VT - Moonraker to Salisbury - 8th April

Good trip out yesterday. The schedule wasn't terrific time wise, but having to weave in and out of traffic on three busy main lines was always going to present challenges, and there seemed to be a number of station restrictions, presumably for gauging reasons. Aynho Junction to Heyford, and back in the evening, was done at terrific pace, and an impressive run back up the Basingstoke to Reading line was fun. Also worth noting was the run from Worting Junction to the outskirts of Salisbury, and Fenny Compton to Leamington in the evening. The climb up Hatton Bank started with a slip and there was a brief blow off half way up but from a standing start at Warwick Parkway I felt it to be far better than almost any other engine would manage.

In general though, great to see the train provide so much pleasure to so many on its journey, and the 'shed bash' at Didcot was a fabulous idea - particularly taking the engine in for servicing.

 

Dusk at Dorridge



http://daviddepperphotography.zenfolio.com/p84134904#h8774a82a

 

Another faultless run from the King of Castles ! Action from Kennington, Radley, Cholsey, Kings Sutton and Hatton ! Hope you enjoy =)

 

My footage from Redpost Junction, Idmiston and Tackley. Filmed in glorious Spring sunshine, which makes a nice change

Hope you enjoy

 

Tackley yesterday evening, with the Earl in full flight!



James

 

And the video... shot at Grateley and Tackley.

James

 

First video with my new camera. Firstly shattering the early morning tranquillity at Lapworth, then passing a sunny Kennington and moving to the GWML under the wires at Cholsey. For the return the ascent of Hatton Bank is captured.

 

I was about a mile further on from you when it passed through Red Post Junction - near Monxton. I was expecting to hear it a lot sooner given how noisy Castles can be. Clearly the climb to Grateley was no great deal for 5043, but it looked superb.

 

Apologies for a photo-heavy post, but it was a lovely day on Saturday to chase this one down from the midlands and back up in the evening & the timings allowed for overtaking the Earl a few times!

First spot - passing under the Grand Union Canal to the west of Leamington Station:


Next was Holmes Farm Bridge between Bishop's Itchington & Fenny Compton, 5043 in great voice as usual.


Then I headed further south to join the gallery on the footbridge at Kennington, to capture the same scene on a couple of the excellent videos posted here already.


To finish the morning I went to South Stoke near Cholsey.


For the return leg I headed to the obvious location of Culham, I'm shocked I haven't seen any photos or videos from there yet as plenty of people had the same idea!


Then I headed for another popular spot at Kings Sutton for the last light of the day - the bridge was quite full so I went down in the field.


Finally I got myself over to Hatton just to witness the assault on the bank, but I was quite pleased with this shot despite the grain.


All in all a very nice day out. As always thanks to everyone at Tyseley for running this tour, would have been a long day for the train crew.

 

You did well in the morning, David. I think you must be the guy I was chatting to at Culham - we were away from the main gallery. I was at Kings Sutton too, but was disappointed by the lack of exhaust at both locations.

Here's a couple of mine from the Basingstoke to Salisbury section. Monxton viaduct outward and Salisbury tunnel on the return.

 

If you set out to describe what would constitute the perfect day out with steam on the main line, then this is surely the outing that you would use to exemplify all of the best experiences of just such a day. A well-crafted itinerary, with a superb destination, time enough to enjoy what it had to offer, brilliant warm and sunny spring weather, and the bonus of the Didcot Railway Centre visit…..it just seemed to have it all.

The Earl and its crews served up a performance that more than did justice to the Moonraker timings with pinpoint punctuality for much of the outward and return legs. As a novice train timer, this is my best shot at describing how it all evolved pending more authoritative accounts in the recognised media channels (that’s my E&OE !). The formation comprised Load 10 plus REG – my guess around 430 tons gross with full passenger complement and water, but I’m sure other estimates will be available……and certainly welcome.

The opening act for the day featured a short but brisk spurt along the 9.7 miles from Dorridge to Warwick Parkway – almost all of it on falling gradients, but requiring negotiation of the layout from Platform 3 Loop to Up Main at the start. All of which was accomplished in just 10m 45s with a maximum of 71 on Hatton Bank (around MP111) before braking for the Warwick Parkway call. Average start to stop 54.0 mph.

Then after the short run to the pathing stop at Leamington, the first real excitement of the day, with a start to stop run over the 19,9 miles to Banbury in 23m 07 s (av. 51.5 mph) including the highlight of the climb past Fosse Road with a 53 mph minimum entering the short Harbury Tunnel, and a decent spell of fast running on the downhill section to Banbury, climaxing in a maximum of 76 mph past Cropredy. How good is that? Well, in the final years of steam on this route (1958-1962) archive records of Castle performance show that this run fully matched even the very best times of that era, and was considerably quicker than more typical times of 26 minutes + for equivalent loads over this section .

More of the same from Banbury down the gently falling grades of the Cherwell Valley to Oxford, with a start-to pass time of 25m 10 s for the 22.7 miles to Oxford Station Footbridge (passed at 13 mph ahead of the entry to the Passenger Loop south of Oxford station). Average 54.1 mph, accomplished by a spirited start out to Kings Sutton (63) prior to a meticulously observed passage at 42 mph of a short 50 mph trs on the approach to Aynho Junction, then a gradual but even and progressive increase in speed to Heyford (73) and then on to a maximum of 76 south of Tackley on the level/ 1 in 320 down section there.

Not much to say about the short hop to the Didcot layover (9.6 miles/ 17m 25s) except to note that the passage of Radley station where we slowed to 24 mph became the first portent of clearance problems that were to be encountered at a number of location throughout the day that punctuated much more of our running south of Oxford in both directions than I has expected.

A thoroughly enjoyable hour passed taking in the sights and the exquisitely Great Western ambience of the Didcot Railway Centre, and the Earl really did look the perfect picture in the perfect setting parked in front of 81E shed for servicing (Platform 5 is now wired). Two minutes late, we then set out on the 67.2 mile non-stop traverse of GWML/ SWML territory to Salisbury in fine fashion, with the initial 8.4 miles to Goring and Streatley passed in 11m 46s (61) after a maximum of 63 mph recorded just west of Moulsford viaduct. But then, another slowing – once again assumed to be clearance related – to 15 mph at Pangbourne. After rapid recovery to 49 mph around MP 39.5, yet another slowing at Tilehurst (21) and then continuing at reduced speeds through Scours Lane (21) before negotiation of the Reading West Junction (30) to Oxford Road Junction (16) curve.

So all told the initial 16.8 miles of the final outward leg as far as Reading West had consumed 26m 34s. We were looking forward to the prospect of much longer spells of sustained fast running over former LSWR metals. But not before yet another (assumed) clearance check at Bramley (17), the negotiation of the junction with the SWML (14) and the low speed passage of Basingstoke station (17), by which time 31.3 miles had taken 48m 36 s and we were running (only) 4 minutes late.

Galatea had laid down a significant marker for performance over the 35.9 mile Basingstoke Salisbury section with the Cathex to Gloucester two weeks previously, when, as chronicled by Sean Emmett, the 5XP locomotive took 40m 57 s start to stop with Load 11/ 411 tons gross. In truth the Earl’s performance, with an overall pass-to-stop time of 39m 44s wasn’t that different, after adjusting for the Earl’s rolling start, which I would guess would be worth about 2 minutes. The Earl’s elapsed time from Worting Junction (43) to Laverstock North Junction (32) was, at 29m 38s for the 31.9 miles, almost identical to Galatea’s time; the latter then went on to narrow the gap further by completing the run into Salisbury station half a minute quicker.

Intermediately, with Sean’s Galatea speeds for reference in brackets, we recorded 67 at Overton (67), 73 at Whitchurch (71), 75 max at Hurstbourne viaduct (74), 72 at Andover (67), 55 at Grateley (57), 53 minimum at the MP 73 summit (56), and a Vmax. of 72 down the bank just before Lower Winterbourne (76) around MP79.5

Overall, the classic “Curate’s Egg” of a performance – just 3 minutes late after 88m 20s of varied running from Didcot (schedule 87m), the enjoyment of which was significantly enhanced by the glorious vistas of Central Southern England’s finest downland scenery, bathed in spring sunshine under azure blue skies. Magnificent enough, in fact, to persuade the benefits of more exploration on foot of the best that Salisbury had to offer. Four hours is a very decent amount of time to get to know a destination of this size, and, forsaking Bacchanalian options, I chose to soak up the sun’s rays and take in the superb panorama of the City and its magnificent setting from the vantage point of the overlooking ramparts of the Iron Age Hill Fort at Old Sarum. Deep Joy! And mild sunburn too!!

The return departure was held for the late passage of an Exeter-Waterloo service, delaying our departure to 16.30/ 4L. Allowed a more generous 46 minutes eastbound to Basingstoke compared with the morning’s westbound schedule of 41 minutes, the need to accommodate two significant clearance slacks resulted in a further slight increase in lateness to Basingstoke (5L). The initial charge up Porton bank to MP80 (44) was energetic enough. Then, after a slight slackening of our rate of progress around MP79 (40), where the gradient steepens from 1 in 169 to 1 in 140 for roughly one mile, we enjoyed a gradual, steady, recovery up the ensuing 1 in 245/ 1 in 735 to a maximum of 54 at the Hampshire Gap overbridge (74m 31c) and a minimum of 52.5 mph at the summit (73m 20c).

At which point, at the start of the downhill section, the brakes came on for the first of six clearance slacks that we were to experience south of Oxford, this one being for the passage of Grateley (33) before speed again rose to 71 on the 1 in 165/ 264 down towards the site of the former Red Post Junction. Once again, the brakes went on here for a more severe slowing while passing UKRT’s re-arranged “Andover Fist” Class 66 T&T outing (postponed from last November due to its derailment at Southampton Docks) parked along the M&SWJ Ludgershall branch at Red Post. Andover was passed at only 13 mph in 24m 45 s from Salisbury.

Once again, a purposeful recovery ensued, back to a maximum of 51 mph at the MP62 summit of the 1 in 178 climb eastbound from Andover, and thence quickening to 60 mph over Hurstbourne viaduct and onwards through Whitchurch (57) and Overton (61) to a minimum of 62 at the 1 in 550 summit at 53m 40c, followed by a maximum of 67 past Oakley on the gently falling 1 in 287/ level section there. Thereafter, speed gradually drifted down to our low speed passage of Basingstoke (16) in an eventful 47m 18s.

In some ways, the big surprise package of the day was the neatly executed “fleet-of-foot” running onwards to Reading’s Southcote Junction, accomplished in an almost exactly even time, pass-to-pass, from the SWML junction/ Basingstoke’s Power Box, of 13m 28s for the 13.4 miles. Maxima of 75 mph on the 1 in 134 downgrade prior to Bramley (72), and again 73mph at the foot of the 1 in 346/ 247 decline north of Mortimer (70) punctuated an underlying 65-68 mph sustained pace. So we recovered from 5L at Basingstoke to 2E at Southcote Junction, passed at 33 mph in 61m 28s for the 49.5 miles from Salisbury (48.3 average).

The transition across to the GWML through Oxford Road Junction (30) to Reading West Junction (40) was surprisingly swift. As we were switched from the Relief to the Down Fast Line at Tilehurst East Junction (24) my hopes were high of reliving fond 54-year old memories of my last journey hereabouts behind a gleaming double-chimney Castle, travelling in a rake of chocolate brown and cream Mark 1 coaches that made up the consist of the “Cathedrals Express” in steam’s Indian Summer of 1963 on the Paddington-Worcester-Hereford expresses – an extended tenure of operation for the Castles while the decidedly underwhelming Hymeks and their problems on this route got sorted out.

Alas, this turned out to be just a daydream and the reality was that remainder of this leg was memorable principally for the corrosive effect of clearance checks at Tilehurst (15) and Goring (38) which somewhat neutralised the hopes for more rapid progress on the Down Fast. We did just manage a very brief spell at 60-62 mph just west of Pangbourne, and 60 again at Cholsey, but that was about it; 14.7 miles pass-to-stop from Tilehurst East Junction in 19 m 16s – average 45.8 mph. In summary, we had covered the 67.2 miles from Salisbury in 85m 32s at an overall average of 47.1 mph – not at all bad considering the four enforced clearance slowings, three of which we would otherwise have expected to pass at speed, and negotiation of the junction layouts at Basingstoke and Reading. And we were 2E on arrival.

A punctual departure preceded the short Right Time hop to the next water/ pathing stop at Oxford’s Down/ Up Passenger Loop south of Oxford station. We were eased for clearance checks at Appleford (39) and Radley (28) and nothing higher than 49 mph south of Kennington Junction on gently falling gradients was recorded for this section.

After a dwell of 29 minutes at the DUPL, we set forth on a very pleasant unchecked run in the evening sunshine back up the gently rising gradients of the Cherwell Valley to Banbury. Speed once again rose steadily from a 16 mph passage of Oxford Station (01m 52s) to Wolvercote Junction (55) Kidlington (58) and Tackley (59). The three mile section of 1 in 266 down, then level, saw speed rise to 67 mph at Heyford, and thereafter speed remained un-waiveringly at 63-66 mph all the way to the slowing for the Banbury stop. The 14.8 miles between Wolvercote and Aynho junction were despatched in 14m 22s/ average pass-to-pass 61.8 mph compared with 12m 56s/ average 68.7 mph for the marginally downhill run in the morning.

Banbury was reached in 25m 28s pass-to-stop for the 22.7 miles from Oxford/ average 53.5mph. Interestingly the Banbury station call was made on the Down Fast/ Platform 2. The 19 minutes allowed here for passenger set-down and pathing purposes saw XC and Chiltern fast services looped around the Moonraker to call at the Down Relief Platform 1 instead and I do recall that Platform 1, which would in times past have been the natural berth for steam excursion pathing and water stops, may be yet another location where there is some kind of clearance issue, at least for locomotives of GWR origin.

With daylight ebbing away, and the Castle back on its traditional GWR Birmingham main line stamping ground we then enjoyed another fast leg to Leamington and on to the Warwick Parkway stop. A leg of three parts, really, with a steady build-up to Fenny Compton (68), passed in 13m 39s for the opening 8.8 mainly uphill miles, then a decent spell in the low to mid 70’s for the next ten miles, climaxing in a maximum of 76mph at the Fosse Road underbridge, and the speed-restricted passage of Leamington (31) in 23m 43s, having averaged 50.3mph start-to-pass over the 19.9 miles. And then a series of checks, I assume from the preceding Chiltern service that had overtaken us at Banbury, but whose calls at Leamington, Warwick, and Warwick Parkway had presumably left insufficient headway for an unchecked run into Parkway (30m 46s for 23.1 miles).

The Grand Finale beckoned with the restart and climb of Hatton bank. The general flavour has already been well captured up-thread, with superb video and audio content and the noted brief but noisy slip, quickly controlled, at the restart. Here’s how it then panned out, as best our progress could be measured in the darkness against identifiable timing points. Just a touch unfortunate that I couldn’t make out the location of the summit milepost at 111m 60c, but I guess that it would have been just a shade above the 31mph recorded at Dark Lane.

M C Miles Time Speed

Warwick Parkway 109.24 0.00 0.00 -

Relay Room 109.72 o.60 3.01 25

Footbridge 110.76 1.65 5.18 29.5

Dark Lane 111.40 2.20 6.23 31
Overbridge (O/B)

Hatton Station Up 112.13 2.86 7.32 41
Platform Shelter

Footbridge(F/B) 113.35 4.14 9.17 51

Finwood Road O/B 114.55 5.39 10.36 61

Lapworth Station F/B 116.33 7.11 12.21 57

Dorridge P3 118.78 9.68 18.38 -
(Passenger Loop)

So there you have it. The definitive Great Day Out. To the locomotive crews, VT staff, volunteers and all who made the day so memorable and so pleasurable, a big, big “Thankyou”! And a special word of thanks to “Mouse” – fellow traveller and occasional NatPres contributor – for all the help in calling mileposts and for corroborating/ correcting/ confirming GPS data.

This account won’t win any awards for brevity but I hope it paints a picture. This was the first Moonraker outing for a few years (April 2013?) and on the strength of this one I really do hope it won’t be quite so long to the next one. Please, VT !!

 

Excellent report there. It does seem that gauging is becoming one of the biggest threats to regular steam tours. Having very much enjoyed Saturday, despite the regular slowing, tickets came through today for the Steam Dreams trip to Minehead next Thursday with Royal Scot announced as being out of gauge for the return trip. As a result a diesel will bring us back, and almost certainly will accompany us down as well. One really can feel the closing in of steam options.

 

Ah yes I am the young guy in the baseball cap, good to have met you! Agree exhaust is nice and adds drama, though sometimes for me if you have a nice scenic backdrop behind the train it blocks it out. Anyway a couple of very nice shots there yourself.

 

Yes thanks Where's Mazeppa.

And for all the talk of 90 mph its these niggling clearance restrictions that are becoming a real pain and sorting them would save far more time than 90 mph running ever will e.g. sorting Bath 5mph (it may be happening as I type!) would have saved more time than 90 mph down Dauntsey on the 1 March Tornado trip.

Would like to know how scientific this gauging process is?!

 

The good news from Network Rail: ''The work involves re-aligning the track to reduce the curve throughout the station''.

But..... ''Significantly reducing the stepping distance to and from trains'' may be detrimental to steam operations.

<BJ>

 

With a gentler curve they could both decrease the maximum distance between train and platform (making it safer for passengers) and increase the minimum (making gauging problems less likely). Place your bets whether they will actually do that.