RTC - Christmas Sussex Belle

thanks i'm only a beginner, 37's also known as tractors i believe.

 

Tractors or Syphons - both are nicknames for a 37. To an old got like me it's an English Electric Type 3.

 

What a day for spotting whilst about my normal business… this morning everything via Eastleigh was delayed so I drove to Basingstoke and got on a Reading train in order to change and go to Paddington.

Out of Reading I always sit on the right hand side to see what is on show at Southall steam shed… on the way in about 9.30 sitting outside was Union of South Africa, my luck was to get better as by chance I happened to be looking out the left hand side around Ealing Broadway where I see Tangmere sitting up high on a cross over gleaming in the morning sun. Thinking my day could get no better on the way home (just before it got dark) I saw Bittern sitting outside Southall with her support coach.

Not bad when I didnt set out to see any locos today!

 

Don't be, I love Apache

 

Couple from Earlswood this morning...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/15992624222/in/photostream/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/15993274975/in/photostream/

 

The outward journey captured at Cooksbridge



And the comings and going at Bopeep Junction and the return (albeit somewhat delayed - a chilly time on West St Leonards waiting for this one)

 

Seen much worse than that!

 

So, your next task is to take similar film at such a location.

Watching the first of your clips I was starting to wonder how you managed the second clip. Thinking that at least the SD card survived.



And.... If there has to be a diesel involved one that looks and sounds like that 37 is quite acceptable to me.

 

Hmm - Have one somewhere in the fens i think, a wet bed appropriately enough! - I will hunt it out.

Now that I want on my gravestone "His SD card survived"

gloriously agricultural sounding.

 

http://www.eastbourneherald.co.uk/n...eing-hit-by-a-train-at-cooden-beach-1-6466272

 

Absolutely...

I noticed on departure from Victoria yesterday the number of people hanging out of the windows at the back of train.... looking back...
I think the 37 was used appropriately in moderation yesterday, it helped us out of Victoria, and at Clapham then sat pretty quiet all the way to Eastbourne... letting Tangmere do the rest I'll upload a couple of videos shortly of the climb from Streatham to Selhurst... (thats a bit of a climb), then also starting from a Red outside Balcombe tunnel (quite a lot of slipping).

On the return run we were steadily losing time, despite having a clear run and a good run, from St Leonards to Sevenoaks was just too fast to have been solo..(we had fast runs, but kept slowing as we caught the service train).
I have a video of what a real shove from behind feels like at one point.....

After Sevenoaks it was all Tangmere and all green lights and a good fast steady run all the way in (in between intermittent high speed slipping on occasions).


Was the 37 justified... yes.. Tangmere seemed to lift it self off the rails every set of points and spin profusely, and every occasion from a start up.. Ive not been on a mainline trip before with a loco that wheel spins so often, almost every time Tangmere handled it, but it was easy to see the speed go down and how it could have gone awry very quickly, but that said, the 37 was held at bay and left the crew to get on with it...

Apart, from slipping Tangmere was spot on, I don't see what all the fuss is all about, it was a good solid loco that did it's job well, steamed well, load 10 and a 37 it handled very well that run back to the capital was as fast as any other (indeed I've never approached London at high speed all the way to Battersea on Greens on the fast line through Nunhead, Denmark Hill and the non-platform lines at Wandsworth road, behind steam at speed).. it basically arrived into the capital just like an express train should.

 

I'm not sure how the trip would have worked without two locos!
It would have made the tickets very expensive to have another steam loco for what was effectively a shunt release!

 

Could run it in a similar fashion to some of the NE branchline trips, but I suppose that restricts the top speed in whatever direction you go. However, I'd be happy to pay extra for a bit more steam mileage. Alternatively, a casual look at the railway map and no consideration for timetabling suggests steam to Brighton area, diesel to Eastbourne, steam back to London via Ashford and Maidstone. Sussex is a part of the network I've yet to tackle by steam.

 

Not sure where your going with that comment, I don't recall saying it should be done without a 37, but it could without difficulty..

Train arrived plat 1 at Eastbourne, which has a run round loop, as does Hastings.. so a Tender first run between Eastbourne and Hastings would have been easily possible.
But again.. never said that's how it should have been.

 

Here's a few video links from the passengers eye view yesterday...

Climb between Thornton Heath and Selhurst and over the West Croydon lines towards East Croydon, A unit passes us at 2.20, and 34067 kicks in at 3.00 (with a slip of course and again at 3.48).. then climbs pretty strong onto the bridge (with another slip at 6m)..


Standing (slippy) start into Balcombe Tunnel.. this is a pretty nice starting - speed sound track.


diesels need loving too... Willingdon Jn


Departing St Leonards + Slip under the bridge (you can make out the English Electric Orchestra assisting in this departure).
http://youtu.be/B9DEXmuQ-LU

(I think this is Bromley... if anyone can help ?) + high speed slip on entry to station
http://youtu.be/2pEqkr-TnJw

arriving into Victoria - didn't slip this time...
http://youtu.be/NYjfiZXuo9c

 

Steam has not run between Hastings and Ashford since work was carried out in Ore(?) tunnel. The Sussex Belle's used to run London - Ashford - Hastings- London , but changed to the current route after the work was carried out.