The Whitby Flyer 7/04/18

Letter from RTC received this morning with the revised approximate timings. The website has also been updated.

The new times as follows : -

Station Outward Return
London Kings Cross 06:00 23:25
Stevenage 06:35 22:45
Huntingdon 07:05 22:10
Peterborough 07:20 21:40
York 09:55 19:20
Whitby 13:15 16:30

 

It's the one trip I have this year where the timings won't really matter, and getting to a start point just involves a brisk walk from the flat. However, it shows they are being worked on. A bit of a pain getting to the Cross for 06:00, so people have my sympathies.

 

It might be worth bearing in mind that these are probably departure times. The arrival at York might be 09:20 or earlier, in which case less than a 3.5 hour trip. However, still looks like it's being looped or slow line everywhere north of Peterborough, and 06:00 is definitely early. I think the concept was worth a try.

 

We will see you there Sir.

 

I guess this was always going to be a long day. But using next Saturday January 27 as an example I randomly looked on the TFL Journey Planner to see what time you would have to leave to get to KX for 0530 (a time I would feel gave enough leeway for delays).
If you are on a night tube route not too bad but otherwise it is looking like a mixture of night buses from most of Greater London (sometimes to somewhere on the Night Tube). Gives a start at around 03:30 to 04:00 from most placers. To guarantee making it even from Three Bridges which has direct service to St Pancras you would have to take the 04:16 to be safe. May not be worth some going to bed!
Whilst there have been many railtours with many earlier departure time than this, not sure many (any?) have been from a London Terminal, hence no parking (unless you know where to look).
All this of course assumes NR in their final timings do not have it starting even earlier!

Having said all that looks a great day though, and I hope they all stay awake for the steam legs.

 

Unless you want Premier Dining, why join at KX at 0600 when the 07.30 East Coast train will get you to York in good time. Book early and I'm sure you can get a good priced return ticket and you could also get home much earlier. Just a thought.

Peter

 

EC tickets not yet on sale for 7 April but as an indicator on 24 March out on the 0730 back on the 2003 is £33 with a railcard.

By the way, 2h 50 from Whitby to York is not hanging about. That's 1h 10 from Middlesbrough to York.

 

The Euston station car park was £9 for all-day on Sat or Sun last time I used it in September, which seemed not unreasonable, and less than 10 mins walk from KX

 

There is also the Whitby Flyer on the 14th April, a week later, with start times advertised from York dep 08.30 ret 20.00, looking forward to this one...

 

Or there maybe some wishing to sample heritage ac electric traction on the ecml ;-)

 

Assuming this is the same route to/from Whitby as the 7th Apr, I suppose the provisional timings might be more like those in the first post given there's not that much choice of paths on the Whitby line

 

The trip on the 14th is the same as the 2017 trip, out via Darlington with stops at Thirsk and Northallerton, back via Yarm.

The trip on the 7th is both ways via Yarm and non-stop from York (well, Battersby, Glaisdale, Grosmont etc). Same path as the 14th from Middlesbrough to Whitby and back.

 

Now the timings are in RTT 0554 from Kings Cross is not too far adrift of the revised estimated times. Just hope that damaged bridge is not too badly damaged so it cant take something heavier than a unit.

 

As foreshadowed by 30567 in Post #10, the timings on the York - Middlesborough (via the Northallerton Flyunder) section are indeed suitably brisk, at 54 minutes in the down direction for the 46 miles to Stockton Cut Junction (51 mph start-to-pass), before the slower approach past Thornaby and Tees Yard to Middlesborough, and 57 minutes in the up direction (48 mph pass-to-stop) over the same section.

Fans of heritage ac traction may be a little more reserved in their enthusiasm for the RTT-posted times for the Kings Cross-York and v.v. section. Running times of 103 minutes northbound and 99 minutes southbound for the 112 miles from Peterborough to Holgate Sidings will certainly give those so inclined plenty of time to sample the running (Post #13) and reminisce about the heyday of the Class 86 on the WCML and GEML. But that really isn't the point, is it? This is going to be a great day out in the best traditions of "railway touring" come what may. And with 1264 sporting its new livery, better still.

Just one question. Presumably the steam leg is going to run in the traditional T&T boiler-first-at-each-end configuration throughout, but does this impose any limit on the permitted maximum speed of the whole consist when the trailing locomotive is being towed in reverse? Both the rostered locomotives are 75 mph authorised, and I assume that this would be very necessary to keep the sectional times mentioned above.

 

Looks like the bridge took a fair old hit!

https://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/new...fter-hgv-hits-bridge-near-castleton-1-9063438

 

It's a bit of a shiner! Let's see what happens.

 

Usual response from me - why don't they severely prosecute idiot driver - or do we have to wait until a dozen rail passengers get killed to address this idiocy (P S no need to reply as I think I can guess the answer).

Lots of very serious words from a lot of very serious people that are completely without weight or action - and the skip lorry driver - "whatever"

<Sigh>