Cotswold Explorer 3/10

Does anyone know what the situation is with 5043?

 

I was wondering if someone posting on the Welsh Marches thread who was on the train might have shared any snippets they may have gleaned from the VT staff when 5043 will be fixed, but nothing mentioned so far. The one glimmer of hope so far that 5043 might be fit for Saturday is that UK Steam info has posted the provisional timings for Saturday's run (http://uksteam.info/tours/t15/t1003a.htm) whereas nothing appeared for the Welsh Marches until a couple of days before. Here's to hoping my favourite GWR engine will be back to full health in five days time!

 

One of the stewards was asked by someone who will be on next week's trip, but he did not know if 5043 would be fixed in time.

 

Not the most customer-focused times I've ever seen. Full marks for avoiding the normal 40+ mins in Hinksey loop, but that's negated by the long wait at Oxford North on the return:

Oxford d 15:54
Oxford N Jn a 15:58 d 16:43​

Hopefully Ben & Co are onto this, and the times we see today are still a "work-in-progress"

 

I hear on the grapevine that 4965 is "very likely" to be in charge again on Saturday. My source has been pretty good in the past, but not infallible, so please treat this as a "forecast".

 

Hopefully 5043 will be fit to make this & if Rood Ashton is drafted in ! There could be the need for the 47, with Sapperton & Old Hill along the way.

 

Sapperton probably not, but Old Hill could be a different matter. In the past, they've stopped at Worcester to attach a banker. It depends how many seats they've sold and how many coaches they need to take.

 

I think they've used Stourbridge for recent runs up Old Hill. The current timings don't indicate a diesel, but that could change. I personally think it will be the same load as last week.

 

It will be 4965 and the train is fully booked.

 

Fully booked like the last years Cotswold explorer, which had 10 on ?

 

4965 is being kept busy that is for sure

 

I trust there are not guaging issues that ruined the tour with 4936 recently?

 

...and the latest forecast I saw had fog in the Sapperton area in the morning. Echoes of those ghostly images of 5043 three years ago!

 

5043 in the fog three years ago

 

Anyone know what the load is? Should be OK with 8+Reg(?) as Mayflower took 9 over comfortably in March.

 

Not much information being posted about this train. Nothing from Ben. RTT doesn't have any time at Worcester or Stourbridge Junction to attach a diesel for Old Hill. Anybody heard anything?

 

Last year the long wait at Oxford North was cut out will the same apply this time?

 

https://twitter.com/Vintage_Trains/status/649981267325394944

"4965 sits under a cloudless Autumn sky awaiting tomorrow's Cotswold Explorer excursion to Oxford."

Looks like it's going ahead as planned.

 

Deleted

 

47773 was on the train this morning passing Small Heath at 7.27 am