Devon Belle A1SLT/ UKRT 2nd April

Oops, very remiss of Apple not to add the great mans name to the dictionary, they even changed Marxist into Markist on another thread.

 

Finally got round to downloading the shot from the bridge at Grafton East Junction, Crofton. Was struggling with the light by this stage

Farewell Grafton East Junction by Stephen Dance, on Flickr

 

Hope they leave the bridges at Savernake and Wolfhall intact tor I'll run out of timing points!

IIRC Grafton East was one of the bridges with gauging restrictions for steam which meant subdued effort both ways, though it didn't affect Tornado on 02/04/2016.

 

Fortunately they'd have difficulty removing those two as Savernake carries a road and Wolfhall a public footpath plus access for the farmer. I've seen nothing use the Grafton East bridge (other than photographers) for nearly 30 years

 

Here's my log of the down run. Speeds from GPS, to be taken with usual degree of caution especially in cuttings. Average speeds based on distances in the RPS mileage chart with a few minor tweaks from me. I need to check miles chains of the station stops for a 13 coach train. A thoroughly competent run though apparently struggling for steam as reported on here and in The Imperial during the Exeter break. IIRC only the second 13-coach steam train I have timed on the Southern.

 

Brilliant!! Many thanks for posting that as a record of the first half of what proved to be a really great day out. And on this basis, I'm bound to ask whether we shall, in due course, get to see details of the return run along the GW/ West of England main line. From the limited record that I was able to make of the running, it certainly seemed to showcase some lengthy spells of energetic effort by Tornado between the intermediate stops - at least as far as the Newbury area/ Theale stop.

Perhaps I'm getting just a bit too engrossed in the locomotive performance aspects of these outings, but I couldn't help feeling that a professionally produced and presented log of the day's events would have made an ideal complement to the A1SLT's offer of a commemorative tour photograph plus "I was there" certificate, and make what I think is a good idea even better and more well rounded. Just a thought!

 

OK here's my log of the up run, the section in from Reading took a bit of time to sort.
Reasonable climb up to Whiteball, but far from Tornado's best, even allowing for the extra coach over its maximum Torbay loading. It has achieved 60 mph or so at Whiteball with 12 on.
Solid up Somerton, Brewham and Savernake and would have thrilled O S Nock in 60 years of Western Express running!
But the bar has been pushed much higher than this in the preservation era, especially up towards Savernake.
Clan Line has taken 13 coaches up Lavington at 74 mph from a Westbury start and had to ease back after Woodborough in deference to the 75 limit before surmounting Savernake at 77mph. So 70 mph at Savernake is very good but not exceptional.
I used to live in Ascot so my first attempts at train timing were with CIGs and VEPs, with the odd HAP, from Ascot to Waterloo and Reading - and I once recorded even time with a 4VEP from Ascot to Richmond!
So it was nice to record Tornado at 60 mph through Ascot, but we were checked thereafter and a very poor path meant trains being let out in front of us at every junction.
I will send these detailed runs and summary versions to the A1 Trust.
Sean

 

Once again, many thanks for posting the details of the return run, and in particular the interesting perspectives that you are able to draw upon to set this run into its true context. I guess that one factor that may have influenced or even constrained the running to "no faster than it needed to be" would have been the fact that the paths approaching Frome and again eastward from Bedwyn would have been framed to take account of the presence of stopping services making local calls not far ahead of the scheduled timings for the Devon Belle. We were already running some 13 minutes ahead of schedule at Savernake, so maybe the performance was always going to be, as you describe it, "very good but not exceptional".

I'm also particularly pleased to have a record of the running in from Reading. It wasn't that there was any great merit in the performance along this stretch, but there was something about Tornado's faltering progress through the darkened post-industrial landscape of East Berkshire/ South West London that was strangely absorbing and atmospheric - especially in the damp, dank, drizzly conditions that prevailed locally. And especially memorable, the image of smoke clinging under the station canopies as we passed, as witnessed from the rear carriages. I'm sure that this will prove to be an abiding memory every bit the equal of anything else we experienced that day. IMHO!!

 

We got off at Reading and your quote 'strangely absorbing and atmospheric in the damp, dank, drizzly conditions' perfectly described the departure. Steam was swirling around the cabside as the driver whistled up and the 13 coach train pulled away without a slip. The acceleration wasn't much different to an HST as it vanished into the darkness at some rate. Quite agree with your comments about the path and we all know David Davies was the ultimate 'thrasher' and showman on the regulator - provided the fireman could keep up!!

 

a belated thanks to all at A1 trust for a wonderful day out and to all the contributions here with some lovely photos and videos - some of the best ever of 60163 looking hot!
wonderful food and informative UK railtours hosts too (Doug Lindsay - nice chap)

a superb fast early evening romp from EXD to Frome homebound and shame we didn't get put out in front of a late running HST as we could have blasted well clear of him.

a fantastic day trip - exactly what a rail tour should be

 

A quick word of appreciation for a thoroughly absorbing Devon Belle instalment of your Locomotive Performance column in this month’s Heritage Railway. It works at every level – Description, Explanation, Assessment - and adds up to a fascinating insight into the factors affecting Tornado’s performance on that day. I was one of the many who were unaware of the problems confronting the outward leg to Exeter, and I learned a lot from your feature.

Coupled with the detail of this run that Sean Emmett has already released (posts 225 and 227), this must rank as one of the best documented main line steam performances in recent times (other than the prestigious Bittern high speed runs and rival Z48 offerings a couple of years ago). We’ve read a lot over the last week or so about the things that shoveage makes possible in terms of main line steam appearances on the modern railway. This article is a telling reminder of all the things that, at the same time, we miss as an authentic experience with this sort of regime, however much it may now be necessary.

So despite the “wow” factor of an illusory performance like “Carlisle pass to Oxenholme stop in 49 minutes” sort of thing (GB9 thread), I very much doubt that tales of “Notch One support” are ever going to make the best-seller lists. Whereas I hope we can look forward to much more of the same reporting of un-adulterated steam locomotive exploits (Royal Scot?/ Scarborough Flyer?) in future editions of HR.