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Cathex Salisbury to Canterbury Sat 29th Aug

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by mrKnowwun, Aug 25, 2015.

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  1. VirtualSteam

    VirtualSteam Member

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    en route from Lenham towards Ashford
     
    VirtualSteam, Aug 29, 2015
    #41
    David likes trains and KentYeti like this.
  2. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

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    Just caught the magnificent soundtrack of Mayflower hauling itself up the long steep weary bank into Sole Street. Never missed a beat, never heard the Diesel
     
    mrKnowwun, Aug 29, 2015
    #42
  3. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Filmed at Borough Green & Wrotham, Folkestone Warren and Lower Ensden (near Selling).

     
    D1002, Aug 29, 2015
    #43
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  4. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    Three very nice clips. All well filmed with such a steady camera. A delight to watch. Many thanks.
     
    KentYeti, Aug 30, 2015
    #44
  5. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

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    My much less steady effort will be available later. (its hard to be steady on a 6 foot ladder tied to a bridge parapet in the pouring rain)
     
    mrKnowwun, Aug 30, 2015
    #45
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  6. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    OMG! I know you got banned from Nat Pres recently, but surely they've not continued the punishment by tying you to a bridge parapet on a ladder. And in pouring rain.

    Come on Mods, he's done his time. Leave him alone now. Please.


    ;)
     
    KentYeti, Aug 30, 2015
    #46
  7. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Thanks. Should have had a fourth shot - Sole Street - but all the bridges I looked at had wire mesh fencing on the parapets.
    Would have needed a ladder!
    Otherwise, a very pleasant day out in your neck of the woods.
     
    D1002, Aug 30, 2015
    #47
  8. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    What a shame. The bridge at the summit at Sole Street station used to be clear of a vandal proof fence. Not been there very recently though.
     
    KentYeti, Aug 30, 2015
    #48
  9. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    It must be fairly recent, as it's not there in Google Street View -- and that's a lesson for anyone using Street View to choose a location.
     
    MellishR, Aug 30, 2015
    #49
  10. D1002

    D1002 Resident of Nat Pres

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    You are right. There is no vandal proof fencing on the bridge at Sole Street station, but the gradient has eased to 1:550 at that location, (according to my gradient profile atlas). It is the bridges on the 1:100 gradient that have the Yeti proof fences.
    Dave.
     
    D1002, Aug 30, 2015
    #50
    B1 likes this.
  11. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

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    Yeti proof they may be. But I came, I saw and I conquered. At 10:28 you can savour how the vandal proof defences were overcome to capture the most awesome soundtrack of Mayflower powering up the top of the 1:100 gradient, and I defy ANYONE to complain about a diesel on the back in that sequence. Don't miss however, at 5:52, Mayflower blowing The Fat Controllers hat off at Shepherds Well, smoke still pouring out of the tunnel some 10 minutes later. In the mix we have Mayflower powering through Overton, Kemsing, the cock up at West Byfleet and the stabling at Faversham where B1 meets Javelin.



    Its a long video, but I hope worth the watch, and chronicles a fantastic performance by Mayflower and crew, hauling back a 30 minute deficit with time to spare.
     
    Last edited: Aug 30, 2015
    mrKnowwun, Aug 30, 2015
    #51
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  12. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    A good record of the day. Well worth the effort. With an excellent climb of Sole Street as you said.
     
    KentYeti, Aug 30, 2015
    #52
  13. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

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    The enjoyable thing about that trip, is that the crew were prepared to give anyone lineside a quick cheerful whistle
     
    mrKnowwun, Aug 30, 2015
    #53
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  14. alts1985

    alts1985 Well-Known Member

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    Lovely day Saturday following the B1 about, video and photos from Kemsing, Weavering, Canterbury, Faversham and Sole Street...



    https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/20975027232/in/dateposted-public/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/20992206651/in/dateposted-public/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/20797808539/in/dateposted-public/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/20958696336/in/dateposted-public/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/20796430560/in/dateposted-public/
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/20363727393/in/dateposted-public/
     
    alts1985, Aug 31, 2015
    #54
  15. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Long video or not, it is an excellent record of the day and as you have said, the climb of Sole Street was a great capture of this particular part. The insistent beat of the B1 is indeed all you can hear and it's good that it appears judicious use of the diesel to help out was the order of the day for a change.

    Sole Street is not a climb to be messed with. When Taw Valley and Clan Line took us around Kent on the Thanet Belle in the autumn of 1998, even with that power up front the train was limited to 10 coaches so almost certainly it was subtle stuff from the diesel so everyone got to hear the blast from up front and not just those in the first few coaches. Well played, West Coast. Perhaps the minimum of 62 up the bank that we achieved back then was rather a tall order for the B1 though. If you find a video of it, the scene is quite spectacular!
     
    Big Al, Aug 31, 2015
    #55
  16. Enterprise

    Enterprise Part of the furniture

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    Despite my general dislike of tours with diesels involved, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The 47 from time to time provided significant assistance but given the route and the need to fit between the intensive services around London this was unavoidable. For much of the time the B1 was on her own with the 47 idling on the back. She performed wonderfully. The catering was very good, the booze flowed freely and we just dodged the rain. The deluge began a few minutes after we completed the walk back along the river to the Old Sarum campsite. We had an excellent day.
     
    Enterprise, Aug 31, 2015
    #56
  17. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    I am intrigued that the diesel helped significantly some of the time but apparently not at all on the climb to Sole Street.
     
    MellishR, Aug 31, 2015
    #57
  18. g8bvl

    g8bvl New Member

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    Help will have been provided to recover time or on request from steam loco, when back in path if timing were being maintained, no assistance would be given
     
    g8bvl, Aug 31, 2015
    #58
  19. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Give the train a good shove out of Rochester and for the first mile or so, notch back and monitor the fall off of speed. That's one way of doing it but without labouring the point, it would be quite difficult to tackle a 1 in 100 with a load of 14 equivalent without some assistance at some point, not, that is, unless you are a Class 8 locomotive.

    Example: Tornado with 13 on. Up to 41 on the lower part of the climb and then dropping 1 mph every mile to the top with a minimum of 37. That was with a master DBS driver. On the second time - yes we went up it twice on the same trip - we hit 38 at the same point from the start and then dropped away to 32 at the top. A little less oomph but just as competent with the loco working within itself. (Would be interesting to know from someone on the train how the B1 speeds compared.)
     
    Big Al, Aug 31, 2015
    #59
  20. Enterprise

    Enterprise Part of the furniture

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    I was too p*ss*d by Sole Street to note anything down. I will see if I can extract the GPS track from my phone later.

    Later. Cannot help. I looked at the phone but I hadn't turned track logging on.
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2015
    Enterprise, Aug 31, 2015
    #60
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