Anyone else spot Sam’s Freudian slip on the stream tonight by saying ‘historic dockyard’ whilst trying to explain about how hard it is to build now abandoned steam routes without historic documents? hmmm… DTG headquarters? Chatham dock steam railway? Coincidence or conspiracy theory?
Ah. But Dockyard Station is on the Plymouth - Gunnislake line so maybe it is a clue to the potential extension to West Cornwall (or maybe not)
I don’t think it’s much to go but I would bet that the first steam route would be a small route with a small, simple shunting engine. This would fit the bill. Anyone expecting a steam mainline anytime soon is in dreamworld.
How many people accidentally said breakfast instead of Brexit when speaking quickly just after that new word was invented? If your company address is Historic Dockyard and you say it often and then you need to say ‘historic documents’ then your brain-mouth is quite likely going to end the similar starting phrase the usual way unless you concentrate. It may appear to be a freudian slip but it is a different thing entirely. It’s very similar to giving your old postcode by mistake when under a small amount of stress or pressure. It doesn’t mean you are thinking of your old house.
If we do have a steam route which involves shunting, I hope they find a way to implement it properly (and by properly, I mean in a way most certainly not compliant with modern health and safety practises).
I suspect very much it was a red herring whether intentional or not. Whilst I wouldn't necessarily expect a mainline for the first steam period route, I am not sure a dockyard route would have a bit too narrow an appeal. I still think the first iteration of steam will be either; a) an engine for the West Somerset route as being a preserved railway the one thing it lacks is its main attraction b) a famous preserved steam engine like Tornado etc with some scenarios on modern mainline routes and probably on the WSR or which I suspect is most likely c) a steam period route, maybe a shortish branch line where you can run both passenger trains and some freight, maybe the daily pick up goods or some dedicated freight like a cattle train, milk train, mineral train etc Still I suspect we are many months away from finding out.
I know that sarcasm, irony and general fun making doesn't really work on written media..... all we have is a very small selection of smileys to break up our text (and too many of them will make you look like a loon!) So just to clarify that I was making a bit of a joke as I am pretty sure that Sam must have said historic dockyards more times in his life that historic documents.... given his place of work! For my actual two-penneth on the subject I would tend to think the same as theorganist; short steam period route with the ability for the loco to sub in on WSR.
West Somerset is a perfect proofing ground for a small steam prototype. A variety of slopes and some shunting.
