Platfoprm Starter:
I live in hope that one day a TOC will have a sudden realisation of the fact that locomotive-hauled trains are actually the best option for passengers (it will be their idea!) and their accompanying luggage. With more and more seemingly inadequate units being introduced you may feel I am being extremely over-optimistic, but, in the words of a cliche - hope springs eternal. Arriva's introduction of daily Class 37-worked Knaresborough-Leeds-Carlisle services may be a relatively small event in terms of general media coverage, but I'm sure that most traction readers will join me in supporting this venture, If you get the chance to use these services please do so, It is good that we can record trains such as these from the lineside, but 'bums on seats' will surely be more impressive to those who go to the trouble of putting on trains such as this? Although there is the strange prospect of EWS running additional pre-Christmas mail trains for the Royal Mail, the threat of most of this traffic being lost to rail continues to edge ever nearer reality. I have always thought that the idea of keeping traffic off the roads was a good, environmentally advantageous benefit of rail usage. I was therefore amazed at the recent suggestion from Virgin that, in an attempt to cope with additional seasonal luggage on their services to holiday destinations next season, that the bags could go in advance by road the day before, for example, Friday, while the 'customers' travelled by train the next day There would be a charge for this, of course, and it appears that we take too much luggage on trains these days anyway (and there I was, obviously mistaken, in the impression that it was the trains that had got smaller!). There seems to be several potential problems with schemes like this; the worst scenario (for rail) surely being that people might just decide it is easier for them and their luggage to go by road in the first place! And, if we can't have loco-hauled passenger services how about loco-hauled luggage trains for holiday luggage? In this issue I report on one of the last long-distance VXC HST services, which have sadly how gone over to all 'Voyager'operation. As the train passed Wigan, I saw the current, sorry state of 37 010. This 'old soldier' has long been a personal favourite since I recall seeing it as Stratford's D6710 in East Anglia. I was delighted when this particular loco was tracked down in the wilds of France in February 2000, during its spell there as part of the EWS hire fleet working construction trains on the new TGV route to the south. I can still see and hear the veteran 'Dutch'-liveried loco going about its duties there. Now turn to page 27 of this issue and enjoy Dave Mitchell's fine shot of 37 010 at the head of a DMU 'drag' in Devon. Nice!