If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Borders Railway Steam Services - Autumn 2015

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by rule55, Apr 22, 2015.

Page 3 of 8
  1. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2005
    Messages:
    36,449
    Likes Received:
    9,908
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired-ish, Part time rail tour steward.
    Location:
    Northwich
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Don't remember the A4 having any problems with 12 on, last time I was on that line.:p
     
    RalphW, Apr 24, 2015
    #41
  2. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    22,591
    Likes Received:
    22,721
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Yes, you are quite right about the distance. It's 33 miles from Waverley to Galashiels to start with. Just looked at the gradient profile and there is no doubt that both ways, it's an interesting climb for steam.
     
    Big Al, Apr 24, 2015
    #42
    rule55 and andalfi1 like this.
  3. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    Got it thanks

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Apr 24, 2015
    #43
  4. gricerdon

    gricerdon Guest

    Is Tweedbank Melrose as was?

    I had one chance to do this line in the days of steam, on the 410 pm Edinburgh to Hawick. We were sitting on the 4pm to KX in November 1964 and saw a B1 backing onto the Hawick train, but decided to stay put rather than return home overnight.

    Don
     
    gricerdon, Apr 24, 2015
    #44
  5. andalfi1

    andalfi1 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Messages:
    1,007
    Likes Received:
    466
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Semi Retired.
    Location:
    Haworth
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    It's a new village (1970's) not quite a town, situated between Galashiels and Melrose.
    Andy
     
    andalfi1, Apr 24, 2015
    #45
  6. rule55

    rule55 Member

    Joined:
    Aug 18, 2009
    Messages:
    311
    Likes Received:
    219
    Not quite. It's a housing estate and roundabout south of Gala, Melrose's station is still extant but the trackbed is now the town's bypass.
     
    rule55, Apr 24, 2015
    #46
  7. John Stewart

    John Stewart Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2011
    Messages:
    4,206
    Likes Received:
    2,072
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Hilton, Derby
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    All you need to do is look at the OS and all such details will be revealed.
     
    John Stewart, Apr 25, 2015
    #47
    Harbury and andalfi1 like this.
  8. steam_mad

    steam_mad Member

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2011
    Messages:
    683
    Likes Received:
    1,493
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Interesting to note that with the exception of two trips that are very nearly full, the rest (13) of the trips are sold out!
     
    steam_mad, Aug 26, 2015
    #48
    andalfi1, lil Bear, mike1522 and 1 other person like this.
  9. lil Bear

    lil Bear Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2006
    Messages:
    6,136
    Likes Received:
    1,700
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Railway Technician
    Location:
    8C / 5D / 27C / 71B
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    All trips now sold out.
     
    lil Bear, Aug 27, 2015
    #49
  10. andalfi1

    andalfi1 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Messages:
    1,007
    Likes Received:
    466
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Semi Retired.
    Location:
    Haworth
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I'd love to know what percentage of travelers are enthusiasts, should imagine it will be quite high ? Also looking forward to the visual treats in store on here....
     
    andalfi1, Aug 27, 2015
    #50
  11. mattspencer

    mattspencer Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jul 8, 2005
    Messages:
    1,786
    Likes Received:
    642
    Location:
    Rugby
    Who else is going on one of the trips? I'm on the 8th October trip.
     
    mattspencer, Aug 27, 2015
    #51
  12. andalfi1

    andalfi1 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Messages:
    1,007
    Likes Received:
    466
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Semi Retired.
    Location:
    Haworth
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Me for one, 30th September...
     
    andalfi1, Aug 27, 2015
    #52
  13. pjhliners

    pjhliners Member Friend

    Joined:
    Mar 30, 2009
    Messages:
    568
    Likes Received:
    448
    7 October. So the usual report and photos later that week.

    Peter on a sunny Manchester morning
    http://pjhtransportpix.zenfolio.com/
     
    pjhliners, Aug 28, 2015
    #53
  14. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    22,591
    Likes Received:
    22,721
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    It will be interesting to see how they have loaded these trains. I'm guessing that they will be fairly short (partly because of the platform lengths for the normal services?) and so the accompanying diesel might just be an extra few coaches of weight on the outward leg. So here's hoping for those who have booked.

    Feels like a good candidate for a tnt arrangement in the future but given the TOC involved, it's possibly only the Riley 5s that might be available. (An A4 and a Britannia, for example, might be a tad OTT!)
     
    Big Al, Aug 28, 2015
    #54
  15. camraman

    camraman Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2009
    Messages:
    649
    Likes Received:
    94
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Hemel Hempstead
    Sitting here looking at the Roger Siviter book published in 2004 'Waverley Portrait of a famous Route'. It's reminded me of my one and only run north bound on route in 1966. This was a leg of the marathon weekend 'Aberdonian' run by the WRS. A couple of photos in this of the train near Whiterope summit. I think I was probably half asleep by this time as I can't recall too much of this part--to my eternal regret! Perhaps next year I'll do it again as far as it goes. Anybody else on the forum do this all those years ago? Six bells Junction has record of the weekend with pictures too. Happy days.
     
    camraman, Aug 28, 2015
    #55
  16. camraman

    camraman Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2009
    Messages:
    649
    Likes Received:
    94
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired
    Location:
    Hemel Hempstead
    Forgot to say trip above had 4472 on this leg.
     
    camraman, Aug 28, 2015
    #56
  17. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    22,591
    Likes Received:
    22,721
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I was on 'The Waverley' charter in November 1966 when Bittern took us and 10 coaches from Leeds to York, Newcastle, Carlisle and then over the Waverley route to Edinburgh, returning down the ECML and back to Leeds from York. It was really quite a day for Bittern - nearly five hundred miles with the only main break at Edinburgh for just 80 minutes while the loco and passengers were serviced. That said, we were away from Leeds at 8 am and back by 9.30 pm and only 45 late that was pretty good given the tight timing of the day.

    The chance of a swift run from York to Newcastle was hampered by signal checks and a tsr on the Darlington to Ferryhill section but there was a nice interlude while water was taken at Hexham. On the Waverley, we went up to Whitrope at a steady speed of the high twenties and into the tunnel at 30 mph. The other climb to Falahill was started on the lower levels at around 50 dropping off slowly to 25 at the top with the constrained downhill running, speedwise, to Edinburgh. Some speedy running across the plain of York on the way home.

    I consider myself lucky to have travelled the Waverley route with steam. The opening of the truncated section is obviously no substitute for the original line but it is a remarkable response to demand and I hope that all these special trips pass without incident. As I hinted, I will wait for the time when they decide to run a few top-n-tail trips, or, better, do the sensible thing and put in a run round facility on the Borders Railway but I don't believe there is the space to do that now.
     
    Big Al, Aug 28, 2015
    #57
  18. andalfi1

    andalfi1 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Messages:
    1,007
    Likes Received:
    466
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Semi Retired.
    Location:
    Haworth
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    They could exchange the diesel for the K4 on this first set of trips, or at least one of them (preferably 30th Sept.) to see how they get on, that would be a true Scottish pairing ! but for future efforts, the dream pairing has to be 2 x B1, yes please...
     
    andalfi1, Aug 28, 2015
    #58
  19. Fred Kerr

    Fred Kerr Resident of Nat Pres Friend

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2006
    Messages:
    8,383
    Likes Received:
    5,368
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Freelance photo - journalist
    Location:
    Southport
    As one who used to sample the line in the 1950s when the Up "Waverley Sleeper" was my usual train south and arrival at Carlisle was met by Pacifics awaiting changeover on sleeper services, I am pleased to note that the line has been restored and am looking to photograph the first couple of runs.

    A quick warning however as I have been alerted that for "security" reasons some roads giving access to the railway will be closed off but - to date - I have not identified which ones; hopefully these will be around the terminus rather than at more rural locations.

    Local interest is reportedly high with local schools having a Willy Wonka do; children have been given chocolate bars and - if I understand the facts correctly - one bar in each school has a "Golden Ticket" to ride on the first train.

    If this latest opening reflects the initial operation of the Jacobite in 1985 then the local economy will receive a much welcome tourist boost whilst access to / from Edinburgh should be much improved.
     
    Fred Kerr, Aug 28, 2015
    #59
  20. Bulleid Pacific

    Bulleid Pacific Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2007
    Messages:
    4,030
    Likes Received:
    1,089
    Occupation:
    A Thingy...
    Was tempted to do one of these, but had to miss out for financial reasons. A case of 'can't do everything', particularly as all the refunds I've had from cancelled trips this year have helped to fund a move between rented accommodation.
     
    Bulleid Pacific, Aug 28, 2015
    #60
Page 3 of 8

Share This Page