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Cathedrals Express 6233 to Bristol 7th October

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by alastair, Oct 3, 2010.

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  1. Matt35027

    Matt35027 Well-Known Member

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    Because Waterloo has no calling on signals which would allow a diesel to come down onto the rear of the train when it comes in to take the train out of the station and on to whatever depot.

    I think.....I may have dreamt that. But I'm reasonably sure I saw someone mention it on Nat Pres before.
     
  2. Mikem

    Mikem Member

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    A bit of a wheel slip coming off the Portsmouth line at Eastleigh earlier today. Pity the 925 Cheltenham move

    did'nt coincideat 12ish. Off down to Guildford station later reported through Romsey on time.

    Mike M. (70c )
     
  3. cg

    cg Well-Known Member

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    I had hoped to get to Bath to photograph the train on the move back to London, but traffic in Bristol was heavy, I ended up at Temple Meads, at the less photogenic end just as the rain started once again.

    http://michael527.fotopic.net/c1904659_1.html
     
  4. nigel1952

    nigel1952 New Member

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    still a few minutes late at Westbury, but the 37 doing no work at all, and 60019 going like a er............. train
     
  5. nigel1952

    nigel1952 New Member

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    But on time at Westbury this morning
     

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  6. PCforT9

    PCforT9 New Member

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    Through West Byfleet 20 mins down at 22.42 - 37 pushing furiously
     
  7. jonwright87

    jonwright87 Member

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    and through surbiton, not sounding like it was working very hard. Valves were feathering as she went by with the 37 still giving it some at the back. Heard the valves lift proper as she approached Berrylands.
     
  8. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    With the weight of an additional tender and 13 coaches in tow, I'm sure that the loco would have been overloaded.
    The long and steep incline at Upton Scudamore would have proved a potential problem for the operators. <BJ>
     
  9. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    The driver of the DL told me at Bristol that he would assist on Upton Scudamore and also up to Buriton. Out of Westbury the DL kicked in at Dilton Marsh when we were down to 33. Even so the min was 34. Went into Buriton at 34 having gone through Rowlands Castle at 31 and then been boosted to 46 by the DL. Given the fact that 13 coaches plus a water tender plus a Class 37 takes you to about 610 tons, there's no way that Bittern could have kept time on critical sections without help and the timings on the hills made it essential she was given a push. And once the train started getting late the DL also gave a push at the starts.

    As someone who gets twitchy about DLs on steam trips I honestly couldn't see any alternative. Once NR insisted on the DL, there was little else that could be done with such a heavy train.

    But all that palls into insignificance compared with the multitude of speed restrictions that made time keeping a nightmare and ruined good running. We had checks across the water meadows at Godalming, up Haslemere bank, half way up Buriton and down the other side. Coming back we almost had to tip toe up the Portsmouth direct. All I can say is that if this tells the world what a 'knife edge' condition the Portsmouth direct line is in for anything heavier than a tramcar then I think I should stop travelling on it immediately otherwise one day when we hit the rough bit of track half way down Haslemere bank London bound we may all end up in a field!

    What on earth has our national rail system deteriorated to?
     
  10. nigel1952

    nigel1952 New Member

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    its what the Westbury banker would have done in the Good Old (?) days, though they usually started pushing from standstill from the station at Westbury

    So seems to have been, apart from the motive power, an authentic re-creation ..........................
     
  11. Mikem

    Mikem Member

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    Was the second tender really required for this tour, there were plenty of water stops?

    Mike M. (70c)
     
  12. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    2010 was going to be my year of a big return to main line steam hauled trips. But the year just keeps going downhill as far as I am concerned, and I have totally abandoned any thought of main line trips at present. I would have detested being on that train with a myriad of checks and the box pushing every so often. It doesn't seem far off now from a German Tour company in the first part of this century. Lovely three cylinder pacific at the front. 15 to 16 coaches. And a diesel shunting loco to push the whole lot round all day at 50 mph!

    Just got to hope that when 34046 and 34067 get going again some normality returns. Along with the occasional run behind 35028, 70000 and 70013.

    And before the normal nasty and aggressive Nat Pres responses start, (not from you Big Al I know), this is just how such runs affect my own personal plans. And I know full well I am in a tiny minority whose wishes just cannot be catered for under current circumstances. And I have to accept that.

    I'm going to start getting runs behind as many types of ex SR locos as I can on Heritage railways, (box free trains!), and also try and get photos of all the surviving classes of ex SR locos I photographed in 1960-1962. To go as footnotes to a web site I am building with those old photos. 1960-1962 SR steam photos

    Yes, that's right. I'm going to choose which part of the past I want to live in!
     
  13. knightoftheblackeagle

    knightoftheblackeagle New Member

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    the impression of the climb of westbury bank at upton scudamore was that bittern was having a job to keep up with the class 37,it was pushing that hard,i overheard some comments like did the 37 have to work quite that hard or was that a steam hauled train!!assistance was necessary because of the damp weather conditions but i felt every one would have loved to have seen the A4 be allowed to have done a little more work,i wonder how the train passengers felt because i'm sure this very fulltrain the were there for the 'duchess' not the A4.everyone i met all day wre feeling devasted about it not being the 'duchess'some i think feeling cheated.but in the end it was 'steam' and that's what matters.i should say the climb out of salisbury up to tinkerpit was very nice indeed,with the 37 just 'ticking' over.but to go back to the climb of westbury bank i mention once again 35028's climb of this bank back last winter in absolute terrible weather conditions,pouring rain,and strong head wind,although pitch dark,35028 made a superb climb,13coaches+class 67 diesel(DEAD]this must surely be the bench mark for climbing this bank in such conditions,i still wish my sound recorder hadn't let me down on this night.there just three or four there to witness this scene.i had just hoped the A4 might have repeated some of this.
     
  14. SpudUk

    SpudUk Well-Known Member

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    It is a shame that the insistance on using diesels is somewhat killing the atmosphere of steam on the mainline
     
  15. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    With the tight schedules which seem to be required to get a path in some areas, it to be you have the option, steam with diesel assistance as required, or no steam... I know which I would choose.
     
  16. evilswans

    evilswans Member

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    this man speaks sense,

    come on lads, so what if there is a 'box' on the back, we are bloody lucky to still have mainline steam running on todays network, all be it it hasn't been a fantastic year with a few locos going down with failures and the hot weather we had, but come on they are still on the front and Bittern was working pretty hard it barrelled past us yesterday. so come on just stop this whole anti box thing, its wearing a bit thin.

    cheers
    Matt
     
  17. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Re Clan Line and Upton Scudamore - quite right! However, the gross load for the A4 (with its extra tender) was the equivalent of about two extra coaches compared with 28's trip. And, at the risk of annoying all ex LNER folk, I'm not all that certain that an A4 is the best design for this kind of hill climbing. Greyhound maybe but husky, probably not.
     
  18. SpudUk

    SpudUk Well-Known Member

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    I must admit, when I was standing on Bath Spa platform and Clan Line rolled in with VSOE on the back, all the light up in the dark, I didn't care that there was something on the back (infact, I can't even remember if there was) nor did the other people waiting for the next commoners train to Portsmouth, who were in awe of this beast! It makes me smile seeing the faces of normal people when something like that comes in, something quite magical happens and everyone looks and smiles! What was even better was I didn't realise it was coming in either, I was just on the way home from shopping in town!

    Steam + Diesel or no Steam at all, I know what I'd pick too!
     
  19. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    Well of course that's true but you were simply watching the steam train go by and not riding behind it.
    The thought of being in coach 13 with a bloody diesel pushing like mad behind does nothing for me at all. <BJ>
     
  20. malc

    malc Part of the furniture

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    I was just about to say exactly the same thing.
     
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