Harringay online

Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Christmas Carols in Ely Cathedral is the reason for this late morning pass through Harringay on Tuesday. Details here, up-to-date running times here. No steam on the return - the engine will run to Norwich, for a Norwich - York excursion on Thursday.

The Saturday Christmas White Rose to York is timed to pass Harringay about 0615. Duchess of Sutherland again. Return about 2150.

And if anyone turned out today for the expected 0915 Lindum Fayre, the reason you were disappointed is that en route to Kings Cross from Southall, the train became divided near Willesden when one of the couplings failed. By the time safety checks and repairs had been made, it was too late to complete that journey to Kings Cross, so the onward trip to Lincoln was cancelled at very short notice.

First steam in 2017 is likely to be on Wed 5 April.

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Thanks for this heads-up, Gordon. I snapped the Duchess at Harringay station on Thursday (Photos attached) and went to Kings Cross this morning. No photos - obviously - just lots of disgruntled passengers being given the very late news by apologetic staff. I plan to head to Ally Pally on Tuesday. 

Thanks Stephen, excellent photos of a hard-working locomotive.

I was at Harringay earlier on Thursday when the loco + ECS arrived from Southall on the goods line.

Just as Platform 2 was occupied by a local train. So it goes!

Was the Lindum Fayre a West Coast Railway operation?

It was. Comment on National Preservation points to a failure of the 'pin' securing a buckeye coupling - that'll be quite a lot of ultrasonic testing for other possible cracks in the offing, I'd guess.

More broadly, a proportion of West Coast Railway operated excursions this year have operated starting out with diesel haulage to west London, steam being used from there to the destination and back to London, then diesel onwards. If that pattern continues, might it be a considerable time before steam is seen again on the Gospel Oak - Barking line? I hope not.

I would think that the last thing West Coast needed was an incident like this, it wouldn't have surprised me if the ORR/HMRI hadn't has the whole WCR coaching fleet withdrawn for checks.

Good question about steam over the T&H. Around about now Steam Dreams are operating their Southend/Basildon/Upminster Xmas Cathedrals Express. Last time I checked the train was steam hauled from Southend but diesel from Hanwell on the way back. This will be the first time an LT&S originating train has gone via the North London Line. My worry is whether any future such trains will return to the T&H when it reopens.

It ran on Sat 3 Dec, diesel from Southend East to Hanwell and back.  Steam Dreams website was unclear, UkSteam clarified it late on. 

Today, further frustration. The expected Horsham - Ely trip via Harringay (steam from Willesden, one way, loco to Norwich for Thursday to York and back) was pulled overnight for steam because Duchess of Sutherland was declared out of gauge for Ely station. And the replacement diesel failed before it departed Southall with the ECS.

Oh dear! WCRC needed a good long trouble free period to reassure tour promoters, if the company doesn't get a grip quickly some who have stuck with them so far might consider moving to DBC. UK Railtours must be forever patting themselves on the back for never using WCRC.

The next Southend East departure will be diesel to/from west London:

http://steamdreams.co.uk/Executables/GT436TourCalendar.exe?ActionCo...

I don't think it is just uncertainty over whether the T&H will be open in time, I think shortening the steam legs was something WCRC did was to reassure the ORR/HMRI to get their licence back. Whether this will be for the long term remains to be seen.

"First steam in 2017 is likely to be on Wed 5 April."

But now only on the return journey, time about 2340. Next steam Sat 29 April, Flying Scotsman. 

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