Mainline steam 2013

I wonder what will happen to Vintage Trains' reported plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Castle spectacular. Assuming Plymouth would remain the destination, quite apart from the likelihood of Castles being out of gauge for significant sections of the Waterloo-Exeter route, it would hardly be much of a recreation if the GWML and the Berks & Hants were not included in the itinerary. I had the impression that Tyseley were aiming to finish 7029 in time for some sort of special. (could be wrong, I only read what is in the railway press) but it would be a shame if the electrification plans knock what would have been a most exciting special on the head.

 

If you look at my other thread on here, it looks like they have something else planned around that time.

http://railways.national-preservation.com/whats-going/38155-another-vt-bash.html

 

John is on about 2014, while your thread is 2013.

 

Suspect the 1964 tour if going ahead will need a major alteration, if still going ahead at all, will probably end up something like this:

5043 - Tyseley - Bristol TM
4079 - Bristol TM - Plymouth
7029 - Plymouth - Bristol TM
5043 + 7029 Bristol TM - Tyseley

Course it will be a moot point if Pendennis or Clun or both are not availible in May 2014.

 

I believe the Hertford loop will have ERTMS installed in the not too distant future. There's an ex-Silverlink 313 that's being/going to be kitted out with the equipment soon as a test bed. It'll be good to see the branch have decent signalling at last, so that it's actually usable as a diversionary route.

 

Only a small section of it will be fitted for testing with some other upgrades to allow bidirectional working. The branch is already used as a diversionary route.

 

Silly me! Getting senile in my old age.

 

And throw in a Modified Hall for good measure! Not forgetting the "extra" Castle (Re 7025) of course.

 

5029 perhaps if 4079 or 7029 are not available?