25mph+ running?

What is the max permitted speed under this dispensation, please ?

David

 

See PM.

 

I too would like to know what the dispensation is for running and how the GCR can go with this?

 

The maximum speed permitted is 35mph between QW28R/29R and the exchange apparatus, after which speed is reduced immediately to 25mph. It's basically just an enhanced permissable speed for TPO trains exchanging mail bags only provided certain conditions are met, which include locking the foot crossing at Quorn, having a clear run to Rothley, and the down line being clear of any traffic. That's about as much as I can tell you.

Further to Phil's statement, we also have dispensation to run at up to 75mph for diesel hauled test trains consisting of main line freight vehicles only.

 

Pretty sure Didcot don't reach 35MPH in their demo's!.

 

Considering they only have 200 yard ...if that for a run up , id imagine they would be lucky to hit 20 mph...

 

The limit for TPO runs at Didcot is 25, if I'm not mistaken. You don't really want to be going any slower than necessary, for the reasons mentioned previously, although it has been done with the 08 before. With the right engines, if you know what you're doing, there's no reason why you couldn't reach 25.

 

Jamie,
Isn't that any passenger traffic? I'm sure I recall a TPO running with a freight in section between Rothley and Quorn. Of course, I could be mistaken.
Phil

 

Phil,

Just to confirm, the restriction to down line traffic passing the TPO doesn't extend to non-passenger traffic. The TPO definitely passed a freight between Quorn and Rothley on Saturday afternoon, and no-one's yet come shouting at me for allowing it to do so!

Tom

 

Thanks for confirming Tom. Did you like the devious wording in my earlier message? I was so sure it happened (a few galas ago), because I was the signalman at the time. :smt002

Phil

 

I didn't know if you'd seen Saturday's 'combination' and were referring to that! I suppose it happens most times the TPO runs - there's usually a non-passenger move of some sort booked on the down, otherwise it'd be a waste of a path at a time when you could do with getting rid of something to the north. We're all quite innocent anyway :smt023

Tom

 

One reason for not wanting to raise the speed limit, is the percived value, for example, as it stands the Severn Valley offers a journey time of about an hour and a quarter, if we are to increase the speed limit to 40, and reduce the journey time to, say 45 mins, would people still be prepared to carry on paying the same price for less entertainment? The entusiast market may, but really, 90% of people using the railway have little if any interest in railways.

 

I don't think anyone would want trains timed at more than 25mph but the flexibility to run at a higher speed than is currently permissable would be useful for galas (where there is a market) and/or recovering late running, Joe Public may not care what's on the front but he may care if he is 25 mins late and misses his train connection home! I think this argument is valid also for mainline steam where sticking rigidly to 75mph can cause delays to other service trains when a charter has lost it's path (often through no fault of it's own) and incur financial penalties for doing so. Through reading Mike Notley's column it is a pretty regular occurence now for timings to be unachievable over sections for a 75 mph limited loco, being able to run quicker would mean trains don't lose time over these sections. In BR days with the 60 mph limit i think there was flexibility but with the advent of privatisation and OTMR there doesn't appear to be any leeway. There isn't a case for regular 25 mph plus running on preserved lines but I think any crew would like the flexibility to be able catch up time and know he isn't going to get into trouble or reported for doing so; it seems ridiculous to have a locomotive, stock and infrastructure in place capable of catching up time lost but being artificially restricted and so extending the delay. With the variety of motive power used it would be impossible for smaller locomotives to achieve faster than 25 mph timings with the loads that they are hauling on our longer lines so on this basis it shouldn't be a regular thing, but something that can occur legally when circumstances dictate that it would prove useful or on special occaisions where locomotives and stock are known in advance.

 

Was Tornado's "high-speed" test run on the GCR a one-off, or is that allowed for specials on the double track?

 

Whilst I personally would love to see faster running on Heritage railways, I find it very hard to see any commercial benefit to the railways concerned. Indeed I would guess they could incur significant extra costs in cutting down the journey time which maybe is quite an important issue for the "joe public" family having a day out who want a nice leisurely train ride behind a steam loco?

 

The higher speed limit is open to any form of testing (as far as I'm aware at least) up to 60mph, and Diesel locomotives hauling air-braked national network freight wagons. Examples in recent history have included 60mph running for filming work, 75mph slip brake testing, 75mph sound testing, mileage accumulation, running in, type testing and main line certification for steam locomotives. Basically, whatever you want to do, it can generally be done at the GCR.

Examples being here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMn1Up7DmAU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpWjBwFWdYY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkKEURaKY0M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKHES4cnSHM

 

I heard something from a guard on the GCR about 80 / 90 mph test trains which have happened there. Is that right or have I got confuddled again? :-k

 

Have they got the distance to stop going that fast.....? :-k

 

Good point. I'd be surprised if really high speeds could be reached on that length of line, ( but I am not familiar with the gradient profile etc). I've been retrieving loads of my old steam logs recently, and even with a light load, straight track and a falling grade, (albeit quite gentle), I think my fastest from start to 90 mph took circa 5.6 miles. But the loco was not being worked flat out, (I was on the footplate). So maybe something like a 4 car train with a loco with the power of Tornado could accelerate faster than that if worked very hard indeed. But then what is the braking performance of a big pacific on just 4 cars? And what would be the purpose of doing that?

 

Maybe a preserved railway could aquire some mk3s then try and go 25mph+
The coaches wouldn't fit the heritage look but if it were one return a day then it would be a major attraction for enthusiasts and the public.
However if you really want to go a bit faster then the Scarborough spas ect are what is already there.