70000 - Cumbrian Fells Express - 30/05/2015

My earlier comment seems to have gone unnoticed, but for anyone interested who may be travelling on this trip, and booked in Standard, the Standard Class coaches are currently at the front of the formation as the empty stock sits in the middle road at Temple Meads Station. I guess these will stay at the front all day as there's no planned reversal at Carlisle. It should also mean that on returning to Temple Meads, Standard will sit at the opposite, (South Western) end of the station.

Unless they are deliberately reversed in the meantime, this should mean Standard will be at the front of the first Torbay Express on 14th June. After that however, who knows!

 

24.09.13 - 3 minutes between 61994 & 46115 - southbound though.

 

I think you'll find that the stock will be used for a Pathfinder railtour on 6th June and so may be turned. <BJ>
http://www.pathfindertours.co.uk/index.php/tour-calendar-reader/events/the-don-and-went.html

 

Ah yes, missed that one. Quite a few reverses in that itinerary, but whether it'll result in the stock arriving back at TM the other way round, I couldn't say without looking at an atlas, and I'm not sure I'm interested enough to do that. Think I'll just keep my fingers crossed. It has been the case in previous years of the TBex for Premier / First to be at the front on the outward run, so maybe the 06/06 train will ensure that tradition continues. Time will tell

 

Wasn't one of these a LE or ECS move?

 

46115 ecs, yes. Still counts?

 

Bloody early through Lancaster Ralph at half four !

 

S'pose so, but I was thinking more of NB passenger workings.

 

The slightly worrying thing about this is that it could almost become a reality given that the maximum headway Galatea will enjoy ahead of Britannia is 15 minutes at Carnforth North Junction. We’ve seen a few “when was the last time…?” posts about this, to which I would now add “when was the last time that the progress of a steam-hauled passenger train was checked by a preceding steam hauled passenger train on the main line anywhere in the UK?”. In this unfortunate respect, tomorrow could turn out to be a preservation era first if Galatea is unassisted on the CCE.

Looking back over logs of runs over Grayrigg/ Shap in recent times, Mike Notley timed Cromwell/ load 12 from Carnforth UDGL to MP37.25 in a shade over 41 minutes on a March 2012 WCME (SR400). By comparison he timed a real 5XP toil with Galatea/ load 11 over this same stretch in 53 minutes on the second WCME in February 2014 (SR425).

If either or both of these runs can be interpreted as anything like representative of the respective performances that we might see tomorrow, and bearing in mind that in the case of the “Brit” we will be looking at a pass-to-pass time rather than a start-to-pass time, then seemingly the headway that looks respectable enough at Carnforth would disappear altogether in a flurry of single yellows as we progress north.

I do hope I’m proved wrong about this. We shall see!!

 

It's going to be very interesting!

 

Indeed, already looking forward to reading the reports, and watching the vids,

 

Three weeks ago who would have thought any steam hauled trains would be climbing Shap this weekend?

Earlier this week the CCE looked far from fully booked. Will that facilitate a reduction in the number of coaches and the resulting load for Galatea?

 

Just hope it does not run any earlier as it could be dark at Lancaster on the bank .

 

How many coaches has she actually got tomorrow ?? I'm sure its mentioned somewhere but can I see it......no !! Thanks

 

11

 

Left Temple Meads 1 late behind diesel 67015. Load 11

 

Can we assume you're on board the train Sean? Cheers