If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by gwr4090, Nov 15, 2007.

  1. siquelme

    siquelme Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2013
    Messages:
    1,021
    Likes Received:
    911
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Portsmouth
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Will this be the first Merchant Navy to run on the line?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
  2. ikcdab

    ikcdab Member Friend

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2006
    Messages:
    610
    Likes Received:
    1,849
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    WSRHT Trustee, Journal editor
    Location:
    Taunton
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    According to Steve's website, 35005 Canadian Pacific has visited. Don't know when though!
    Ian Coleby
     
  3. 2005 Autumn Gala

    [​IMG]

    Pic by John Newberry and licenced under Creative Commons

    See "Snapshot"

    Steve
     
    Black Jim and Paul Kibbey like this.
  4. Paul Kibbey

    Paul Kibbey Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2014
    Messages:
    1,165
    Likes Received:
    1,402
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Land of Sodor
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Do the Southern Region's Pacifics manage the climb from B/L to C/H any better then LNER's Pacifics , if so and why ?
     
  5. Bayard

    Bayard Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2015
    Messages:
    1,826
    Likes Received:
    3,871
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Is this the only steam locomotive with its wheel arrangement as part of its name?
     
    johnofwessex likes this.
  6. tracker

    tracker Member

    Joined:
    Aug 3, 2014
    Messages:
    464
    Likes Received:
    874
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired IT manager
    Location:
    Essex
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    BB and WC Bulleids such as Manston, Sir Keith Park, and Braunton never had any trouble.....as to why FS did, I cannot explain.
    Robin L.
     
    Paul Kibbey likes this.
  7. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2013
    Messages:
    881
    Likes Received:
    1,965
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Probably not; they are, as are the A3s, better for crew familiarisation. Pacifics are very different from 4-6-0s.

    35005 'Canadian Pacific' was not in the best of condition. As I remember it there were reports of problems with the tender, sticking regulator etc.

    With the first train of the Gala (29/9) 35005 'Canadian Pacific' on a very wet and misty morning, came to a halt at MP169.75, but restarted and reached Crowcombe in 17mins 38 secs from Bishops Lydeard. The rest of the days running was uneventful. Schedule maintained on the 12.15 & 15.55 from Minehead and the 14.10 from Bishops Lydeard. The load was only 6.

    I had one journey on the Friday which was ok.

    On the Saturday with the 12.20 from Minehead we came to a halt in the cutting before Washford. We had crawled out of Blue Anchor barely reaching 16mph with the inevitable result. The crew elected to call for assistance and 9351, which was 'thunderbird' at Williton was dispatched and we duly reached Washford in 61-37 from Blue Anchor. I remember the incident well as I had decided to have an 'all day breakfast' in the QB after leaving BA. Throughout breakfast we were stationary in the cutting at its deepest point, a somewhat uninspiring view.

    2005 was not a good year for delays at Galas. At the spring event, 3440 'City of Truro', also on the Saturday, with the 09.10 from Minehead came to a halt within 200 metres of the Washford platform. The S&D guys hearing what had happened ran down from Washford with a bag of sand and sanded for some 20 metres in front of the loco and with regulator, openings and closings we slithered our way into Washford in 31-11 from Blue Anchor. My suggestion when we had come to a halt, that we emulate what used to happen on Sole Street bank (climbing out of Rochester), was not accepted ie we shovel earth from the embankment on to the rails. I have a memory of a fireman in the late 1950s walking up Sole St throwing earth on to the rails and a Battle of Britain crawling and slipping its way up behind him.

    Canadian Pacific on the Sunday in 2005 ran ok. However on the last train of the day, the 17.35 from Minehead, we left BA rapidly attained line speed but immediately we reached the 1/65 the brakes began to leak on and we fell to 5mph before miraculously vac was reestablished and we accelerated back to line speed on the 1/65. The rest of the journey was uneventful !

    Experience with 'Clan Line' suggests she will be in somewhat better condition than was 'Canadian Pacific'. She was always one of the best of the MNs up to July 1967 and I suggest over the years since then she has proved to be in 'Preservation' arguably the most consistent performer of any loco on the Main Line.

    Bulleids, as with all Pacifics require careful handling. The adhesion factor, particularly on the light Pacifics is not favourable. Whilst it is true that we have had various WCs and BBs over the years at Galas, working through on specials and resident at times there have been instances where slipping has been severe and the odd stop not unknown. Much as I love Mr Bulleid's creations it is the nature of the beast. To see one passing Queens Road with 500 tons on the 'Belle', wheels still slipping is a remembered joy as is 101 mph behind No.35003 at Fleet and then 100mph at Brookwood, 71 mph at Roundwood with 430 tons or 79mph up the grade before Dorchester on a dark wet evening with a Weymouth crew keen to sign off! I could go on and on !

    Michael Rowe
     
    Last edited: Jan 22, 2018
  8. Copper-capped

    Copper-capped Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2017
    Messages:
    2,563
    Likes Received:
    3,316
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stanthorpe, QLD, Australia
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Thanks for sharing :)
     
    Paul Kibbey likes this.
  9. baldbazza

    baldbazza New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2014
    Messages:
    191
    Likes Received:
    538
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    IT geek
    Location:
    miles away
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    35005 'Canadian Pacific' will soon be in better condition :) http://canpac.watercressline.co.uk. An imaginative heritage lottery fund project of the type WSR could have been working on had so much time, energy and money not been wasted on squabbling in recent years.
    Barry
     
  10. Maunsell907

    Maunsell907 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2013
    Messages:
    881
    Likes Received:
    1,965
    Gender:
    Male
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    The MHR overcame it's difficulties of the 1990s, and for that we are all delighted.(I am a member and was then, although I seldom visit these days). I believe the WSR is set to similarly overcome whatever ructions may have occurred more recently here in Somerset. (The reported scale of the ructions does seem to exponentially grow the further one travels from Somerset :)

    Michael Rowe
     
  11. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,105
    Likes Received:
    57,438
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Gosh, was that City of Truro trip really 13 years ago? My recollection (I was on that train) was that although speed got very low, it never completely stopped. I recall, though, losing about 25 minutes on the timetable, which would accord with your Blue Anchor to Washford time.

    With regard Bulleid pacifics and slipping: any loco will slip in the wrong conditions - Bulleids are far from unique in that regard. There is a well known example of an LMS Duchess spending an hour trying to get away from Liverpool Lime Street due to lack of adhesion, and Winkworth notes in his book two weeks of observation of every departure from Rugby, on a falling gradient, that showed not a single clean start by a Duchess.

    My hunch about Bulleids is that it is difficult now to ascertain how much their reputation for slipping is because they were particularly worse than other locos, and how much is simply because they were more observed than other similar locos. There were large numbers of them, relative to LMS or LNER pacifics; and by virtue of proper mainline steam lasting out of Waterloo longer than any other express service meant they attracted more observation in their closing years than other types, and more observation means more opportunity to see them at their best and worst. So one at least needs to be careful attributing greater observation of slipping with a greater propensity to slip, relative to other comparable types. I have some notes from a well-known Southern driver who drove many engines on BR and he is insistent that when driven correctly, a Bulleid is quite sure footed. The regular modern-day performance of "Clan Line" round the Surrey Hills with a heavy train, or the ease with which original condition pacifics could work the Devon Belle (12 - 13 Pullmans, so over 500 tons tare) over Honiton Bank (seven miles of 1 in 75 - 1 in 80) would seem to support that assessment.

    Platform 7 at London Bridge was apparently a notably difficult start for up (London bound) trains, being on a rising gradient and sharply curved. If for any reason a pacific couldn't get away, the following electric train would be drawn up behind to bank it out of the station - minimising rush hour delays!

    Tom
     
  12. baldbazza

    baldbazza New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2014
    Messages:
    191
    Likes Received:
    538
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    IT geek
    Location:
    miles away
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Hmmm. Those ructions seemed quite lively sitting in Bishops Lydeard and Crowcombe Village Halls...

    All healing now of course thanks to the hard work of a whole lot of dedicated people, including yourself, but it's still difficult sometimes not to think of what could now have been achieved had all that time, money and energy been channelled into something positive instead.

    Barry
     
  13. threelinkdave

    threelinkdave Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2013
    Messages:
    2,065
    Likes Received:
    1,240
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Stratford-upon-Avon or in a brake KD to BH
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    And unlike now they would have compatible buffers and couplings. Thought - did they drop the EMU Buckeye and lengthen the buffers or just give it a shove and hope there was no damage as SR emus always traveled with the buckeye raised and buffers short.
     
    Wenlock likes this.
  14. Dennis John Brooks

    Dennis John Brooks Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2014
    Messages:
    408
    Likes Received:
    885
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    North Somerset
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    We were behind Manston a couple of years ago on a gala heading down to MD, pulling out of Watchet up the incline the engine wheels were going ahead & the whole train was going backward. It took about 10 mins & several shunts to get going again.

    DJB.
     
  15. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2014
    Messages:
    2,237
    Likes Received:
    918
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Why is clan line only going as far as BL on return and diesel back. Is it staying at Lydeard to be used on Torbay expresses.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2018
  16. Brockenman

    Brockenman New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2018
    Messages:
    78
    Likes Received:
    91
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Not on the Brocken
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Yes,at least 9 list on the WSR.org site
     
  17. AnthonyTrains2017

    AnthonyTrains2017 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2014
    Messages:
    2,237
    Likes Received:
    918
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Fantastic search function on wsr org.
     
  18. derby2

    derby2 New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2008
    Messages:
    187
    Likes Received:
    764
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Ran out of jobs
    Location:
    Somerset
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Yes.
     
  19. Black Jim

    Black Jim Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    468
    Likes Received:
    166
    Regards the Seaward Way crossing re-lay next autumn, are they going to lay a track panel in on the op side against future developments?!
     
  20. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2008
    Messages:
    3,906
    Likes Received:
    3,704
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    South Hams
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Is that for when the commuter trains commence Jim? :D:D
     

Share This Page