West Somerset Railway General Discussion

We stopped on Washford bank all right! I was the fireman to Trevor Barnett on 3440. We were overloaded really with 7 on if i remember and the weather conditions were dire for traction as there was a sea mist out of MD and the rails were wet. She picked her feet up as the carriages dragged on the curve and the bank steepened. Ray Towell from the NRM was on board. The sanders had wet sand in so I dug some out into the footplate bucket and tried to sand the track; there isn't much gap with a double frame and as Trevor tried to get here going the outside crank whacked my shoulder! A close shave as a couple of times i think she did the ton again stood still!! Having said that I still think firing her has been the highlight of my WSR career.
Having driven Braunton I can confirm she was very light footed.

 

Hi all ,

I know on the website it says theres nothing running , but does anyone know if theres any light loco / works movements happening on the 22nd or 23 of this month?

Many thanks
mitch

 

Many thanks for that very full explanation , Michael . You surprise me when you said City of Truro had problems on Washford Bank , I suppose it is lighter than some locos . One of the reasons I love the GWR so much is that they didn't feel the need to make their express passenger locos so big they didn't feel the need to add another load bearing axle , thereby taking weight off the drivers .

 

That basic idea has always seemed very right to me too.

 

Depends whether you're into RRVs

 

Well you could argue it the other way and say the other companies which used Pacifics wanted to have a greater grate area available to improve the steaming capacity of the locos and make them less troublesome. In the 1948 exchange trials the Kings were by far the worst performing of the BR 8Ps (in fact I believe they were beaten in performance by the Royal Scots), and I believe in comparison to Pacifics with a larger grate are regarded as more difficult to get right and less forgiving if you get it wrong. The trade off between a 4-6-0 and a Pacific is with a 4-6-0 you have more weight on the driving wheels, giving greater adhesion, but also a smaller potential firebox, thus leading to potentially a less forgiving machine, and also narrower route availability. Merchant Navies were heavier than Kings, but had a lighter axle loading as the weight was more widely spread. Bulleids also have a reputation as being among the best steam raisers ever to run in Britain

 

Could oil bath leaks have made slipping worse? Is there any difference between rebuilt and unrebuilt Bullied pacifics?

 

A heritage look for Seaward Way?

Anyone care to guess the date of this photo?

Robin

 

circa 1955?

 

I'm going to go sooner - 1930s or 1940s.

Steven

 

Why did the WSR not keep the Double track to Dunster. Is butlins behind the trees?

 

This is not the WSR.

Sent from my Lenovo TAB 2 A10-70F using Tapatalk

 

Is it even British?

Something about the ambience, the signs, and the barrier style doesn't look quite right.

But date, mid 1960s?

 

Warthill Crossing. November 1952.

 

The bullhead track suggests that it is.
Ray.

 

And the prize goes to Emma. That was the installation date. I believe this photo was taken in 1953.

Robin

 

You are correct - 34015 has nailed it

 

You learn something every day.

I had no idea barriers were tried instead of gates prior to the introduction of AHBs, which I think we have covered enough in this thread

 

About 5 miles away from me.