The Towy Tornado: 5/08/17.

From Twitter:
"60163 has passed her FTR exam ready for 'The Towy Tornado' tomorrow!"

 

The Eastleigh to Bristol section comprises of 11 coaches so expect load 12 today behind Tornado. <BJ>

Update. Load 11 today. Thanks to 1020 Shireman for the gen. <BJ>

 

Only 11. Can't take 12 to Carmarthen these days. Brake in middle road with 66088.

 

Stormy Stormed!
Max 65 after regulation 60 thro Bridgend then 61 min on Stormy.

 

74 thro Gowerton and 37 minm at Cockett. All in her stride.

 

Max 57 after Port Talbot but fell to 36 at Stormy. Slacks thro Bridgend and before Llanharan. Brisk run down to Cardiff then relief line.

Into Severn Tnl at 66, out at 52. Fell to 48 at Pilning, recovered to 52 then 38 min before Patchway. By then we were 10 early so not unduly pressed - 6024 has taken 12 up here with a min of 43.

Glad to see the diesel leg back to Eastleigh got away early.

 

My footage of Tornado climbing Filton Bank in the morning and Patchway Bank in the evening. Enjoy.

 

Ok so here's my log of the outward journey. Not done many steam trips beyond Cardiff, but chatting with fellow timers (and NatPres stalwarts) on Saturday I recalled a very good trip to Carmarthen a few years ago with 6024. Needless to say 'a few years ago' turned out to be April 2007...

Bristol to Newport

The 2017 tour originated in Eastleigh and diesel 66088 brought the train into Temple Meads on time, with a generous 63 minutes allowed for the change to steam.

Tornado got away 3 minutes late with load 11 (mainly commonwealth-bogied Mark 1s) and worked up to 41 mph before the 1:75 Filton bank took its toll. Unfortunately a 30 temporary speed restriction (TSR) at the site of the Ashley Hill footbridge (3m 11 ch) was taken with perhaps undue caution, and saw speed fall to 19 mph before a slow recovery to 23 mph by Horfield at 3m 62ch, after which the gradient eases.

A brief 61 mph max out of the Patchway tunnels before a signal check - despite real time trains (RTT) showing the previous train 10 minutes ahead. Into the hole at 60 with no doubt a 70+ max in the tunnel before emerging on the 1:90 at around 52 mph, which was very good going. Main line to Newport with a 68 max and arrival 2 minutes early.

Back in 2007 the King got off to a cracking start with an extra coach*, with 42 mph after Stapleton Road and 35 min on the 1:75, and had to ease for a clearance slack at Filton Abbey Wood. It also suffered a check into the hole, and on emerging into Wales and had to re-start on the 1:90 before the crossover on the former layout - the actual junction with the Chepstow line is now after the station. The King then romped up to a max of 71 on the down main after Llanwern.

*I understand that signalling changes at Carmarthen have shortened the usable platform length to loco plus 11, whereas load 12 was common in the past.

Newport to Port Talbot

In 2017 Tornado had to be content with the relief line to Cardiff with a max of only 58, whereas in 2007 the King worked up to 72 mph on the down main and stopped at Central in 16m 39s from Newport. The King then worked to Bridgend via the Vale of Glamorgan, whereas in 2017 Tornado was pathed on the main line via Pontyclun, producing a very solid run up the rising grades to Llanharan before a signal check, presumably due to tardy closing of level crossing barriers as the preceding Maesteg train was well ahead?

One of the highlights of the 2017 trip was the passage through Bridgend at 60 mph with a max of 65 afterwards, falling to 61 on the 1:132/183 up to Stormy, with an easy recovery to 66 mph over the summit level and a brief 76 mph before brakes checked the descent through Pyle. Back in 2007 the King reached 58 mph at Stormy summit from a restart at Bridgend, arguably a better performance.

Port Talbot to Carmarthen

Both the 2007 and 2017 watered in the down goods loop adjacent to Port Talbot station, with similar mileage. Whereas in 2007 the King was allowed to tackle the 1:50 Cockett bank from the heavily restricted Landore curve, entering the tunnel at 19 mph, I suspect the recent load limit guidelines may have dictated the routing via the Swansea District line, the distances for which I am still trying to piece together. Gradients are easier than via Cockett - the main reason the line was built in the first place - but still feature a mile of so at 1:120 through Llangyfelach Tunnel, which saw Tornado's speed fall from 51 mph to 31 mph.

Tornado had left Port Talbot immediately behind a Manchester to Carmarthen class 175 unit which of course reversed at Swansea, and which we were booked to follow to Carmarthen, hence the lengthy signal stop before Llandeilo Junction and further checks after Llanelli.

Eventual arrival at Carmarthen was 1 minute late, although RTT had us 1 early!

Return log to follow later in the week.

 

OK before I got sidetracked with Clan Line on the Torbay Express I was typing up Tornado's return trip on the Towy Tornado. I made passing reference to a trip with 6024 in 2007 which went well, but I had not got round to typing that up so only when I read through my notebooks did I realise just how good that trip was.

So before I post Tornado's return on 05/08/2017, here's 6024's outward run on 14/04/2007. Note the very good climb of Filton Bank with a minimum of around 35 mph and worth around 1,786 edhp, and a minimum of 15 mph on the very difficult westbound climb to Cockett, worth say 1,218 edhp.

 

Good to see something about 6024 in print again. Superb engine and such a shame the overhaul has been so protracted.

 

I'm trying to do so horsepower calcs on the climbs to Cockett, but need more info re the gradients.

The Ian Allan charts show 1:52 for just over a mile from Loop West Jn to just before Cockett tunnel, with a summit just beyond its west end, followed by a fall at 1:50 for about a mile then a further mile and a quarter at 1:53 to just before Gowerton.

Can anyone with access to the five mile diagrams advise the gradients on Cockett (both ways) and the chainages of where the changes of gradient take place?

Cheers

 

Online research re Cockett came up with two accident reports, which are fascinating reads in themselves, and which give some info re the westbound climb.

From the 1899 Report "Cockett Tunnel was opened for traffic in 1852. Its length is 829 yards... Approaching the tunnel from the east the line rises at 1 in 50 up to the entrance, and through the tunnel the inclination of the line is 1 in 70.7, rising from east to west".

From the 1933 Report "The line from Swansea Loop West Junction to Cockett runs in a westerly direction with a moderate amount of curvature and a steeply rising gradient. It s double track witb up and down goods loops about midway, and various siding connections, and leads up to a double track tunnel, 789 yards long, terminating at Cockett Station... Gradients are rising at 1 in 52 from Swansea Loop West to a point just inside the east portal of Cockett Tunnel, and thence rising at 1 in 71 through the tunnel to Cockett Station".

Note that the tunnel was partly opened out following the 1899 incident. From the 1933 report it's good to know the horse was uninjured...

 

Ok so here's my log of the return trip from Carmarthen to Bristol TM with Tornado 0n 5 Aug 2017.

On Cockett I registered a fleeting max of 74 through Gowerton, falling to 37 between the overbridge at Cockett and the Tunnel. Assuming an average grade of 1:55 this suggests 1,835 EDHP. On the upper part of the bank I reckon 1,850 EDHP assuming an average 1:52.

After the Port Talbot water stop I was a tad disappointed that speed fell off from 57 to a minimum of 36 before Stormy. Again I would welcome some more accurate gradient info to do horsepower calcs, for future runs if not this one.

Reviewing the data suggests 54 or 55 emerging from the Severn Tunnel rather than the 52 I gave earlier, worth say 1,663 EDHP on the initial 1:100 before Pilning. But the second stretch of 1:100 after Pilning was taken more easily, only 1,216 EDHP here - but we were early and I'm not sure whether the signals were flashing to indicate a clear road at Patchway Jn?

Finally, on the outward leg I was advised that there was a 20 TSR within the 30 TSR on Filton Bank, explaining the easing to 19.

All in all a good day, but the King did rather better a decade ago and I'll type that one up as soon as I can.

Sean