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Thank you

Thank you

Thank you

Have you tried reading the description?

Thanks

My argument would be NR know the risks associated with steam on the main line. Ensure the network is clear of potential sparking points (eg clearing lineside vegetation ect) and or be more proactive on fire risk and impose a steam ban before a tour leaves. Another point is I see more sparks off of the 3rd rail system (my house backs onto the SWML) although I imagine this wasn’t the cause yesterday but could easily cause a similar problem if the lineside is that prone to fire.

@@MamodFan01 Unfortunately the steam ban is the more likely option. It's a shock that this happened so soon after such a wet and cold winter and spring. Network Rail hire lots of people to cut back vegetation for an occasional steam train, ha ha? The sparks from the third rail don't carry more than a foot or two - unfortunately cinders can travel a lot further. In steam days companies often had to face claims from farmers for crop damage by fire in adjacent fields - many genuine, some "convenient".

What a bell end you are!

​@@tobes1989in what way exactly? Because I feel that the public might have a right to be angry? Would you like to be stuck in a train for 250-odd minutes just so that linesiders aren't deprived of a steam locomotive? Please answer, I'd like to hear your reasoning

@@AndreiTupolev is it directly West Coasts fault cables are left exposed without the cable trough lids being left on? Network rail obviously assessed it to be safe to run steam and got it wrong. Steam runs all the time on the network mostly without incident. Why are you so desperate to see a company fail?

In decades past, there were Platelayers stationed frequently on the mainline, in charge of looking after 'their' section of track. Without such a workforce, and with a severly reduced budget for lineside clearance, everywhere has become much more overgrown. And without Platelayers, there is rarely anyone in the immediate vicinity to be able to sort any fires as soon as they start.

​@@TheSouthernerYTChannelAhhh, that makes a lot of sense! I did wonder if that had something to do with it. Thanks for the clarification, and it goes without saying - excellent shots as always even while dealing with such logistical issues!

Penny pinching,will those in charge ever learn.

The other factor is that steam engines always threw cinders and it tended to keep vegetation down automatically before it got too extensive. You would get minor lineside fires that burnt themselves out quickly. After 80 years of diesels and electrics, there are way more bushes, saplings and full grown trees. Another consequence is that views from the train have become much more restricted in summer. Nowadays I reckon the best time to go railtouring is March and April when there is reasonable daylight but no leaves on the trees and you see so much more. Even in the 1980s I was surprised how much tree growth obstructed views on the West Highland Line compared to the photos from steam days.

​@jerrydowse5061 Lineside vegetation clearance costs well over 100K per mile. Why and who will pay that sort of money just to satisfy a few enthusiast steam tours per year? Leaf fall is entirely different issue which is being controlled to some extent but keeping lineside clear of anything combustible is entirely different proposition.

Prolonged ? I had my Ski Jacket on last week !

I would agree with this comment completely. Running steam through the new forest was just asking for trouble today. Feel sorry for those thousands of passengers travelling on SWR and Cross Country who had there journeys disrupted.

In their defense, the only way to know when there's a real fire risk is when one happens. Otherwise they'd have to have a permanent steam ban between the months of June and September every year, even on days where it would be fine to run them. All they can do is act on lineside fires as they happen, and it's pretty normal for this to happen at this time of year.

@@Matty_1843 Not necessarily - in this case, it could have been avoided by simply checking MetOffice records. Steam bans would not be neccessary, just much more active monitoring of weather/land conditions. At the end of the day, heritage rail as a movement has a duty to protect the environment in which it operates - especially with the presence of hardcore environmentalist groups who are more than happy to damage/vandalise our country's history and heritage for their publicity.

@@GrrMeister The point isn't so much prolonged heating, but dry conditions (one day with some rainfall isn't enough to break this). Elaborating on my story from the Strathspey; we had much cooler weather, with even a bit of rainfall here and there. However, most of the time it was dry and crucially, we had quite gusty winds on the weekend this incident happened (in fact several fires happened). A steam service powering out of Broomhill lead by the Ivatt mogul (not fitted with a spark arrestor at the time) caused a large bank of gorse to go up in flames very rapidly, which was fanned by the high winds. Thankfully, the fire was didn't spread beyond this gorse bank and services were able to be restored later in the day.

By assumption, when Network Rail say it can leave

Can it not be towed by another loco?

It doesn't take long for a bit of sunshine to cause a ripple effect, a bit of a disaster trip all round. Thanks Matthew for your fully loaded "gossip column" keeping all informed as to what's occuring out there. So there's a fine Black 5 to be viewed at Swanage until the powers that be say otherwise??!! It's always good to throw a Bulleid into the proceedings😂😂

@HeyItsAJOmega While it can, I suspect WCR will want to avoid the additional pathing costs of getting another loco down to Swanage. There's also the owners preference to consider.

Cheers

Thanks very much, it's appreciated

Cheers

35018, 34081 and 34092 have all returned to their homes. Unsure about 35006 but it probably be this week. 34072 also leaves this week for Mid Norfolk

@@benjenden4997 😮 I'm going up to Norfolk this summer! Might hopefully catch it! 🙂

You can't have too much of a good thing Matthew!!! Dorset - it's so laid back even the cows don't move😂😂

​@SSccaanniiaa It's only there for a week or two. It'll be back at Spa Valley for the Summer Gala then it's at Mid Hants for the rest of the year

@@benjenden4997 35006 has already gone too

Thank you

Thank you

Thanks very much, Bob! A little more fraught. I'm still trialling and trying to get used to a new tripod head, again. This day served as a good test for a few different scenarios which are hard to replicate elsewhere. Was very glad to finally catch Kilmersdon in general use.