Flying Scotsman back on the mainline - 2016

[Richard E]

And there were fatalities on the Jim Clark Memorial Rally in 2014. Experienced rally folk but stood where they shouldn't have despite moving when asked by officials. They moved back once cars started coming through.

 

The whole of the rally world is now having to square up with running events with more marshals and spectators confined to specific areas. More and more events will, over the next 5 years or so, move to race circuits to stop the idiots getting in the way of cars and the sport will change, IMHO, for the worse.

 

Translate this to the railways and the way folk are getting through boundary fences and it will be a case of no more main line steam ....

[The Stationmaster]

After a few incidents over the years we don't sell them on the Mid Hants.

 

I think that is the best policy of the lot because in reality you really don't know who you are selling them to - apart from the few very obvious idiots.

 

BR stopped issuing Lineside Photographic Permits a very long time ago on the basis that with H&S legislation it was technically impossible to comply with it as it was impossible to train or assess the safety knowledge of people applying for permits and thus a considerable risk that they might get themselves into trouble or even end up dead.  It also meant that anyone seen inside the fence - other than railway staff on duty or BTP - would obviously not have permission to be there whatever sort of argument such people might care to advance.

 

OOPs - should have gone to spicsavers - one button adrift on the keyboard and history duly distorted.  BR, not NR stopped issuing them, must be around 30+ years back.

Edited March 10, 2016 by The Stationmaster

[31A]

A few shots of 'Scotsman' leaving York this afternoon for Grosmont.  Firstly propelling from the NRM into the station, then setting off northbound 'Engine and Brake'.

 

 

 

 

 

[edcayton]

A few shots of 'Scotsman' leaving York this afternoon for Grosmont.  Firstly propelling from the NRM into the station, then setting off northbound 'Engine and Brake'.

 

P1010478.jpg

 

P1010479.jpg

 

P1010480.jpg

 

What a stunningly beautiful machine.

 

Ed

[Ian Morgan]

I'm not sure why Britain is so different from the rest of the world in this respect. Perhaps because of the oldest of rules that all railway lines in Britain had to be fenced off, and so the general population has never learned how to behave in the proximity of trains. Below are some photos taken at events in Germany and Austria where steam trains and scheduled trains were running right through the centre of some of the events. I saw parents carrying pushchairs across the running tracks between trains at the one event. I was pretty alarmed at what I saw, with my British sensibilities, but nobody got squished as far as I could tell.

 

 

Ian Morgan

Hampshire

[Michael Delamar]

Black painted buffers didn't last long.

[Richard E]

Black painted buffers didn't last long.

And now they are shiny they are also nicely 'quartered' as well if you look at those very nice pictures.

[Harry Lime]

Interesting to note that the NYMR has published this link on their website: http://www.nymr.co.uk/2016/03/press-release-flying-scotsman-fans-urged-to-stay-safe-during-nymr-visit/

[andyram]

That photograph is quite frightening.

[The Stationmaster]

That photograph is quite frightening.

 

And I sincerely hope that the woman in the foreground has been identified and will soon be appearing court - where she will be appropriately dealt with as she is clearly trespassing and committing several Byelaw offences.

[Reorte]

Even putting aside the legal situation it's so obviously extremely stupid. It's tempting to think that it's a modern thing but have people always been like that (we just care about the consequences more now)? It's easy to say that people are brought up too overprotected so they've not got any basic common sense self preservation instincts but the woman in that picture doesn't look young.

 

I'm again reminded of going to a preserved railway when I was a child and there were bits of track you could walk over (not naming names, and I don't know what they do there nowdays anyway) and there was a loco being moved (class 20 I think, heaven knows how I remember that because I'm fairly sure that I didn't even know what a class 20 was at that time). The sight of this huge, heavy thing moving around that could so easily crush me was rather frightening and has stayed with me. Being at track level near a loco, even one firmly stopped in place e.g. at the NRM, is something that remains a bit scary. Perhaps we need to expose people to such frights young. Under controlled conditions of course, so that nothing actually happens, but still leaves them feeling a bit exposed.

[Boris]

Last night the Transport Police took the names of around 400 people who will be prosecuted.

[Colin_McLeod]

And I sincerely hope that the woman in the foreground has been identified and will soon be appearing court - where she will be appropriately dealt with as she is clearly trespassing and committing several Byelaw offences.

 

She does indeed appear to be trespassing but please don't spoil the story by exaggerating. What are the "several Byelaw offences" that "she is clearly" committing?

[Guest]

She does indeed appear to be trespassing but please don't spoil the story by exaggerating. What are the "several Byelaw offences" that "she is clearly" committing?

 

Section 82, Public Fashion (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992 "Knitted hats with sparkly bits not to be worn in public in association with dyed ginger hair".

[Glorious NSE]

She does indeed appear to be trespassing but please don't spoil the story by exaggerating. What are the "several Byelaw offences" that "she is clearly" committing?

 

With a quick google of the list, I think you could swing:

 

6-2 - Not exactly orderly...

6-8 - Interfering with the comfort and convenience of people on the railway (by delaying trains)

11-1 - Obstructing trains

11-2 - Putting things on the railway capable of damage

13-1 - Unauthorised access

 

[rockershovel]

I don't know that Europeans ARE more sensible around trains, than British crowds. It's true that some European countries have a history of low level platforms, trams and whatnot but my experience of working in various parts of the world with European nationals is that they are much more relaxed about HSE legislation and practices. This didn't surprise me with French and Italians but even the Germans will regularly do things we wouldn't. Scandinavia is like that too.

 

FSU countries seem oblivious to the concept of "the spirit of the legislation" although certain specific things are followed rigorously. Admonishing strangers for crossing a road with no traffic anywhere against a red light is common; considering driving standards in these countries, it's probably just as well.

Edited March 12, 2016 by rockershovel

[rockershovel]

Section 82, Public Fashion (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1992 "Knitted hats with sparkly bits not to be worn in public in association with dyed ginger hair".

Surely any sort of covering constitutes grounds for mitigation relative to the principal offence (dyed ginger hair)?

[The Stationmaster]

She does indeed appear to be trespassing but please don't spoil the story by exaggerating. What are the "several Byelaw offences" that "she is clearly" committing?

 

6(8 ); 9(3); 11(1), possibly 12(1) if there were any notices prohibiting public access exhibited at the point where she gained access; possibly 13(1) - again dependent on a notice existing; potentially 23(1) if failing to provide personal details etc when asked to do so during an investigation into any alleged Byelaw infringement.

 

In addition (or probably primarily in most cases as they are much simpler to prove solely with the evidence of the person's presence on or near a running line and include no need to prove intent) potential criminal charges under Section 36 of the Malicious Damage Act 1861 in addition to prosecution for trespass brought under Section 55 of the BTC Act 1949 (as continued in various successor authorities etc).  A conviction under Section 36 appears to still carry a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment.

 

As far as I'm concerned anybody as stupid as those caught on camera in that video and any still photographs deserves to be prosecuted to the maximum possible extent

Edited March 12, 2016 by The Stationmaster

[rockershovel]

What a stunningly beautiful machine.

 

Ed

Like a 1930s "blower" Bentley - not a wrong line on it anywhere

[Bezzy Oppo]

 

 

As far as I'm concerned anybody as stupid as those caught on camera in that video and any still photographs deserves to be prosecuted to the maximum possible extent

 

 

[Colin_McLeod]

Thanks Stationmaster. If you can tell all that from the photograph then my computer must have cropped a lot as I can't see any notice nor is is "clear" that she failed to provide personal details when asked. Let keep to the obvious facts as that in my railway experience usually leads to a successful prosecution.

[eastwestdivide]

...and what about if someone had been flying a drone near the train when the helo was that close? In any case the noisy things spoilt it for me today.

 

Ed

 

Crystal balls:

 

from currently the top story in the IT site, The Register: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/03/17/flying_scotsman_drone_attack/

 

Chilling evidence has emerged of trainspotters deploying drone hordes after a UAV collided with the rear carriage of the Flying Scotsman over the weekend...

Edit: Worth clicking through for the hilarious comments. Edited March 17, 2016 by eastwestdivide

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks Stationmaster. If you can tell all that from the photograph then my computer must have cropped a lot as I can't see any notice nor is is "clear" that she failed to provide personal details when asked. Let keep to the obvious facts as that in my railway experience usually leads to a successful prosecution.

 

Which I did.  

 

'Possibly ... if' means something else does it not, as does 'potentially ... if'?  Which left three - I would regard three as being quite equal to my original word 'several' and indeed one dictionary defines 'several' as 'as more than two but not many'.

 

And I think we moght there leave the matter to rest (and I have in my time put up, via BTP, more than 'several' cases for prosecution under the Byelaws and I don't think we ever lost one of them, including one chap we did for several breaches of Byelaws in a single prosecution).

[John ks]

About the time the Flying Scotsman was in Australia I saw a magazine article showing it in Melbourne Victoria Australia.

 

The thing to remember that Victoria's railways are 5 ft 3 in Gauge

 

As I recall the article went on to describe how the Flying Scotsman was converted to 5ft 3in gauge

 

I think today is the appropriate day to recall this article.

 

John

[DavidB-AU]

The joke was aided by running a triple header on a section of dual gauge track at Dynon.\

 

 

Cheers

David