RTC End of Southern Steam: London to Weymouth 9th July 2016

Another forum I used to frequent used to have a running thread under the title "Who writes this c...?"

I offer the following from RYTC's description of this weekends trip - "We return from Weymouth at around 16:35 and our train will be hauled by a steam locomotive, either No. 34067 Tangmere or No. 35018 British India Line and banked at the rear by steam locomotive No. 34046 Braunton to assist with the steep climb ahead. It may be that the diesel will be at the front with the steam locomotive working from the rear of the train for the section between Weymouth and Southampton on the return journey. Our locomotive will be working flat out as we climb Upwey Bank soon after leaving Weymouth."

Still at least they've covered all the options!

 

Apart from the ones which might actually happen. Should appear in works of great fiction the RTC website.

 

The best we can hope for is a standard DCE from Victoria with some thing burning coal at the front and something burning oil at the back!

 

' Only ever a Black 5 as I recall. Never a Jube or Scot. Most will have arrived at Weymouth via the Western Region at Castle Cary/Yeovil Pen Mill. In the last days of steam on the SR, Black 5's would sometimes, albeit rare, arrive on passenger and goods trains via Banbury, Oxford and Basingstoke as far as Eastleigh. One famous filling in turn meant a Black 5 ran a Bournemouth to Waterloo and return duty on a Sunday prior to return to the MR.'

'Bournemouth used to "borrow" locos from cross-country trains, and also locos arriving from the S&DJR. I'm sure all sort of classes were used on things like football specials, etc. Then as now though, gauge-clearance was an issue on the Southern. Today, a train using any 2 steam locos is something special and not to be missed. Let's hope RTC and WCRC are able to put something together.'

I have slides of the following on Weymouth shed

09/06/1964 = 44679
04/06/1966 = 44829
06/09/1964 = 45595

 

Just as we suspected train top and tailed by 2 maroon locos neither of them in authentic BR livery!!

 

Looking at the RTC site it's now the Red Jubilee day with diesel haulage Weymouth to Southampton on the return, hardly a celebration of the end of Southern Steam.

 

I don't think there have been many unaided single-headed steam runs out of Weymouth in preservation days. Clan Line may have done so in 1994 on a very wet day which marked the first daylight preserved steam over the third rail since the 1970s, but apart from that incredible occasion in August 2005 when 71000 had to take a failed 47 as well as the rest of the train up Upwey Bank unaided and possibly a similar situation with Tangmere, usually a banker of some sort has been provided. In these more risk-averse times with more trains running through to Weymouth, I'd be surprised to see a steam hauled train being allowed to tackle that 1 in 51 unaided. If I'm proved wrong, however, I'll be pretty devastated I didn't book on it!

This post appeared while I was typing mine in. I'm not surprised and agree it's hardly a celebration of Southern steam and I'm glad I didn't book. Having said that, a Jubilee on the Bournemouth line is certainly something a bit different.

 

Am I missing something? The Jubilee is banking from Weymouth to Dorchester but takes over from Southampton up the main via Winchester. Can't remember how these ran in the past although I do remember Scots Guardsman running through Salisbury on one of these!
Will there be a turning move via Yeovil and a loco swap at Southampton (diesel off front and onto rear. Steam vice versa)? Surely the normal DCE routing via Romsey and Laverstock on the return is easier?

 

According to RTC it's now diesel only Weymouth - Southampton no banking. It actually says the locomotive will be working flat out so plenty of noxious fumes for those on the train, let's hope they come up with something better for the 50th anniversary in 2017.

 

According to RTC's website "We return from Weymouth at around 16:35 and our train will be diesel hauled as far as Southampton with the steam locomotive working from the rear of the train for the section between Weymouth and Southampton on the return journey."

If this is the case then without the routing via Laverstock, there will be a requirement to swap both locos over.

 

Yes I see, sorry I missed that bit, I assumed Galatea would have to run back to turn somewhere so I don't know quite how it will work until it gets on RTT

 

Top and tailed by Steam and assisting Diesel? Hardly a train 'fit for purpose' is it? Should have been cancelled.

 

Wow, that really has gone through the mincer... Beer o'clock between Weymouth and Southampton, then.

 

Had the ticket letter through today which says the following:

"We have great pleasure in confirming that we will be steam hauled from London Victoria to Weymouth and from Southampton to London Waterloo by 45699 Galatea due to the fact that despite our requests Locomotive Services who own Braunton were unable to make it available to us for this train. The section from Weymouth to Southampton on the return will be diesel hauled."

Mixed emotions about 45699 being in charge. Glad to finally get a run behind her but I wonder if she will now be shoved on both "steam" legs? The letter says that there are 8 Passenger carriages in use (4 STD, 2 First, 2 premier) so the actual load will probably be 10. As it is the Anniversary run can't the Diesel go down to Weymouth ahead of the charter so that 45699 works alone?

 

Easy now! Don't start the livery debate off again!

 

Quite a few Jubilee's made it deep into SR territory and a few made it to Weymouth*. Have a look at this fascinating website:
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiV5bqm7tzNAhXLJsAKHQqLBSoQFggxMAI&url=http://www.southernregion.net/strangers.html&usg=AFQjCNFtRSFPpoGCkLYmCDvtdNEdrXe0QQ

*Four Jubilees were recorded as having reached Weymouth: 45560, 45561, 45595 & 45689

 

The Southern Civil Engineer was a bit paranoid about 'foreign' locos on his patch, I remember platform end chat around 1961 , I think, when a Jubilee managed to reach Brighton on an excursion, Black fives on the Brighton line were OK but Jubilees no. Logic suggests that having made it there without incident it would probably have got back but I think it had to be towed with the boiler drained. I also saw a B1 on Redhill shed once, taken off a similar train and replaced by Southern motive power, it wasn't in steam so presumably it stayed their while the authorities decided how to return it from whence it came.

 

Do you, or anyone, know how much it costs to cancel a charter train, especially at short notice??? I'd be surprised if there aren't a number of non-refundable deposits in there somewhere! Probably better to run anyway, even at a small loss, than have to refund everything in full...
...as well as lose deposits!