‘A4’ DIESEL DRAG WAS AN UNLUCKY ONE-OFF

A Class 47 leading ‘Number Nine’ on the front of the ‘Torbay Express’ was down to an operational quirk, not new rules.

NR HAS CONFIRMED THAT IT IMPOSED NO RULE ABOUT WHICH ENGINE WOULD LEAD – AND NEITHER HAS IT CHANGED ITS POLICY

There’s little doubt it wasn’t the start to the ‘Torbay Express’ season Pathfinder Tours’ Barry Cordell would have wanted – but Union of South Africa’s ignominy of being dragged about by a diesel should stay a one-off.

Network Rail imposed ‘light steam’ restrictions overnight before the July 28 Bristol-Paignton train. That was as a result of lineside fires around Somerton the previous day, following the passage of the Duchess of Sutherland-hauled Railway Touring Company trip from London to the West Somerset.

Such ‘light steam’ limits have been put on before – periodically sparking gricer unhappiness by effectively relegating steam to looking good and blowing the whistle. Instead, the main power comes from a diesel.

Until now, the modern traction has been tucked ‘inside’, which you might think a low point – but it seems generous compared with July 28, when a West Coast ‘47’ led the train and dragged No. 60009 around.

Luckily, any worries that this might become the new norm seem unfounded. NR has confirmed that it imposed no rule about which engine would lead – and neither has it changed its policy.

Instead, the real reasons were operational – in particular, a combination of the stock arriving late in Bristol after a diesel bringing it down failed, the last-minute nature of the ‘fire restrictions’ notice, and the difficulty

of remarshalling the stock at Temple Meads to put ‘Union’s’ support coach behind the diesel as well as the ‘A4’ on the front. It is at least worth noting that so far this summer, that first ‘Torbay’ is the only train to be hit by fire risk restrictions. Things were already back to normal by the following weekend – and on August 7 NR’s Jack Harvey told me the fire risk was considered low.

That though is perhaps minimal consolation for Barry Cordell, for whom even a lack of fire risk wasn’t enough to save the next ‘Torbay’ on August 11: this time the train was cancelled, because booked engine ‘Number Nine’ couldn’t be made available. The problem with the ‘A4’ was a pair of two leaking flue tubes, something expected to be fixed in the week starting Monday August 12.

“We grin and we bear it, and we get on with it”, Barry said afterwards – perhaps echoing the periodic thoughts of any promoter…

Just two more 2019 ‘Torbays’ remain as I write: on August 18 and September 8.