The Royal Duchy 2021

According to a usually reliable source the driver did indeed miss the AWS so emergency brakes applied.

 

My video, taken at Hemerdon

 

Can anybody shed any light on what the procedure is after missing an AWS warning ? Do distant signals all turn red ? Trying to understand the crawl and then the swift restart and getaway on Rattery.

 

Didn't always work though.

 

Cheers Al, the Rattery sequence was a strange one. They were down to a controlled walking pace and then, as they passed me the loco was opened up as if they got a yellow signal. Video to follow, sometime tomorrow.

 

A report from a friend aboard the train. <BJ>

Newton Abbot 59 mph 12:40.

Bahamas now slowly but surely climbing Tigley. Speed now up to 11 mph.

Into Plymouth at 13:38 after an amazing unassisted climb of Tigley and Rattery from an absolute dead stand.

Spoke to Bahamas' crew at Plymouth who advised that the were 'thrown a red signal by the signaller' as they passed Totnes. I guess this may have been due to catching up the IET heading to Penzance in front of us.

I suspect said signaller had no option than to set his signal to red. The sheer physical effort that this required of the steam locomotive crew to get the whole show back on the road on a visibly rising gradients is not to be underestimated. I congratulated them on their incredible and successful effort.

This is one fantastic loco and extremely competent crew. Really well done.

Update. Return leg:

Bahamas dug right in for climb of Hemerdon. Lowest speed on climb 9.1 mph. Over summit approx 11mph. Very good climb with 9 on unassisted.

45596 slowed to a stop on approach Teignmouth 19:41. Back under way Teignmouth 19:43. Starcross 19:52 at 68mph

47 772 departs Taunton at 2113 with 1Z92. Your all action roving reporter has now left the train. Thank you for tuning in.

 

It could have been a TPWS fault, not unknown on steam locomotives. The problem is missing the warning as its volume is designed for the quiet insulated modern cab not the rattling and banging of the steam loco footplate. In such circumstances the train will be brought to a halt by an emergency brake application and the system will have to be reset.

 

Your reliable source is totally wrong how can anyone say what really happened if you are not on the footplate. I was talking to the driver Andy at Plymouth and they were given a red signal as they passed Totnes. It amazes me how some people come on here with assumptions of what happened or claim that a reliable source said what happened, if you are not on the footplate with the crew you could not possibly assume anything, if you want to know what happened to post about correctly speak to the crew if you can.

 

I very much doubt that they were ‘thrown a red’. I assume that it’s MAS at Totnes so if they were running down the train ahead they would get double and single yellows first. Only in an emergency would a signal be suddenly changed and at any speed they would be well past it before they could pull up.

 

Is it progress that a class 5/6 steam loco hauling 8 coaches over the infamous South Devon banks can catch up with the latest super duper train?

 

My footage of Bahamas tackling Whiteball, slogging up Rattery and roaring away from Hemerdon. I hope you enjoy the video.

 

I agree. Regardless of whether it's multiple aspect, semaphore or anything else, surely no signal would ever change from off/clear/yellow/green to on/danger/red except in an emergency or because of a fault; certainly not when merely catching up the train in front. So whatever actually happened either the story has got confused in the telling or there was a signalling fault.

 

Bahamas comes out on top in the face of adversity !

 

My offering from Beambridge, Rattery, Hemerdon and Pugham Farm. Enjoy!

 

A fantastic trip, with an amazing ascent of Rattery from a standing start. All credit to the footplate crew for their hard work. Here's a quick shot I grabbed of Bahamas at Plymouth.