Ladies on the trustees board of the National Railway Museum that removing the restaurant and kitchen car from the train and replacing them with a Buffet car and another standard class carriage would have made for more seating for those average earning taxpayers to make the trip.

To myself and many more taxpayers in Britain I am sure, this whole restoration project and mainline launch into service of the Flying Scotsman “ABSOLUTELY STINKS” and should now be opened up to independant investigation.

Bill

 

[BLACKWATCH]

The foregoing means (according to network rail) that any person apprehended in carrying out the above may well find themselves in possession of a criminal record on conviction which will be retained against them for the rest of their lives.

Not according to the 'Rehabilitation of Offenders' act 1974 (amended 2014).

 

[wholbr]

Hi Blackwatch and Everybody.

Not according to the 'Rehabilitation of Offenders' act 1974 (amended 2014).

Blackwatch, you are quite right in quoting the above act. However many employer's including those I quoted in my posting at #25 of this thread "request" that an applicant for employment sign to allow them to carry out a criminal records check (CRB). That check by the independent Criminal Records bureau will bring forward all past convictions regardless of the rehabilitation offenders act as the person appling for employment has signed to allow them to check for and disclose all found information.

The above is the reason I quoted "retained" and not "held against " in my above thread. However, as stated I feel you are well justified in pointing me towards the 2014 amendment. Many thanks

Bill

 

[SuperSpeedMaglev]

It's a shame that this gives Railfans a bad name... Railfans shouldn't be known as a nunsense!

It's a shame that despite all the rules, regulations, warnings and what all, there is always that one person who breaks it..


I will admit, though not really railfanning, I have been down to my local station, I even know what to except(Virgin for example, non electrified), but, despite how much I want an EVER more close up view, I never walk onto the track, nor walk off the platform edge.

 

[wholbr]

Hi everybody.
Well, the saga of the restoration and launch into service of this old tin kettle (The Flying Scotsman) just goes from bad to worse. It would now seem that at the very last minute the flying Scotsman’s tour of the Borders railway this Sunday (15th May 2016) has now been cancelled. Network rail have given out what must be one of the most incredulous statements ever advised on by a publicly owned organisation stating they have not been able to carry out the “gauging assessments” required to run the steam locomotive along the borders lines.

Further to the above, the network rail spokesman stated that due to the “unique design” of the Scotsman the above assessments had to be carried out to ensure that the locomotive could travel over all parts of the Borders line. This morning (14 May 2016) the press and media here in the UK have been very quick to point out that network rail have known about this heritage tour for over 12 months and indeed where involved in much of the planning. Why then have the assessments not been carried out if that is the true reason for the cancellation?

Several councillors on the Scottish Borders Council have described the news as “appalling” and “demonstrating complete incompetents” on the part of network rail and demanding that a full enquiry should be set up into this whole episode. The Scottish Borders councillors demands for an enquiry just adds to other sectors who are demanding enquiries into the whole taxpayer funded restoration of this locomotive.

Network rails “excuse” for the sudden cancellation of the tour is to put it bluntly is unbelievable. The Borders railway as far as I am aware has only just been reopened as a restoration project and all the data for the line(s) would have been readily available to Network Rail. Therefore, it surely would have been no more than a paper exercise to check that data against the “unique design” of the flying Scotsman. In the foregoing, the work would have been little more than an everyday generic risk assessment for a competent trained person in industrial safety.

All the foregoing it would seem is adding to the evidence that this locomotive has serious mechanical issues which may need further large amounts of taxpayer money to correct. Evidence to the above would be that the flying Scotsman is only hauling on parts of the heritage tours it was originally advertised as “fully hauling”.

If the above is not the case, let Network Rail and the National Railway Museum open up this whole projects history to independent financial and mechanical inspection. Surely that is the least that can be expected for all those disappointed persons who have paid for the exclusive highly priced tickets for these rail tours and the British taxpayers whose money has been so badly invested in this project.

Bill

 

[wholbr]

Hi again everybody.
As an update to my posting at #29 of this thread this morning, following interventions from the Scottish Government Transport Minister and the Westminster Government Transport Secretary,Network Rail has now completely reversed it's decision that the Scottish Borders tour hauled by the Flying Scotsman due to take place tomorrow (15th May 2016) could not go ahead, to one that it can fully go ahead.

The change of decision came after the Westminster transport secretary stated that the cancellation due to risk assessments not being completed by Network Rail was “appalling and demonstrates complete incompetence”. The Scottish transport minister made similar remarks and promised a full enquiry into all the events leading up to the cancellation of the tour.

The two foregoing remarks (especially the one announcing an enquiry I feel) very quickly shifted Network Rails position. However that does beg the question, if the Heritage Tours could not take place as announced this morning because the risk assessments had not been carried out, how can that same heritage tour take place this afternoon when the same risk assessments have still not been carried out ?

I have never been a conspiracy theorist, but there is obviously far more going on in the background in regards to this matter than is being stated by the rail bodies involved, namely Network Rail and the National Railway Museum who own the Flying Scotsman.

Here in Britain everyone with an interest in our railways must hope I feel that the enquiry announced by the Scottish government transport minister will still go ahead. This one move will enable some long-awaited light to be cast onto the taxpayer funding of this grotesquely over expensive restoration and launch into service of this “old tin kettle” known as the Flying Scotsman.

Bill

 

[edh6]

risk assessments

It's not a risk assessment it's a gauging check. That simply means checking the loco/stock fits under the bridges and past the platforms of the chosen route. It should simply be a case of checking that the numbers they measured for Flying Scotsman are smaller than the numbers they measured for the bridges etc.

enquiry

You mean inquiry surely... I feel an inquiry would be a bit over the top for what isn't a particularly important issue, however Network rail have promised an investigation.

In my opinion the situation is rather bizarre. Network Rail must have had the data as they have approved FS for other routes and have approved other steam locos for the line in question. Perhaps it was the realisation that they had all the numbers all along which allowed the quick turnaround after people complained...

taxpayer funding of this grotesquely over expensive restoration

Yes it cost quite a bit, but the restoration has used up only 0.00005% (i.e. a negligibly small amount) of government spending across the ten years of it's overhaul. Our government has wasted far greater sums on far more useless, pointless and failed projects than this. If we want to spend yet more taxpayers money to run inquiries to find out where the previous funds went perhaps we should be investigating some of the bigger issues...

If the above is not the case, let Network Rail and the National Railway Museum open up this whole projects history to independent financial and mechanical inspection.

Umm, they already have...

• http://group.sciencemuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/SMG-RA-2014-15.pdf
  
• http://www.nrm.org.uk/~/media/files/nrm/pdf/commercial/nrm flying scotsman final report.pdf?la=en

I'll admit that the second one is fairly heavily redacted though.

 

[PendennisCastle]

I hate those "bad" railfans that get drunk on specials, walk on the tracks and stick up the middle finger, it is ruining our love long tradition since the 1950s which was invented by us teenagers.

I usually don't get to railfan a lot but when i get the chance, i either stay behind the fence on the mainline or stay on the station platforms, teenagers are better at railfanning then grown men at this rate...

 

[BLACKWATCH]

teenagers are better at railfanning then grown men at this rate...

I've seen plenty of idiots in the under 21 age group, and don't tar all us older 50+ enthusiasts with the same brush, most of us stick to the rules.

 

[wholbr]

Hi edh6 and everybody.
Edh6 many thanks for your response at #31 of this thread to my earlier posting. However, my wife and I along with group of friends have been away in Manchester to see the Manu v Bournmouth match which finished up with us all being evacuated from the Old Trafford ground before the match even started due to a bomb scare (LOL). Therefore, I have only just arrived back and seen your posting.

It's not a risk assessment it's a gauging check. That simply means checking the loco/stock fits under the bridges and past the platforms of the chosen route.

Edh6, I have worked many years in industrial safety, but in all that time have never heard the words “gauging check” used. I have myself many times carried out assessments that have "gauged" the risk of endangerment to persons or equipment in any given situation (a risk assessment). Therefore can I suggest that the referred to Network Rail terminology was nothing more than an attempt to “muddy the waters” by way of technical jargon in an effort to deflect as much blame as possible from themselves in the “debacle” they very much created.

You mean inquiry surely... I feel an inquiry would be a bit over the top for what isn't a particularly important issue, however Network rail have promised an investigation.

Apologies edh6, it should have been inquiry not enquiry which you correctly pointed out from my posting, seems as though the voice recognition was not working well that day.

However, I do feel that an inquiry into the incompetence shown by Network Rail in regards to the Scottish Borders heritage rail tour would be appropriate. I also feel that the inquiry should be carried out by an outside body independent of Network Rail as no organisation should investigate itself when there are allegations of misconduct or incompetence. The foregoing is especially important in the case of a body as predominant as Network Rail, as huge numbers of people here in the UK entrust their travel safety to this publicly funded organisation every day.

Yes it cost quite a bit, but the restoration has used up only 0.00005% (i.e. a negligibly small amount) of government spending across the ten years of it's overhaul.

Edh6, I would agree that the restoration of the flying Scotsman has accounted for a minute proportion of total government spending. However, in 2010 when the David Cameron coalition government came to power large financial cuts where demanded from virtually all sections of government spending which included the National museums. Those museums were told to reduce spending by 5% per year overall.

However, the National Railway Museum requested the government that they should not be included in those cuts as they had several already running restoration projects for which contracts had been placed with service providers and had to be fulfilled. The Department of culture on hearing the foregoing application decided not to cut the budget of the National Railway Museum while those contracts and projects were outstanding.

The restoration of the flying Scotsman therefore continued, but a report in 2012 grossly demonstrated how far that restoration was running out of control by way of both finance and engineering ability even in 2010. For a link to that report please follow:-

http://group.sciencemuseum.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/flying_scotsman_report_october_2012.pdf

As can be seen, even before the flying Scotsman was purchased for the nation and brought back to the UK, incompetence and neglect of spending costs had commenced on a wholesale scale. A full survey prior to purchase had not been carried out correctly and therefore the original assessment of the spending needed for restoration was nothing more than a financial joke.

So, while all the other national museums and even Britain’s contribution to the Commonwealth War Graves commission suffered large cuts in spending, the National Railway Museum continued uncontrolled in the incompetent taxpayer funded spending on the flying Scotsman project.

I find that disgusting
Bill

 

[clam1952]

Gauging checks or trials are a well known and established practice https://www.networkrail.co.uk/using-our-network/gauging/

Gauging checks or trials are used to ensure the kinetic envelope of the rolling stock fits that of the line it is running on.

Kinetic envelope http://www.railsystem.net/structure-gauge-and-kinematic-envelope/

Previously known as Loading Gauge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loading_gauge

pdf that explains all about gauging http://www.rssb.co.uk/Library/group...ructure-sic-guide-to-british-gauging-t926.pdf

 

[wholbr]

Hi everybody.

Gauging checks or trials are a well known and established practice

Clam1952, with every respect to your above posting I accept that “gauging checks” may well be terminology used within the rail industry, but I certainly do not accept that it is “well-known” terminology outside of that industry. Many industries use their own trade terminology within their professions, but they always stay as used within that profession, known only to those that are employed working within it, or have an interest in that industry.

Network Rail used that the term “gauging checks” in a statement released late on Friday night (13 April 2016) for general public consumption. That statement was an attempt to relieve as much as possible the very justified criticism that they knew would pour down on them as they announced the cancellation of the flying Scotsman border heritage rail tour. In using rail industry terminology Network Rail obviously hoped that to the general public the term would sound more industry complex than the situation really was (mudding the waters).

In the above, the situation in reality was that Network Rail was telling all those customers of “steam dreams” the company who had taken all the bookings for the rail tour, and the rest of the world in general just how incompetent and inefficient its organization really is.

Anyone can call those assessments whatever they wish be that gauging checks or risk assessment, the simple fact is that they had not been carried out despite the fact that Network Rail had previously had many months to complete them.

Surely, no one is going to try to defend Network Rail’s indefensible position. Heads should now be rolling as they would be in any private company. Example, look tonight at Manchester United and its contractors (in regards to Sundays supposed bomb planting at the stadium) to see the way that things should be treated when incompetence is found. There are a few people there which are being hung out to dry in regards to that situation, and so they should be.

Bill