The Great Britain VIII

66122 dep Carnforth 1335 Mon to Wembley with the GB 8 ECS.

For anybody interested the 11 coaches, all WCRC, are 99723, 3136, 99122, 99316, 99121, 99125, 3058, 99128, 99712, 99127 & 13320.

Andrew N

 

ecs just gone past Crewe camera

 

Thought, RTC, said it would be a 8 coach formation.

 

8 passenger coaches. Plus brake vehicle and kitchen cars.

 

Cheers, that makes sense.

 

I pray that all is well with 70000 for tomorrow and the passengers have an excellent run with her. Worryingly, she seemed to have developed a leak on her RH cylinder which I noticed when watching some videos of her move today.
Fingers crossed it's not too serious. ML steam needs a real morale booster at the moment and 70000 usually puts on a magnificent show.

 

Sounded a bit "hissy" when it went through Virginia Water.

 

With the GB8 setting off from Victoria with Britannia, suddenly the gloom seems to be lifting over the gloom that currently exists. What with steam now working Bristol to Grangemouth, according to the Railway Touring Company with more steam in Scotland, we can be confident that at least those travelling with their £1900 tickets will be satisfied. On the other hand, there have been so many twists and turns that we must expect the unexpected even at this late stage I fear. Call it a gut feeling if you like, but I am not completely convinced that the show will go on precisely as announced. What ever happens when Britannia rolls into Bristol Temple Meads on Wednesday after what one hopes will have been a great run thanks to DBS, that the West Coast crew are there with the two Black 5's to had North and not a diesel. Fingers crossed.

 

Ooops. Sorry, make that Shrewsbury for the Black 5's as I see the changes on UK Steam.

 

Nice to see that something has been arranged and shows that although operators are in competition with one another, they can all pull together in times of need to help one another out and most importantly of all the paying passenger!

Good luck to those who are travelling and I hope all goes well for the crews too.

 

So is the same stock used for the whole tour, i assume its dual braked ? so can be worked by either air braked or vacuum fitted engines because if its an air only set, then that would limit what steam locos can operate it.

 

I think all of the coaches in the formation listed in #281 are dual braked.

 

Through Slough a couple early, right behind the stopper to Reading. 66122 on the back not running as far as I could tell.

James

 

My brother is out to see it race through Taunton, hopefully on the down main although the Exeter signallers sometimes plonk an up Bristol stopper there which means the steamer will trundle through the down relief. Let's see what happens. The diesel on the back will not be doing anything at this point although might do on Whiteball bank I suppose.

 

Britannia, sounding strong, looking good, powers GB8 through Kensington Olympia.

 

Hasn't the stock for the GB in previous years always been dual braked anyway ?, maximum flexibility if the plan needs to change.

 

That's quite impressive, being bowled by a 37 in 2015

 

What is that other train? RTT shows 234B 0905 Kensington Olympia to Kensington Olympia, a tour of Kent; but it's not mentioned in the Railway Herald list of railtours for today.

 

Almost all of WCR's mark 1s are dual braked dual heat