Flying Scotsman future at risk amid concerns over its contract

The Flying Scotsman faces an uncertain future as there is nobody currently contracted to look after it next year.

The famous steam train has been looked after by Riley & Son, a Bury-based engineering company, since its return in 2016.

However, concerns are growing over its future as Riley & Son’s contract expires tomorrow, Dec 31, and the National Railway Museum, which owns the Flying Scotsman, has not issued new invitations to tender.

We’ve heard nothing about the future. We’re as much in the dark as everyone else is," Ian Riley, a director of Riley & Son (E) Ltd, told the Sunday Telegraph.

"Our contract finishes on Sunday night and that’s it as far as we know until the new tender documents come out.
"But the NRM haven’t even decided when that will be yet."

He added: "This isn’t an ideal place to be and I don’t know what [the NRM] is thinking."

A spokesman for the museum said: "After the success of Flying Scotsman’s centenary year, and the locomotive’s two popular visits to the NRM, the future operation of Flying Scotsman after this date is being carefully considered."

According to a spokeswoman, the museum would "safeguard the locomotive’s future" and will run into 2024.

But would not provide any kind of timescale of the process.

It has been reported that it took five months between the last invitation to tender being issued and the contract being signed.

Network Rail also requires at least 12 weeks’ notice before steam locomotives can run on the main line.

The future of the Flying Scotsman has already been questioned following a High Court victory for the Office for Rail and Road (ORR).

Despite Riley & Son maintaining the locomotive, West Coast Railways operates it and has refused to fit modern central door locking systems to its fleet of carriages, as required by the ORR.

This means the train is effectively stranded at the National Railway Museum’s Shildon site.

The next "big" rail anniversary in the planning stage is 'Rail 200' https://railway200.co.uk/

York museum ‘carefully considering’ future operation of Flying Scotsman

Grrr. Sitting down now with a nice cuppa and not gonna let the spurious definite articles ruin my day.

Another chance to see it.....(Jaymac please sit down before reading & try to stay calm!) 

https://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/flying-scotsman-visiting-berkshire-next-27140202?fbclid=IwAR2aTvLFrteUESdX4il4iykYe8fvK7nNQxWBNiCeI17f1YPCVNDUemxEYRo

Another chance to see it.....(Jaymac please sit down before reading & try to stay calm!) 

https://www.getreading.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/flying-scotsman-visiting-berkshire-next-27140202?fbclid=IwAR2aTvLFrteUESdX4il4iykYe8fvK7nNQxWBNiCeI17f1YPCVNDUemxEYRo

Street names are a bit different. Gloucester Road is the name of a road, whereas the Gloucester road is the road that goes to Gloucester. It just happens that in the case of the road you (and I) shop on, this happens to be the same thing!

Ahhhh, but that IS the name of the road. It isn't called just 'Cut' is it?

One of the delights of the English language are its vagaries…

Absolutely - as I will remind myself next time I walk along The Cut from Waterloo!

The article also says street names never get one, which plainly isn’t true as I do most of my shopping on the Gloucester Road. Although today we got the train over to Clifton Down and pottered up and down Whiteladies Road, which never gets a ‘the’.

I guess the most important thing is that we communicate in ways that other people can understand, and try not to get too cross with people whose understanding of the rules differs from ours.

In a parallel universe, a man and his dog are in the middle of the Caribbean, hoping that someone else gets a photo of the steam loco 'Isle of Man'...

Someone else will have to phot 'Bahamas'. I'll be in the middle of the Irish Sea on 20th May.

Here's to another 100 years of (not The) Flying Scotsman!

...and all the other preserved rolling stock of course. Wherever it may be running. I don't subscribe to this 'out of area' malarkey. I've seen a Bulleid West Country Class climbing Shap. A Deltic trundling through Shropshire. A GWR Large Prairie in Essex. A Stanier Coronation Class in Dorset... All equally at home doing heritage duty.

Just another kettle working out of it's area...  meh...
Well one of us has to be a grump..

Providing they stick to aircraft and not airplane I might just forgive them. 

...............as do references to "the" HMS ***** or "the" Salisbury Plain (TV weather forecasters are particularly bad on this one). Another more recently arrived annoyance is the addition of an "s" to aircraft - what next, "sheeps" and "mouses" ??

... and no definite article. So many media outlets continue to refer to this locomotive as The Flying Scotsman. Really grinds my gears does that.

Flying Scotsman will be in the West Country this Sunday 30th April 2023. Hauling The Royal Duchy railtour from Bristol Temple Meads to Par. The trip is one of those Flying Scotsman is undertaking as part of its centenary celebrations.

From The Railway Touring Company:

A little surprisingly, timings were uploaded to RTT a day ahead of the railtour.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66311/2023-04-30/detailed

Our train leaves Bristol Temple Meads steam hauled by locomotive No.60103 Flying Scotsman in the morning and stops to pick up further passengers at Yatton and Taunton. Almost immediately on departure from Taunton, our steam locomotive will be working hard as it tackles the climb to Whiteball Summit. We stop at Exeter St. David’s station for our locomotive to take on water and for more passengers to join the train. We leave Exeter and follow the Exe Estuary to the seaside. We then travel along the famous sea wall between Dawlish and Teignmouth, an experience not to be missed.

After Newton Abbot, our steam locomotive will demonstrate her real strength as she powers up some of the steepest main line gradients in the country. First there is the difficult climb to the summit at Dainton Tunnel, followed by a dramatic drop down to Totnes, then an equally difficult climb up Rattery Bank before descending to Plymouth. Passengers have the option to alight at Plymouth or remain on the train to Par. There will be over five hours free time to explore the historic maritime city of Plymouth which includes the Hoe, the ancient Barbican and seafront areas, and the National Marine Aquarium.

We leave Plymouth, diesel hauled, and cross the river Tamar on Brunel’s masterpiece, the Royal Albert Bridge, to enter Cornwall. Our train continues through the magnificent Cornish countryside to Par, where there will be a break of more than three hours. Buses will take passengers from Par, at no extra charge, to visit either the picturesque seaside town of Fowey or the harbour village of Charlestown. The latter is a working port and home to the Shipwreck, Rescue & Heritage Centre. We leave Par late in the afternoon and stop at Plymouth to pick up those passengers who chose to alight there. Our train then returns to Bristol, stopping to set down passengers at Exeter, Taunton and Yatton enroute.

The Flying Scotsman was known for its long-distance journeys but was retired from normal service in 1963

From a Flanders & Swann revue of the 1960's, in the intro to "Slow Train":
"If God had meant us to fly, He would never have given us the Railways."

Flying Scotsman is always worth a view but the cricket was far more exciting this afternoon.

I've said elsewhere a few times this evening that, despite me not being religious, I think God is definitely an Englishman.

Years ago I was told it's the Mendip Hills, not "the Mendips". It still peeves me to hear the local Beeb news referring the Mendips.

'The Gower' is my pet peeve... it's either 'Gower' or 'The Gower Peninsula'. I wish no-one had pointed it out to me (but now you know too - hah!); sometimes I wish I could un-know things...

'The Gower' is my pet peeve... it's either 'Gower' or 'The Gower Peninsula'. I wish no-one had pointed it out to me (but now you know too - hah!); sometimes I wish I could un-know things...

That's a pet hate of mine too !

THE............ Salisbury Plain
THE............ HMSNonsuch
....................................aaargh !

Gloucestershire photographer Clint Randall of www.pixelprphotography.co.uk was at the station taking photographs when he caught the incident on video and posted it on- line to warn others not to get too close to the platform edge in their excitement.

"Just watched the Flying Scotsman almost take someone’s head off at Kemble," he said.

One person commented: " Madam, please' and gently moves her away from instant death. Wonderfully British response to an unbelievably stupid act."

Regarding the possible Flying Scotsman ban because of "trainspotters". You should be aware, it's not "trainspotters" or "foamers" or "gricers" or whatever you want to call us.

It's the grannies and grand kids and families and neighbours who hear about it on social media but know nothing about railways or the rules of railways. They're causing all the problems.

The trainspotters are suffering the consequences.

.....more from the BBC, featuring our two favourite gurning trackside morons, who are now being sought by the Police.....anyone know them?

BBC News - Flying Scotsman trespassers spark track ban threat
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-48229400

If the owner of a child is involved one might hope that they could be charged with endangering the child.

As far as the final runs of the HST are concerned, it would appear that problems are currently happening ON the trains rather than lineside. I am a member of a closed Facebook group that is moderated by drivers and there have been reports of extremely moronic behaviour by so-called enthusiasts on several services.

I doubt it.
HSTs were very common until recently, and a photo or a viewing of the last service is not different enough to be worth the trouble.
The problems might arise in years to come when a preserved HST makes a rare main line trip.

Returning to the present trespass problems, I would hope that the courts start imposing more significant penalties for such trespass. If the owner of a child is involved one might hope that they could be charged with endangering the child.

………..I wonder how many of said muppets will be behaving in a similarly irresponsible and moronic way when the HSTs set out on their final journeys in the near future?

Reading some speculation in the Press today that Network Rail may ban The Flying Scotsman if trespassing morons continue to delay scheduled services.

Network Rail said a ban would be a "move of last resort" but could not be ruled out if lives were being risked.

It would not let "a few thoughtless lawbreakers" cause dangers and delays, it said.

Nearly 60 services were delayed for a total of 1,000 minutes as Flying Scotsman complete its tour of the Midlands last weekend, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

One passenger service driver, who asked to remain anonymous, said he saw trainspotting trespassers every 200 yards.

Describing it as "probably the most stressful experience I have ever had", he said it was "only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed" trying to get a photo.

A Flying Scotsman spokesman said a ban "would not be a surprise" but every effort, such as CCTV and extra police on the train, was being taken to avoid the situation.

It shouldn't be too long before the muppets pictured upthread are facing plod and then a magistrate. The BBC have published the picture of their blatant trespassing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-48219462

It'll be very interesting to read that Network Rail press release.

Hopefully it'll be directed at prosecuting trespassers rather than banning heritage rolling stock from mainline.

Wednesday 8 May 2019
New national partnership launched to tackle increasing numbers of railway risk takers

Network Rail and the British Transport Police (BTP) have today launched a new partnership with the English Football League Trust (EFL Trust) and StreetGames to help tackle the increasing number of people risking their lives on the railway.

Having mentioned campaign, an embargoed NR release has appeared in the in box which relates to trespass generally and mentions taking photos. Embargo is until midnight, so things are happening 

Or definitive times. That's definite, for sure!

Hopefully the trainee reporter can be taught not to use the definitive article when writing about Flying Scotsman.

My emphasis and alterations   

Reading some speculation in the Press today that Network Rail may ban The Flying Scotsman if trespassing morons continue to delay scheduled services.

Hopefully the trainee reporter TaplowGreen can be taught not to use the definitive article when writing about Flying Scotsman.

Might as well ban it now then because it’s been proved over and over that they don’t.

Reading some speculation in the Press today that Network Rail may ban The Flying Scotsman if trespassing morons continue to delay scheduled services.

Reading some speculation in the Press today that Network Rail may ban The Flying Scotsman if trespassing morons continue to delay scheduled services.