The Wansbeck 29/3

Times now on RTT. North Blyth and Boulby are both shown (contrary to provisional timings on UK Steam), but as per last year it's not getting as far as Ashington.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54791/2014/03/29/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54792/2014/03/29/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54794/2014/03/29/advanced

 

Looks like all day on the train this year. At least last year there was a break at Saltburn.

 

Looking on the RTC 2014 thread, our resident RTC representative Ray Mason suggests that 'local arrangements' might be made to get the trip to Lynemouth, so there is still a slim chance of getting to Ashington. Not banking on it though, but it would add the cherry on the cake in terms of rare track.

Judging by the timings, it was a case of either Boulby or Saltburn; speaking purely for myself, I'd rather get the mileage in and take a sandwich with me than freeze to death in the North Sea wind.

 

The usual stellar conditions!

61264 leaving sunny Redcar........LINK

 

Nice shot there Stuart Did the sun dip,Wheres the ducks lol

 

Hello all,
Pictures from the railtour of the Wansbeck, featuring K1 62005 and B1 61264.

Pictures: http://www.blackhatrailwaypictures.co.uk/p645121452

Report:

The weather over the north east proved to be dry. Dry in every sarcastic sense of the word. While the rain did hold off the wonderful panoramic views of the north east that this tour would encompass would evade most passengers thanks to fog, low cloud or mist. Each similar but giving different visions in different places.

It made photography difficult. Photographs had to be taken fairly close to the line or subject, meaning some views and locations were a right off. Despite this, some pleasant photos were taken, ones like the back streets near Blyth, over Blyth bridge and the viaduct near Crag Hall.

The one place the sun did shine was around Teesside, no smoggy reputation for Middlesbrough today, but it was short lived. Passengers with vertigo need not worry around the cliff top near Skinningrove, you probably didnt seen the edge.

Despite this, the chase was fun, the tour beat me to a few places, Kirthleatham near Redcar being one. Some shots were difficult due to the mist being too thick.

The engines performed superbly. The note between the larger wheeled B1 and the smaller K1 was noticeable. Credit must go to the two groups that turned out the machines so well. The K1 has a great reputation on the mainline, but the B1 since its overhaul has impressed many. It is indeed a sad fact that only one K1 and two B1s remain.

The chase was long, the day enjoyable and for many the novelty of top and tailed steam proved to give it an added factor. Heres hoping for the same engines next year and better weather!

Enjoy,

David
aka the Black Hat

 

I saved the best until last, with the K1 leaving a magnificent exhaust trail while working it's little socks off as it

passes over the delightfully pretty valley (think "Deliverance") that looks down into into Skinningrove and in

the distance the sun can be seen glinting off the North sea as the tankers pass by heading for the Tees.

POETIC LICENCE!

On the positive side, the rods were down...........ish!

 

First the on-train commentary...

The trip started off well, we were ahead of schedule until Bedlington Station, when we were held for about 30 minutes due to a coal train hauled by a 66, resulting in us moving around 20 minutes after booked time. We were subsequently held at Freemans Level Crossing while what was possibly the same 66 hauling a different coal train left North Blyth (there was a huge mound of coal being shifted into wagons), resulting in us arriving at North Blyth about 45 minutes down. The run into Newcastle went surprisingly well, considering we were now out of path. We did not stop at Newcastle as booked (to save time, but this was to have ramifications later), and stopped at Ferryhill for a top-up of water. We departed Ferryhill 28 late, and had a steady run down the FO line through Sedgefield to Stockton, and made an operational stop at a sunny Middlesborough 32 down. Passing through Redcar, the mist started to encroach, so that the apparently spectacular coastal section between Saltburn and Loftus was shrouded in an equally spectaculer sheet of grey sea mist. We arrived at the closed gates of Boulby mine 24 down (we were only going to the reception siding, which is presumably the whole route between Crag Hall and Boulby).

We departed Boulby 24 late, and stopped at Crag Hall for a water top-up, where the deficit was absorbed to create an 18 late departure. We retained this 18 minute deficit all the way to the loco change at Tees Yard, with the final diesel section departing 4 early, stopping at Darlington and making an unscheduled stop at Durham, arriving in Newcastle 2 minutes late at 20:05. Highlights of the trip was actually getting to the two rare destinations for steam, and the climbing sections between Saltburn - Loftus - Boulby. All in all, a very interesting day out from my perspective, marred only by the weather, the contrived method of registering your car by mobile in a MSCP when you don't have the right change and there's a warden about, the very full Wetherspoons in Newcastle (it was Saturday night, after all), and the fact that I remembered that I had left my scarf on the train just as I returned to York.

Secondly, the unscheduled outward stop at Durham...

As far as I was concerned, the trip did exactly what was advertised, with what I still feel to be a minor exception, the lack of a stop at Saltburn. However, it seems this was a big deal to some people, and it was was this issue that displayed the divide between the 'enthusiast and steam on rare track and who cares where it stops' brigade (I count myself in this), those who wanted to get their money's worth come what may (the middle ground encompassed by the person sitting next to me), and those who booked the trip for an hour or two at Saltburn. It may have just been the drab weather, but the fact that we powered through Newcastle to make up time meant we had to make an unscheduled stop at Durham on the run to Boulby to let those passengers in Standard who didn't 'feel the love' off. It must have been around 1/5 of Standard class judging by the empty seats when I wandered down to the buffet. I can't account for what hapened in First Class, but judging by the attitude of some people in Standard class, it seems there's plenty of money floating about in the North East if they are willing to leave half way through! No matter; their sacrifice and inability to adapt to the situation subsidised my hobby, and their loss is very much everyone else who remained on the train's gain. It sounds harsh, but that's exactly what happened on this occasion.

 

Thanks for the report BP. It is just possible that some people only wanted to travel the Wansbeck part of the tour and not to sit on the tour having a trundle around Durham and Teesside. The only drawback is that those having a 'part' trip prevented others having a 'full' trip, but since I could not go on it this time it was not a problem for me. It sounds like you enjoyed the trip, here's hoping we get a few more trips starting in this area, lots of suitable routes I think.

 

A few photos from yesterday. Northern grot at its best!

 

Oh yeah I’ve got this photo - I was the one in the blue hoodie in the field. Gosh it was Magnificent! Excellent effort all the same.
Rest of the days photos now on my website: http://richardsteampics.weebly.com/recent-images.html and a couple below of the K1 at Stockton in some sunshine! and departing Crag Hall.





Richard

 

Richard, shots in the sun, well done
A couple with no sun from me. Winning box and North Blyth loop

 

Nice shots H, were these taken before or after you fell over the fence lol

 

Hahaha when I was falling I think lol like it

 

As ever, guys, great shots. Thanks for posting them.

I too am a little perplexed at folk 'baling' so early in the day, but it's the number who did so that is very surprising.

 

Like I said, everyone who'd booked had known for at least a week that we were not going to Saltburn but that the rest of the trip was going to take place as advertised; a glance at the ticket and the write-up should have told them that there weren't opportunities for stopping. Furthermore, I would have thought the whole point of the exercise was surely the steam haulage? If they really booked the trip just to go to Saltburn, they only had to pay £15.30 for an 'Anytime' ticket...

As it stood, if they really were that peeved, they could have done one of two things: one, bring plenty of reading matter and food to make a day of it, or two, not turn up at all to create an atmosphere that spoils it for those who didn't have any problem. There were around six who left from my part of the carriage (I did smell under my armpits, but it wasn't me!), and it has to be said, the atmosphere improved no end, and people actually started talking to each other.

The trip ran 90 per cent as advertised, so full marks to RTC for perservering, and bad show to those who didn't appear to even try to make the best of their personal circumstances. I guess there's just no pleasing some people...

PS: Excellent shots, by the way!

 

A little bit late but my shots from the day are up here : 'The Wansbeck - Eastern Region Mainline Steam'