30926

Knowing 45110 very well and having had the pleasure of driving it for many years, including on 10 and 11 - coach trains on the Severn Valley, I can only say that must be one hell of a bank!

 

Do you really want the EU telling us what to do with our railways? They are already having a bad enough effect - the absurdity of "Tornado" having to comply with the Interoperability Directive being just one of many examples of the malign influence of Brussels, but don't get me going on that....

One issue relating to the width of 30777 precluding it from running in Kent was brought home when I received the Railway Touring Company's 2009-10 brochure yesterday. Lots of interestng runs behind Tangmere in the pipeline, including a few trips around Kent. With Steam Dreams also making good use of Tangmere, this loco is going to have a busy few months ahead, but when it is finally due for overhaul, what is going to take its place? Clan Line is tied up with the VSOE, and I cannot imagine Oliver Cromwell being made available for so many tours in just one part of the country. Port Line is being worked on, but no-one seems to be talking about a finishing date for this engine yet. What about Braunton? Anyone have any idea how the main line plans for this engine are progressing?

 

Tornado is gauged for Kent.

 

Not at all. Although they couldn't do a much worse job than Notwork Fail!

 

I only had the one return trip on 5110 to judge it by but my impression was that it was weaker than the other classmates I have had the pleasure of driving - 5212, 5407, 5428 and 4767. The latter loco is, IMHO streets ahead of the other Black 5's. 5110 steamed to perfection, though, aided by some very good work from my fireman (who, I can't remember after this time).

 

Esk Valley line locos have AWS and TPWS fitted and operational. They are exempt from OTMR, which alone prohibits their use on other parts of the Big Railway.
I have no figures to back this up but I understand that positioning moves are not horrendously expensive and such ideas as towing (with rods off) as mentioned in another post, are likely to be more expensive options when all is taken into account.

 

Steve it would be interesting to hear your views on driving 30926, I no she is far from ideal for the line, but she does seem to generally get on quite well with it these days. As a pure observer, a few years ago she seemed to be driven with more regulator and managed to slip at least once on the climb, certainly with the various runs I had, today she seems to manage the climb with a lot less fuss, and quite a bit less noise.

 

30926 has changed character quite a lot in the time it's been on the NYMR. When it first arrived it used to lose its feet very easily and struggled with 6 coaches. It went on loan to the GCR for a while and when it came back it had its tyres turned and that transformed it. The loco will generally take 7 with no trouble and, in the hands of skilled drivers (not me!) will take 8. It has the power there, as long as you can put it down, but it is getting on its limit. adhesion-wise. Last year I didn't think that the valve setting was spot on. Once, you could pull it back to 25% (and less) when up to line speed and on easier grades but that wasn't the case latterly. Last winter/spring it had a good bit of work done to it in preparation for EVL running and I haven't been on it since.
I generally enjoy the loco but it rivals a GW for oiling up and it's another one that I find easier to drive standing up. It steams very well. It's achilles heel is the lack of proper reverse sanding; it only has the tender sands, which trickle sand in front of the tender wheels, like the S15.

 

Thanks for that Steve,I sure if you have been driving for a few years on the NYMR then by the nature of the line it will have made you into an expert despite what you say. As an outsider I tend to look only at the climb from Grosmont and think thats good work to take 8 up, but of course you have to come back and the climb from Newtondale without proper sanders is very good work, obviously 30926 was never designed to work tender first so has the railway ever considered fitting sanders to the driving wheels? Interesting to read your comments on 4767 she does seem a cut above the rest, had quite a few mainline runs behind her and she certainly did the business, Central Wales springs to mind, an exceptional performance to say the least.

 

ooops...deleted

 

You're right when you say that outsiders tend to ignore the northbound climb up from Levisham to the summit. It is in many ways a harder climb than the 1 in 49. It is essentially twice as long, albeit with varying gradients but has two stretches of 1 in 49 included. It is also timed such that full line speed is required and not the 14 mph of the Grosmont-Goathland section. A fireman certainly does more coal shifting going north! I've had to stop for more 'blow ups' going north than south but you can disguise these by stopping at Newtondale Halt. It's much harder to disguise these things when there isn't a platform in site!

 

Nice to see several videos of the Schools back on the ML now on Youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-5Zt3Y8GUM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGlQUmTePUU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm7qKu-iNAg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xk5-QdIENE

A very impressive sight and sound.

 

I'm plodding through my old timing note books, typing up my logs from the 1960s.

Interesting note from 25th April 1965. I was on the Sundays 12.15 Southampton - Waterloo. 34019 from Southampton to Fareham, then 35030 onto Waterloo. Diverted no doubt because of electrification works.

And without that diversion I doubt I would have seen the loco at the back of Eastleigh Works that prompted me to write in my note book:-

"30926 intact and clean behind shed at Eastleigh"