The Robin Hood - Sunday 9 November 2014

Nowadays, the operation of running round a passenger train must be seen as 'unusual'. After all, in the modern world virtually every passenger train has an engine at each end (electric/diesel unit, HST or top 'n tailed diesel hauled stock). Perhaps when a train arrives at it's destination and it is realised that a train has a locomotive at the wrong end, the railway staff go into panic mode. <BJ>

 

For those of us fortunate to be in coach A, next behind the support coach, this was an excellent day out. We had a lot of sound from the loco a lot of the time and were too far away from the diesel to hear it even when it was working hard; not that it seemed to do so very often. The turning of the whole train at Lincoln was a minor bonus for us, but there was a lot less to listen to on the way back and I am sorry for those who were at the other end all day.

The speed up Sharnbrook, and in the evening going up to Stoke, together with the lack of loud exhaust from SG on those climbs, indicated that the diesel was helping a lot; but it didn't seem to be helping at all at some places where it certainly might have, including the start out of St Pancras, where there were numerous slight slips, and the climb from Wing Tunnel as seen and heard in mrKnowwun's video.

Yes, the run back down the ECML was somewhat pedestrian, presumably because no better path could be found. Otherwise the only downside of the whole day (for those of us near the front) was having time to kill in Lincoln after pretty well everything was shut apart from the restaurants (which were no use to those of us being well fed on the train) and the pubs. A return departure an hour or so earlier would have been welcome in that respect and in getting everyone home earlier, and should still have allowed enough time for turning and servicing the loco. Presumably they hadn't been able to find a viable earlier path down the ECML.

RTT shows both runs as "Timed for 60mph max". Any thoughts on that? Surely we went faster than that some of the time without ever getting much ahead of schedule apart from the early arrival at Lincoln.

 

We were told that the problem with just running 46115 was the support coach. It was not permitted to propel the support coach around the triangle so a fair bit of shunting would have been required to get the support coach to the other end of the train (not sure how many line there are in Terrace sidings - if there are only two, it would be particularly difficult). Ironically, the presence of the diesel may could have helped here ... set down pax in station, train to Terrace sidings, detach 46115 + support coach, detach diesel, attach diesel to support coach + 46115, diesel + support coach + 46115 turn via triangle, detach diesel, attach diesel to rear of train, attach 46115 + support coach to front of train, return to station to pick up pax Obviously the far simpler option operationally was set down pax in station, turn whole train via triangle, whole train to Terrace sidings, return to station to pick up pax.

(Before anyone mentions VT here, I think they get around this problem by not running the support coach around).

 

Huh? so its ok to propel the whole train around the triangle, but not one coach?

 

Try to keep up - there was a diesel on the back!

 

O V S Bulleid had the answer. The Leader class. One each end of every main line steam train.......................

 

...and very successful it was too!

 

The Lincoln Signalling Control Centre was due to take over control of the entire section of the Joint Line from Gainsborough Trent Junction right through to Werrington Junction with effect from last week (w/c 03 November) and following completion of level crossing works on the Spalding-Werrington Junction section the preceding weekend.

 

In your ham fisted way are you trying to say they were not allowed to reverse a coach on the triangle?

 

Yes, that's why I said "It was not permitted to propel the support coach around the triangle"

 

Thanks for that info.

 

Why are they not allowed to propel the support coach ? it's been done many times in the past surely ?

 

"some technicality"!

 

Happens elsewhere so perhaps a rule specific to Lincoln. Who knows?

 

I'm going to assume it's down to law of probability..

Probably was the easiest option to get to a lunch break faster.

 

My footage of the tour. Seen at Loughborough, Grantham and Hitchin.

 

I don't know, but it may be down to the distance involved (it's about 2 miles from Terrace Sidongs to Pyewipe Jn and about 1.5 miles back from Boultham Jn). Propelling over 4 level crossings may also be a issue.

I've also had a look at the track layout in Terrace sidings - basically just a loop and a couple of sidings - running the support coach round would not be straightforward. Turning the whole train was obviously the easy option (although the question remains why was there a light engine turning move in RTT?)