TORBAY EXPRESS 2011 Season

I presume NR decided that current lineside conditions were tinder-dry and it was 'dryness', rather than high daily temperatures, that influenced them. There are lots of news reports from farms over large parts of Britain showing crops either stunted or withered due to the lack of normal Spring rainfall. Forecasts don't seem to show much significant rainfall in the near future either.
Not sure how many main line locos are fitted with ashpan sprays. This can help reduce/eliminate anything escaping to ignite the lineside vegetation/wooden sleepers/etc. - at the 'cost' of increased water usage of course.

 

HH, as has been said its not just the temperature on the day,the last few weeks the local news has been say driest March,April,May etc since records began.The little rain we have had has not touched the problem.It needs rain for a couple of days to get things back to what it should be.

 

The raindances have worked!! Plenty of rain overnight in the Bristol area. Certainly no chance of lineside fires here. Any reports of rain in Devon? <BJ>

 

Are you suggesting that the condition of the locomotive, ie. the spark arrestor, was to blame for yesterday's lineside fires? <BJ>

 

Just talking on Facebook to a Lee in Bridgewater,its dry there.

 

I've just looked at the West Somerset Rly webcam at Minehead. It also appears dry there.

Talking of the WSR, if you don't fancy photographing a diesel or travelling behind a diesel to Kingswear, take a ride behind steam engine 30777 Sir Lamiel from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead. That's what I did yesterday and it was really good. No lineside fires there. 30777 is hauling the 10:25 from BL-MD and 12:25 return, then the 14:25 BL-MD and the 16:05 return. Enjoy your day whatever you do. <BJ>

 

Duke of Gloucester + 47.815 (d.i.t.) + load 10, dep Bristol TM on time at 09:15.

The weather ....heavy rain!!

Stock: 8 chocolate and cream Mk.1s
1 chocolate & cream Mk2
1 maroon Mk.2 support coach. <BJ>

 

Some of us are experiencing the driest and warmest Spring for several hundred years. So the "experts" tell us. I am surprised we have still been getting main line steam through Mid Kent in such conditions.

And I'm not sure even heavy showers do much for very long.

So of course it's very sad the TORBEX is running with steam and an alternative form of motive power using fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil as fuel, (I don't want to get into dispute with those who take offence at the alternative name for such motive power forms).

But we have to ride through this and wait for the consistent heavy rains to return.

Not much consolation to the guy who has spent £280 on tickets for today. Just hope he gets something from the day after that expense. And to others in the same position.

Maybe if the heavy rain down there continues today and is widespread, the train will run on the return with the additional motive power using fractional distillate of petroleum fuel oil, turned off.

 

Well WCRC are steam sympathetic so I'm sure will let 71000 do most of the work in the wet areas. Everyone who seems to think that NR has "overstepped the mark" doesn't seem to realise that yesterday's lineside fires caused some major delays for "normal" passengers which I think, unless arsonists are actually setting fires on purpose to ban steam, were certainly caused by 6024. 21st century passengers should not have to put up with those problems. We should be grateful that steam is running on the mainline at all. If you'd have said in 1968 that today Duke of Gloucester would leave Bristol with an express to Kingswear that is expected to run with steam every Sunday in the summer, and that this was just a small fraction of today's mainline steam operations they would have been amazed.

Steam locomotives are guests on the mainline. We should tread lightly and not make a fuss when this sort of thing happens.

 

West Coast? DB Schenker crews today.

When The Duke departed from Bristol TM this morning, the diesel was not powering at all. <BJ>

 

West Coast do not operate the Torbay Express.

 

Yes sorry I just checked. I saw 47815 and instantly assumed a WCRC 47. :smash:

 

71000 come to a stand on Whiteball apparently. Must be at top end near marlands as stormed through Beambridge apparently. anyone got any further news?

 

71000 reported past Cowley Bridge at 11.42 so whatever it was must have been minor. Maybe late cancellation of TPWS resulting in brake application possibly?

 

Came to a sudden stop at Newton Abbot as well as seen in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwm2EVyW8Qk. You can see the signal is a yellow with a feather so perhaps the AWS/TPWS is playing around a bit?

 

Hope that 71000 has a very good run back from kingswere this evening ,with no problems and it rains all week ;

All The Best
jane;

 

Well at least the box is inside today!

 

removed;