Please, everyone, when posting questions about restorals, give details about the manner in which the restoral was invoked so that we can get a sense of what kind is involved (NQR, Classic) and what is involved.
Now... Robin, have a look at IBM Technote 1209563, which I ran across in doing research yesterday. I recall such long-duration- restores in the past, and as I recall they have involved the factors noted in the Technote. LTO is also known for backhitch delays, so that's another contributor in positioning on tape. Richard Sims