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Cathedrals Express Valentine's Day Lunchtime Tour

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by green five, Feb 7, 2015.

  1. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    Had the tickets sent through for this trip. It seems SD have a got a bum deal from Network Rail again.
    They have lost the Clapham Junction pickup/set down option in both directions, Twickenham also in both directions and Staines in the outward direction. Passengers from Clapham and Twickenham will be escorted to Putney by SD staff.

    Timings I have are 8.57 off Victoria/rtn 16.01, Putney 9.21/rtn 15.32, Woking 10.35/rtn 14.16.

    It doesn't show up on RTT yet.
     
  2. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    And despite this, my money is on a trundle to Woking and what's the betting that without Twickenham the train is now routed via the Hounslow Loop? And as for Woking to Woking at a base price of £85, that must be the most expensive option ever on a steam trip. Ok - it's four hours of steam but £50 might just be acceptable.
     
  3. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    Totally agree with you Al. A ridiculous price for the mileage. Fortunately, with the generous discount I was offered as a SD member I booked it at a more sensible price. If 61306 wasn't hauling it I wouldn't have bothered though. Never seen either of the B1's so I was keen to get a Main Line run in with Mayflower.
     
  4. A1X

    A1X Well-Known Member

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    Presumably water stop at Botley as per usual with tours round through Havant / Eastleigh?

    Hope the times are released soon, need to plan vantage points. Same for the evening Brighton run.
     
  5. steamvideosnet

    steamvideosnet Well-Known Member

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  6. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Water at Haslemere, I'm guessing, and then not until Basingstoke two hours later. Interesting.
     
  7. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Just reflecting on the Brighton run in the evening. I know that a meal is being served so they don't need to rush but the running time is 90 min one way and rather more than that coming back. Since I've done it twice with steam in 56 min it really will be interesting to see how they manage to while away the time...and of course, they will take a diesel to do the shunt move back up to Preston Park and round to Hove.
     
  8. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    The B1 is running with 10 on Saturday. That's a sensible load and I will be on it to see what happens down the Pompey direct - not as regular a steam route as it used to be.
     
  9. A1X

    A1X Well-Known Member

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    It's intriguing to see how they manage to do it non-stop on such a...erm..."leisurely" timing without holding up everything else (even on a Saturday night the BML is busy). Probably the only place you could do it is either parked off a spur somewhere at the London end, the slow line between Three Bridges and Balcombe Tunnel Jct. or a loop / siding just outside Brighton.

    However looking at the timings it appears to be on the fast line through Three Bridges (very rare for steam) and the main-line out of Victoria (steam through Battersea Park is also very rare) so I really don't know.
     
  10. B1

    B1 Member

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    UKSteam shows "diesel at rear" on this run now!
     
  11. A1X

    A1X Well-Known Member

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    Probably not a massive surprise given she is still relatively green (geddit???) and if she goes bang in this part of the world then that's serious problem territory
     
  12. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Sorry. My information comes more directly although, of course, I stand to be corrected by someone from West Coast. The B1 goes alone on the Circular but takes a diesel to Brighton for the shunt move.
     
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  13. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    I noticed that too but if you look at the RTT schedule there is a move for the Diesel to Acton (0Z82) which leaves at the same time as the charter which suggests the Diesel will bank the B1 out of Victoria and then stop at Grosvenor Bridge Junction (09.01 - 09.06).
     
  14. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    Last edited: Feb 12, 2015
  15. mike1522

    mike1522 Long Time Member Friend

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    It would be nice if the 35028 vsoe routine of taking the box off the back once the train has cleared Victoria procedure could be used for Mayflower.
     
  16. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Watch out everyone. The additional diesel moves on the lunchtime circular have disappeared from RTT and this must be a sign that caution with an untried locomotive will be the order of the day. So the run around Hampshire will have a minder as well. And for those who care about these things, be prepared for assistance up Haslemere bank, up to Buriton and probably also up to Worting. It will be unavoidable however well the B1 performs. So the blight of real steam on the Southern seems to continue, apart that is, from when Ian Riley's Black 5s are down here. But still, the B1 will look pretty up front and it is on the main line for the future.
     
  17. mrKnowwun

    mrKnowwun Part of the furniture

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    I don't really care as long the the loco up front is working hard and trying to make a good fist of it. Its sensible to stick insurance on this run, no-one knows how it will perform over this route with this load.
     
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  18. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    Doh! :mad:
     
  19. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    'Uksteam' spot on with the gen once again. <BJ>
     
  20. Steamage

    Steamage Part of the furniture

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    I wonder I they're concerned about water consumption? Others have already commented on there being only 2 water stops on Saturday, the first one quite short.
     

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