Weymouth Seaside Express - 15th & 29th August

These look like a great day out for everyone. A good starting time, plenty of time to spend at the seaside (5 hours according to RTC's website) and great value for money, with Standard class tickets only £48! Great for a family day out but also the enthusiasts with Evershot, Bincombe and Upwey Banks!

I see 5029 is now booked to do these, seeing as the 2 'Brits' are unavailable. When was the last time a Castle went to Weymouth? It must be the first time since steam days, surely?

 

I am informed that is the case and we will be the first! See you there.

 

I'm intending to do this to close the 'gap' left by the Dorset Coast railtour last Friday. Even as an ardent Southern enthusiast, I can't complain when there's a GWR locomotive on a GWR route. Five hours in Weymouth is also very nice, and means that there is a greater margin for error than that on the Dorset Coast series. It should also ensure that I get to catch a bus and see 35018 British India Line on Portland... May see you there!

 

Booked on this for 15 August, which appears to be a sell-out if RTC's seat checker is to be believed. It looks as though 6024 will be at BTM around the same time as 5029 on Torbay Express duty. This will be my second run behind 5029 during the great mainline Bulleid famine of 2010, so in the absence of some decent chain-driven valve-gear or a BFB-wheeled 'Standard', I am looking forward to some reasonable hill-climbing.

 

Hi Bulleid Pacific,

If you are going to Portland would it be possible for you to take few photos of 35018 British India Line and post them on this forum. I haven’t seen any up to date photos of her for some time.

Thanks

 

That is my intention particularly as the locomotive is in full view of the road outside (although how the site owners will take a couple of enthusiasts standing outside taking photos of their property without calling the police, I'll never know). Anyway, I've never posted any pictures on this forum, so that'll be a learning curve in itself...

 

Departure and return timings for Bristol TM. <BJ>

6024 dep. 09:15, ret. 20:38
5029 dep. 09:25, ret. 20:07.

 

Really looking forward to the 15th. It should be a great day out to the seaside and is great value for money at £48 . . . . I understand its a sell out. Well done RTC - thanks for returning an affordable day out from BTM on a summer Sunday!

 

Myself and the rest of Nunney's crew are looking forward to these runs now, it'll be a nice day out for us too. It'll be nice to see a Castle back at Weymouth after god knows how many years.

If you go over to our website, in the Gallery section there is a picture of 5029 and 5027 hauling a Weymouth - Paddington express up Upwey bank circa 1934/35, so she has been there before!

See some of you there!

Ben

 

The last Castle to visit Weymouth was 7029 Clun Castle back in 1965

 

Ps forget to add times are now available on UK steam info

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t10/t0815b.htm

 

No chance of a fire risk problem this weekend. More of a chance of the line being flooded .

If anyone is intending to drive to Bristol TM to catch the Weymouth Seaside Express or the Torbay Express, may I remind you that Cattle Market Road,
which runs directly underneath the station, is closed to all traffic. It will be closed for approximately ten weeks. <BJ>

 

I hope there's no rain on Saturday, as I'm off to Swanage for a day out on the rails to (hopefully) get my Bulleid fix for the month...

 

Is there any diesel involvment with these trips or is Nunney climbing out of Weymouth on it's own?

 

5029 unassisted will be worth a listen but apart from 34067 last year haven't all the steam runs out of Weymouth in preservation had a banker?

 

That's my point. I would be surprised if there is no assistance on Upwey bank.

 

9 coaches , no dining. Support coach, 3 first class coaches, and 5 standard class including Buffet .

 

Nunney Castle through Keynsham, Bristol a few minutes early at 16:51. Loco looking superb and adorned with Nunney Support Group headboard and Z26 reporting numbers.
The weather assisited to make sure that there will be no lineside fires tomorrow. Locos stabled at Bristol now include 5029, 6024, 71000, also 47.515 in BR green. <BJ>

 

37.706 reported through Swindon heading towards Bristol with 8 coaches. Thought to be 5 maroon and 3 green .....nice!! <BJ>

 

Evershot bank southbound is more demanding than Upwey Bank. Evershot bank has the same ruling gradient but is much longer and more twisty. In steam days Castles (and Britannias) were allowed 315 tons unassisted from Yetminster to Evershot, so I expect 9 (modern) coaches is probably right on the limit. In BR days they occasionally took 10 bogies. Southbound steam hauled trains over Evershot have been quite rare in preservation days. I don't have the BR load limits for Upwey, but I would expect them to be equal or greater than Evershot.

David