Lindsay Marshall

Said the following about I LOVE S&C – Tornado reopens the Settle-Carlisle line:

“In February 2016 the Settle and Carlisle line was closed due to a 500,000 tonne landslip at Eden Brow, inconveniencing many of Northern’s customers in a rural area where transport links are scarce.

Following a year of infrastructure works to re-establish this vital transport link for the communities served by the line, in February 2017 the reopening of the line needed to be announced.

Northern, DB Cargo, Network Rail, the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, the Friends of Settle and Carlisle Line, the Settle and Carlisle Development Company, and Rail and Steam Railway magazine came together to develop an industry first publicity event. Running under the banner I LOVE S&C, steam trains would deliver timetabled services for the first time in 50 years - A1 Pacific 60163 Tornado would haul trains between Skipton and Appleby between 14 and 16 February.

To deliver something so exceptional a great deal of teamwork would be required across the board. Various teams within Northern, including operations, stations, engineering and communications, needed to ensure that the operational requirements could be met. Partner organisations had to come together to deliver the practicalities of making sure such an ambitious undertaking was a success, and all these teams also had to work with the interested parties locally to ensure what was delivered brought benefits to the wider community.

This approach, innovative in the UK, was a replication of the German practice of ‘Plandampf’ (running steam hauled trains on the main line in the path of booked passenger services) and was suggested not only as a means of promoting the line re-opening, but also as a way of thanking Northern’s customers for their patience during the reconstruction works. By replacing a timetabled service rather than running a special ‘reservable’ train, the local community could buy a standard ticket and were given a chance to experience a very special event rather than watching from the side lines of what is traditionally a very expensive activity (tickets for A1’s chartered services can cost between £50 and £100).

Paul Barnfield, Northern’s Regional Director for the East, said: “This was a normal timetabled train service, we didn’t want to make it fully reservable, we wanted to maintain the authenticity of it and give people along the line the chance to travel on the day.”

Graham Bunker, Operations Director for The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, the charity that raised £3million to build the Tornado, said: “I spoke to one lady who had just bought a ticket from Appleby because she needed to go to Skipton. She was rather surprised to find herself on a steam train.”

The reopening of the line was celebrated from Tuesday 14 –Thursday 16 February with two timetabled and two special services taking place each day. More than 5,500 passengers travelled on the steam hauled services over the three days.

The delivery of such an exceptional service on incredibly tight timelines (just six weeks from inception to delivery) relied on team work and the goodwill of all parties involved.

This initiative was an industry first, and delivered on an extraordinarily short timescale by industry standards. Cross-industry partnership working delivered an amazing experience for those who had really been affected by the land slip.

Richard Corser, Account Manager for Charters, Special Trains & Resource Hires at DB Cargo, who supplied the additional carriages required to run the services, said: "DB Cargo was honoured to have the opportunity to assist its fellow group company, Northern, in providing steam crews, suitable rolling stock and planning expertise to ensure a highly successful event. In the period leading up to the event we led a series of conference calls which ensured by the event itself all parties were already working very successfully together as a team fully aware of their respective responsibilities"

This initiative has demonstrated that, with the right attitude and cross-industry co-operation, this kind of event can be delivered in short timescales to great effect.

Daniel Hignett, Operational Planning Project Leader for Network Rail, confirmed: “This event would not have been the huge success that it was without the large amounts of cross industry collaborative working that happened during the run up to the event. Regular, open and honest communication between all stakeholders was key to ensuring the planning process was completed smoothly and all parties were informed of the many challenges that were overcome in order to successfully deliver the event.”

Doing something different really captured the imagination of the local and enthusiast communities, drawing a great deal of press and media attention and raising awareness of the reopening of the line in a really unique and exciting way.

In total the running of the I LOVE S&C services generated 448 pieces of media coverage. Twenty five of those were broadcast (mix of radio and TV), including features throughout the day on BBC News.

Tony Streeter, Former Editor of Steam Railway, explained how the event has caused such an impact: “Steam is often considered awkward, difficult to fit in. Yet, present it right and it creates something little else can get close to: a host of happy headlines and community ‘feel good’.”

The reopening of the Settle and Carlisle line presented a unique opportunity to utilise the ‘Plandampf’ approach to raise awareness, but, in the future, it could be used within the industry to celebrate an anniversary for a railway or a special event that needs capacity strengthening.“