VT The Welsh Marches - 28th September

Having kept an eye on this for the last couple of days, the times for the outward leg appear sketchy. Additionally, I am unable to find info on RTT. Seems a bit last minute as the tour is due to run in less than 24 hours - is it still planned to go ahead?

 

One would guess that it will be through Abergavenny at 1250 approx, well ahead of the next northbound ATW service. The return leg is definitely in TRUST.

 

Still nothing in for the outward leg. Going to be a last-minute path?

 

I wonder if times are being withheld in an effort to thwart the trespassing idiot near Ashchurch not so long ago.
If I remember correctly the crew escorted said idiot 'over the fence' only for him to jump back over again.

 

I doubt they'd do that to stop one person!

 

I really hope that this isn't the reason the times aren't confirmed for the outward run. I'll have a quick check in the morning, but am hoping to head out in the Birmingham area so fingers crossed the outline time will hold up.

 

I doubt you can do that for RTT, as it effectively reads the data straight out of Trust, and it would need to be in there for operating purposes.

In any case, with that ideology, you could end up with a trespassing imbecile for 2 hours waiting it out instead of 10 minutes.

 

The timing issues are probably further south as the Severn Tunnel is closed all weekend. Finding a path from Gloucester in between the local, Cross Country, London-Cardiff/Swansea and freight trains ain't going to be easy.

 

I suspect your right.

 

Also, not really sure where the outline departure time of 09:23 from Snow Hill came from? Having looked on RTT it seems that this clashes with a service train running Stratford to Stourbridge.

 

Vintage Trains on Twitter say their due through Kidderminster at 10.05am

https://twitter.com/Vintage_Trains

 

Try a few mins later...

 

Outward timings now up:

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/O22038/2013/09/28/advanced

 

Also, does anyone know if the performances through Ludlow are any good? Planning to see 5043 either there or leaving Hereford this evening.

 

High tide in the Awre/Purton area is just one hour after the train passes so photography/filming should be good.
....weather forecast not so good. <BJ>

 

Can't speak for performances, but Ludlow looks like a sharp bend with a tunnel at one end so possibly not the best choice for photting or video.

 

Saw it between Newnham-on-Severn and Awre. Bang on time, going pretty fast and sounding fantastic. Still, that's par for the course with 5043 and Vintage Trains. Weather nothing special, so no photo, but never mind - it was quite a spectacle, and steam on the Gloucester-Chepstow line (the nearest stretch of line to my home) is pretty rare.

 

Absolutely blistering performance through Abergavenny, still picking bits of coal out of my hair!

 

5043 earlier, weather was very very flat.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/neilscottuk/9983172883/