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The Waverley Tours 2023

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by sgthompson, Jul 8, 2023.

  1. 2857Harry

    2857Harry Well-Known Member

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    Lunds, Aisgill (Wet!!) and Hellifield today
     

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  2. 2857Harry

    2857Harry Well-Known Member

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    I said about 5, you said more like 15, call it 10 then Or if you don’t want a number, call it slow and steady
     
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  3. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    5, 15, whatever When you bear in mind that the weather, by all accounts, was poor, it was a 12 coach train and Scotsman is a 7P then the climb of Ais Gill was bound to be slow and one imagines that the key aim of the crew was to get over the top and avoid a slip.

    That's what they did, it seems. Well done.
     
  4. sunstream

    sunstream Member Friend

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  5. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Just to add a postscript over Scotsman. What happened to load limits?

    When Scotsman was operating under Pegler etc it typically hauled 9, 10 or 11 vehicles....for a reason. I never had it with more than 11. Suddenly 12 is OK and over Ais Gill!

    I know that this is all driven by money and demand but the RTC should consider itself lucky that West Coast was happy to take the risk of 12.

    Load limits are there for a reason.
     
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  6. blink bonny

    blink bonny Member

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    A couple of shots with Scotsman heading north at Lunds on a beautiful summer day, with light breeze, warm air and fluffy clouds, then later, with half an hour to go before the return at Birkett Common, the sky darkened and by the time 60103 arrived, with a friendly wave from the footplate, the wind was lashing the bushes and the first heavy drops of a biblical thunderstorm were falling. My phone was buzzing constantly as the lightning detection app alerted me to nearby strikes. The Kendal area had been getting a pasting for some time, and it was heading our way.

    60103-(13)-Lunds-Paddock-fbook.jpg 60103-(44)-Lunds-Paddock-fbook.jpg 60103-(66)-Birkett-Common-(start-of-thunderstorm)-fbook.jpg 60103-(87)-Birkett-Common-(start-of-thunderstorm)-fbook.jpg 60103-(136)-Birkett-Common-(start-of-thunderstorm)-fbook.jpg
     
  7. torgormaig

    torgormaig Part of the furniture Friend

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    Nothing to do with the weather, which might have given the linesiders a good soaking but did not affect the A3's performance. It was more to do with the fact the quality of the coal in the back of the tender proved to be rather indifferent. As sometimes happens on a long journey, you run into it at just the wrong moment.

    Peter
     
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  8. walkerp1

    walkerp1 New Member

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  9. Sam 60103

    Sam 60103 Member

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    Scotsman has hauled 12 unassisted before in fact it may have hauled 13 unassisted way back in the days when it had a single chimney.
     
  10. Sam 60103

    Sam 60103 Member

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    RTC released additional tickets in standard class only a few days before the tour. That had me wondering whether load 12 would become load 13 but it was infact load 11 becoming load 12. Interestingly enough when it went to Scotland it ran with load 12 plus a 47 on the back but there was only 1 standard class coach plus the buffet car which surprised me. Guess that’s the affect of the cost of living crisis.
     
  11. class8mikado

    class8mikado Part of the furniture

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    But iirc as part of the 'Just How ruined is it and how do we manage that' report commissioned of Mr Meanley et al guidelines were issued as to managing 60103 in service and 12 on the long drag is off the scale... confident that the machine can handle it and its great for the punters that there is no box/ shoveage but i would guess this is a bit of a one off
     
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  12. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    All the more reason to not run close to the edge, I would have thought.
     
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  13. class8mikado

    class8mikado Part of the furniture

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    Dod not knoy yuh worz frorm Olster Al.
     
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  14. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    So what do you do, chuck the last ton of coal away because it 'might' be dodgy?
     
  15. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    I think @Big Al meant don't run with a train that's at the maximum limit for the loco. Fine on a good day with everything ok, but a bit risky when you have dust in the tender.
     
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  16. class8mikado

    class8mikado Part of the furniture

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    return keeping time ?
     
  17. acorb

    acorb Part of the furniture

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    Do you :

    -Take 2 or 3 carriages off and push a standard class fare up towards £200.
    -Top and tail with a diesel.
    -Only run Scotsman on flat routes.
    -Plinth Scotsman and declare it uneconomical to operate..
    Or,
    Based on previous recent experience with the locomotive, declare it capable of taking 12 over the S&C? I believe it did achieve this despite taking it easy due to variable coal.
    Bear in mind in gained plaudits recently for it's performance over the Devon Banks. I would suggest the work undertaken at its last overhaul have produced a stronger locomotive that perhaps West Coast are more confident with, that can only be a good thing surely?
    Who would be a promoter!!
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2023
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  18. blink bonny

    blink bonny Member

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    A bit later than I anticipated - processing the video to 4K on Youtube took forever.

    60103 going nicely at Lunds and slogging south in squally conditions at Birkett Common on the return.

     
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  19. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    I would think that West Coast does have a reasonable amount of experience running FS and know what her capabilities are, certainly more than anyone sitting in front of their keyboards.
     
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  20. 242A1

    242A1 Well-Known Member

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    But West Coast were quite happy to work 12 coaches over the S & C with a Mogul. So about these load limits are they in any way aligned with what these engines were designed to haul and are they formulated around what it was found these engines could achieve on the road? Because the historical record indicates that the limitations recommended to the NRM were a little, shall we say, conservative. It then raises the question as to why this should have been the case particularly given the fact that efforts were to be made to ensure that the locomotive would not be over exposed. Certainly in the 1970s I travelled with the engine on a number of occasions with loads of 13 which presented few if any problems.
     

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