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2019 British Pullman steam

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by mike1522, Jan 19, 2019.

  1. royals pete

    royals pete Member

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    And well up to speed on the fast through Twyford. Wonderful sight. Hopefully the Gt Malvern 8 mins behind didn't get held up.
     
  2. AlexGWR1994

    AlexGWR1994 Member

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    My footage of Clan Line at speed whistling past Kings Sutton on the outward leg. I've added a bonus of British India Line and her run to Yeovil and Weymouth yesterday to celebrate Bulleid's greatest assets both in such top notch condition. Enjoy.
     
  3. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

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    Faultless from Clan Line, Great sound over the top of Wilmcote and plenty of great run pasts with the the footplate crew playing to the crowd.
     
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  4. Rick.E

    Rick.E Member

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  5. mattspencer

    mattspencer Well-Known Member

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    The return on the approach to Bearley Junction with Clan Line working hard with the heavy load
     
  6. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Speed through Reading was 76. Hard to think of when any steam last went through Reading at 70+. Maybe the 1730 Oxford to PAD in 1963?

    We also ran from the sig stop at Didcot East to our walking pace sig check at Ealing Broadway in under 43 min. It's 47 miles. I guess that's what you pay top dollar for!
     
  7. David likes trains

    David likes trains Member

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    Caught the return leg at Wilmcote and then the foot crossing at King's Sutton.
    [​IMG]
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  8. dublo6231

    dublo6231 Member

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    Wow! Must of been exhilarating having climbed to the high level junction and used the gradient on the other side to build up momentum. Must be close to the max speed for the station as I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything pass through the new Reading station at that speed before. Wonder if Wayne was driving or was onboard somewhere?
     
  9. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    All the DBC crews were brilliant and had a hand in yesterday's stunning performance somewhere along the line. On the return, Messrs Ward, Henderson, Thompson and Proctor were involved.

    So on 9th July 2012, Don Clarke took Clan Line from a signal stop before Shawford to a signal stop beyond Clapham Junction in just a tad outside of even time for the 67.5 miles. Speed never dropped below 70 after we had crested Roundwood.

    Almost exactly seven years later on 10th July 2019, Wayne Thompson took Clan Line from a signal stop before Didcot East Junction to a 9 mph pass on sigs at Ealing Broadway in 42.5 minutes for the 47.25 miles. And this was on the GWML with mile after mile at 75 or thereabouts.

    You know....at that kind of pace...and through Reading at 76.....you don't really notice the sacrilege of Brunel's railway that is all the knitting!
     
  10. Where's Mazeppa?

    Where's Mazeppa? Member

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    What a fantastic performance! And we can count ourselves lucky that Big Al was on hand to observe and record this magnificent achievement for posterity, given that (perhaps not surprisingly) we usually see so little detail of running of the British Pullman.

    Touching on the matter of steam-hauled passing speeds at Reading, and spurred on by the always tantalising mention of the iconic 5.30 pm Oxford-Paddington, my best guess would be that the last time Reading saw the passage of a steam locomotive at the sort of speed Clan Line was achieving yesterday - or even higher - would have been the returning 1Z48 on the 9th May 1964 with 5054 Earl Ducie. Logs put the passing speed variously at between 80 and 82 mph, but worth bearing in mind that, however epic the performance (and it certainly was - sub 96 minutes Bristol Temple Meads-Paddington via Badminton) this was a featherweight load of seven coaches/around 265 tons, so not strictly comparable.

    As far as the venerable 5.30 pm goes, by the time of the summer timetable in 1963, this service had been turned over to diesel traction - my first recollection of this from my later spotting days at Oxford in June 1963 being that of Western rather than Hymek haulage. Certainly during 1962 Castles were still turning in some fairly epic speeds on this service, but beyond that time, it was the life-extension that Castles enjoyed on the Worcester-Hereford services through 1963 and roughly until May 1964 that delivered the likelihood of 70 mph + speeds through Reading - the 8.52 Up (6.20 ex-Hereford) and 5.15 pm down (Cathedrals Express) services being the only non-stop Oxford Paddington services by that time. The RPS database has all the evidence!!
     
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  11. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Many thanks for that. I had guessed 1963 but 1962 sounds more likely on the 5.30 pm ex Oxford.

    OK - let's give it to 1964 and 5054. That's FIFTY FIVE years ago and steam is still being allowed to strut its stuff on the GWML. Who cannot marvel at that and our wonderful but quirky network that allows such things to happen. Well done Network Rail and those who take on the challenge of plucking fast steam paths out of what is not supposed to exist.

    By the way, two things.

    Those on Platform 10 waiting for the service from Great Malvern had the shock of their lives as Clan Line bore down on them from the ski jump with whistle held on. And there is no truth in the rumour that the loco owners masked out the 3 from the loco's number to try and placate GW devotees for whom it seems their railway is no longer match fit for their locos. (Witness all the restrictions for Clun Castle on the Chilterns Circular in June.). Anyway I suspect that Llantilio Castle wouldn't be able to 'do' a tad under 500 tons! :)
     
  12. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

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    The usual Bulleid Brilliance from 35028, hard to pick a favourite from yesterday. The sound in the going away shot at Kennington ended our day well ! Be nice to see some footage from Reading.
     
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  13. ChrisBridges

    ChrisBridges New Member

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  14. 8126

    8126 Member

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    You're right, the sound in that going away shot is excellent, really captures that bass thump that I always think of as the signature of a Merchant working hard.
     
  15. hampstead

    hampstead New Member

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    Other people filmed this, but not on here yet.
     
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  16. CLN_WVR

    CLN_WVR Member

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    Some images from that 76mph moment (I really, really wish I had been using video) - Chapeau/Hats off to the crew (both on train and those that maintain her)
    Ohh and I have no idea how I got her nameplate in focus with a blurred smokebox at that speed from about 6' away

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  17. steamvideosnet

    steamvideosnet Well-Known Member

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    A few shots from Wednesday, with 35028 giving us another masterclass in power, performance and elegance.

    35028 stratford.001.jpg
    35028 stratford.002.jpg
    35028 stratford.003.jpg
    35028 stratford.004.jpg
    35028 stratford.005.jpg
    35028 stratford.006.jpg

    James
     
  18. Shoddy127

    Shoddy127 Well-Known Member

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    And there's no video anywhere of this unfortunately! Well, currently at the time of posting this.....
     
  19. CLN_WVR

    CLN_WVR Member

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    I really regret not taking video, but my skills in this respect aren't good. It was only me and a teenager on the London end of Platform 10 and both of us were taking stills. No one was on London end of Platform 9 and no idea if anyone was on Swindon ends of either platform (although when I was deciding where to stand maybe 45minutes before, there were no other railway togs around).

    If a commuter was quick enough with their phone they may have something, but probably don't know exactly what they have captured and they will only have realized what was coming when they heard her whistle.
     
  20. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    .....and that was partly because some people on the platform couldn't tell a steam engine plus pullmans from a Gt Malvern service train!
     

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