Good evening everyone. Can anyone shed any light on this query regarding RTT listings for the Belmond Royal Scotsman for tomorrow.
According to the Royal Scotsman website the link below to Spean Bridge is correct;
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/P94064/2017/09/01/advanced
However RTT also lists a movement at the same time, from the same platform heading to Kilmarnock - refer to this link.
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97592/2017/09/01/advanced
Any help is much appreciated.
I don't know exactly what's going on or which one will run, however the Spean Bridge path is in the Working TimeTable (
WTT) so is a 'permanent' one as it were (i.e. the normal one they expect to run weeks/months in advance). The Kilmarnock one is an
STP that was only put in last night, so presumably that was done for a reason.
The STP has the same make up (diesel with trailing load 315 tonnes) and heads through Kilmarnock, reverses at Kay Park Jnc, then comes back into Kilmarnock station which sounds like something the Royal Scotsman would do. So it seems like it's a potential path for the train (i.e. not a light loco or ECS move).
If I were a betting man, I reckon it's heading to Kilmarnock for some reason - on the basis they've gone to the trouble (and cost no doubt) of putting that STP path in last night. There's also some more STPs in which altogether end up back at Spean Bridge, albeit with this 24 hour diversion via Kilmarnock.
This seems to be the next movement leaving early Saturday morning [2nd Sept] (after an 8 hour lay-over in Platform 4 at Kilmarnock) to Wemyss Bay:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97593/2017/09/02/advanced
A light loco then runs in from Mossend to Wemyss Bay:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R01232/2017/09/02/advanced
...and then shortly afterwards the train heads off to Spean Bridge leaving Wemyss Bay Saturday lunchtime:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/K97594/2017/09/02/advanced
There's also an additional path in the mix... the Kilmarnock to Wemyss Bay journey early on Saturday morning (above) involves a reverse in Glasgow Central P10. Shortly after the train leaves, there's a light loco move out from P10 to Mossend Yard:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R01231/2017/09/02/advanced
This gets to the Yard approx. 3 hours before the other light loco move above. So seems like an opportunity for one of the locos to get serviced/fuelled perhaps (whilst the other hauls the train to Wemyss Bay), or potentially an opportunity to switch the locos and get the other Royal Scotsman-liveried 66 (66746) back on the train? That said, I cannot see any paths in for 746 to come up from Doncaster (where it is now) to support that particular theory.
