DarloRich
Veteran Member
Recently I went for a trip on the SVR and was hauled by D1010 Western Campaigner. I thought this lived on the West Somerset Railway. Has it moved or was one of the SVR fleet dressing up as someone else? If so why?
Recently I went for a trip on the SVR and was hauled by D1010 Western Campaigner. I thought this lived on the West Somerset Railway. Has it moved or was one of the SVR fleet dressing up as someone else? If so why?
The loco often carries different identities, as a way of raising funds, people paying for the privilege. You can arrange for the loco to carry another identity on the main line too - see http://www.westernchampion.co.uk/loco-d1015-nameplates.php
Blimey .... £1,400 or £1,600 (plus VAT?)?
I don't begrudge them making a charge, but if I had that sort of money, I think that I'd spend it on something a little more lasting!
The loco often carries different identities, as a way of raising funds, people paying for the privilege. You can arrange for the loco to carry another identity on the main line too - see http://www.westernchampion.co.uk/loco-d1015-nameplates.php
According to the caption beneath a photo on the home page of the Railtour Info website, the name was changed in conjunction with a tour that "Western Champion" operated in May where it ran non stop from Paddington to Plymouth, to commemorate a non stop run from Paddington to Penzance performed by D1010 fifty years ago:what I don't get is why you would spend that money to change the name of a loco to one also preserved? Is the real D1010 out of traffic long term?
http://www.railtourinfo.co.uk/
D1015 is seen at Plymouth waiting to depart with 1Z52 to 'The Western Challenger' to Okehampton. The Western had run non-stop from Paddington to just outside of Plymouth station. This was a partial re-run of a tour 50 years ago when D1010 'Western Campaigner' ran non-stop from Paddington to Penzance. To commemorate this tour D1015 ran as D1010 'Western Campaigner' on one side (and D1058 'Western Nobleman' on the other side as part of the DTG commercial arrangement whereby enthusiasts can sponsor the nameplate and numberplate to raise funds for the DTG).
Photo by Ed 07/05/16
What it doesn't make clear is whether or not the nameplates are kept by the purchaser afterwards. They just vaguely refer to them as "your" plates. This makes a huge difference to the value of the offer so needs to be made more obvious.
I consider the whole Western region to be weird and unnatural for similar reasons, although after nigh on a decade living in the West Midlands, and recent years on the WR side of it, you do become more accustomed to their strange ways.Westerns are a gigantic, strange, nay mythical, beast for a north east lad like me!