34046 Braunton The Solent & Sarum 13 September

Nick, Rob was due to be driving. Caused one heck of a problem for our lot (DBS) to cover a driver at just a few hours notice.
However it was an understandable problem. Sad to say that Ken passed away 2320 Saturday night.
His family were with him, and he went peacefully.

 

Have been away in Scotland doing night observations for my Owl book so missed this one.

Full marks to all concerned in running this train for a decent re-creation of the 50th anniversary of the end of fast steam to Salisbury.

Damned good to beat the ACE schedule to Worting Junction, before the inevitable slowing afterwards for the service train in front.

Now an idea!

Run the same timing to Salisbury again with ever so kind SW trains helping by allowing at least one of their trains to be retimed as I am told they did for Saturdays train. And add a short stop at both Basingstoke and Andover. Create the 3pm Waterloo from steam days, but with an even time schedule to Basingstoke. With ten cars should still get to Salisbury in the same overall schedule as on Saturday, but hopefully with no checks. The old 3pm was allowed a few minutes longer to Salisbury back in the day, but had a very easy schedule to Basingstoke.

Only doubt is the impact of the two stops, both with hard climbs on the restart, on water consumption. Not sure what tender capacity of 34046 is at present, and how much water it needed on Saturday for the
non stop run.

Yes, I know, I'm dreaming again!

I think I've only done one train over it's full distance in the preservation era that mirrored a normal steam days train. With the right load, the right loco and the right actual timings.

012 100-4 on a train from Kiel to Hamburg a few years back. For some reason we were late leaving Kiel and so didn't need a scheduled pathing stop. So we ran just like an Eilzug from the early 1970s, and stayed within the 75 mph limit schedule some of the Eilzugs had. (Some had an 87 mph schedule). It was great. The pacific roaring up to 75 mph, then fast braking for our stops which were short as we were late. Then roaring away again. And it was even into the right Hamburg station, Altona where the Kiel trains used to terminate back in the day and not Hamburg Hbf.

Wouldn't it be nice to re-create the 3pm from Waterloo to Salisbury and show the Germans we can do it too!

 

Yes indeed. Have watched a few trains storming through Woking back in the day. Including one morning when big bruver Don and I were on an area 3 rover ticket. 10 shillings and sixpence and we could bash up and down Waterloo-Woking and back all day. Wonderful value and got some very good runs. And I think the area covered the Redhill-Guildford line as I do remember starting some of the rovers by doing an early morning train from Redhill. A mogul on 3 cars.

Back to that morning at Woking with Don. Up Wessex behind a MN, 12 or 13 cars I think, came though at an estimated 90 mph. Rocked all over the place on the pointwork just West of the signal box. Hairs standing up on back of neck stuff as the driver gave a long blast on the whistle. Been through myself at 90mph twice or more too. Up ACE one week with the Salisbury mpd crew of Saunders/Young.

So seeing 34046 race though on Saturday on the down fast would have been up there with those 1960s memories. And I was asleep in my farm house B &B on Scotland after a night I saw Owls 35 times or more!

CORRECTION. I wasn't asleep when Wayne and the others on the footplate was taking 34046 West in Saturday in such fine style, although I should have been. I was exchanging texts with big bruvvr Don who was giving me a "by text" running commentary of the RTT reported progress of the train to Salisbury. And I think he would have been on the train but for a pressing domestic engagement at home!

So when I did go to sleep soon after 34046 got to Salisbury I was dreaming of fast running Bulleids , Owls and of course the usual.

 

4500 Gallons.

 

For such a good trip it was a pity that the train was not full. Only 2 coaches for Standard , 108 seats in total, but the buffet which a number of members of Natpres were in, was not full. 5 first class coaches 210 seats, mostly dining with some empty tables in one coach between Dining and First, and an empty ( apart from UKR Stewards ) first class coach.

 

I wonder what the water consumption was like, what's the mileage to Salisbury ?

 

Around, if not exactly, 84 miles from Waterloo.

 

Would probably mean it needs to be a MN on ten. "Spot" King did do a steam tour "non stop" to Yeovil Junction and back in the 1960s. Good running and no water stops on the way of course.

It would be great though, running a full 1960s schedule in 2014/15. It would have to be a Bulleid on the front of course. And maybe 80mph would be allowed just for the day.

Yes, I'm still in my dream world!

PS. I caught the 3pm down once off the up ACE.

At Basingstoke.

35010 on the up ACE was having a bad day. A very bad day.

It had been forced to stop at Templecombe to take water, but there was none so it then had to stop at Gillingham to get some.

Then the crew from Salisbury where I got on the train heard a scraping noise near Whitchurch. They stopped and found a hot box. So the loco was failed at Basingstoke where 73085 took over.

So I abandoned ship and got unrebuilt 34054 on the 3pm with Charlie Sutton and 11 cars. Very good run, especially to the Andover stop. 21.15 start to stop with 80mph twice. Then a damn good climb over Grateley. Followed by Charlie's return working on the 4.30pm Exeter with 34059 now of Bluebell fame. Another good run a bit spoiled by annoying little signal checks.

 

It's probably the price that still puts many people off. We would have gone on this trip if it had been a bit cheaper as we also have to pay a small fortune to get up to London at that time of day to catch it.

 

5250 isn't it? Braunton has a BR-era rebodied tender (quite possibly made in preservation) at the moment. Just to add to the confusion, pictures of her when first running on the WSR show a 4500 gallon tender, which actually matches the colour on the loco...

 

I got the info from the Icons of Steam website - see http://www.iconsofsteam.com/locomotives/braunton and scroll down.

 

Its got the boxed-in vacuum reservoirs on the tender, too. It has been painted in BR green instead of black.

 

Should be off peak all day on a Saturday.I usually try and avoid trips on a weekday in the South East where possible.

 

Hugely enjoyable day and good to meet some Nat Pres people, even a moderator. Thanks to UKRT, DBS and NR. The tour did what it said on the tin, fantastic. How many more even time runs from Waterloo to Worting will there be, and the climb to Buriton and the run back up the fast from Woking to Clapham not in our booked path were also good.

I thought there was good understanding by the signallers. The reason we gained 7 mins from Eastleigh to Cosham is that we were held at Romsey until we could approach Eastleigh, cross all the lines and turn left without stopping. Again at Woking Jct, out of path, it looked like quite a bit of approach control was used to keep us on the move up to the junction. As a result, I doubt if there was a delay minute against us all day-- I assume a platform alteration at Haslemere comes free.

The price--- sure, some of us are privileged to be able to afford the cheap seats. Just like Premier League, Covent Garden opera. Can't be many who went home on Saturday thinking 'that wasn't worth it'. I hope it did well enough for the promoters.