'Tornado'. Padd to Bath & Cardiff. 10/12/2019

Tornado top 'n tail with diesel loco.

1Z41 Padd - Bath - Cardiff https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U52520/2019-12-10/detailed
1Z43 Cardiff - Bath - Padd https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U52523/2019-12-10/detailed

Note: The train is turned at Maindee on the outward leg. <BJ>

 

Bit of a problem with a broken down train between Patchway and Severn Tunnel Jn. Train sitting in Temple Meads according to Traksy. Chaos around STJ. Stacked back to Newport.
1Z41 on move from Temple Meads 1240.

 

Looks like they cut the stop at Magor (or maybe changed it to somewhere further west) and didn't bother to turn at Maindee, which is how they recovered from 100L to 60L. I wonder where they will turn instead?

 

If the train ran into Bristol Temple Meads the train would have been facing in the wrong direction for Cardiff.
I suspect that the train may have been diesel hauled from Bristol to Cardiff therefore not requiring a turning manoeuvre at Maindee?

The chaos began when the 1F09 09:30 Cardiff to Portsmouth service failed in the Severn Tunnel at 10:10 - still there at 12:20.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/C20453/2019-12-10/detailed

Formation today: 60163 + 21249, 13320, 99121, 99712, 99127, 99371, 99351, 1860, 4994, 5032, 99304 + 47.802

Tornado is currently at Pengam sidings, Cardiff.

 

Tornado seen at Ealing Broadway this morning with a mighty blast from the chime whistle as she steams through the Pink sky!


Also update on the tour: The class 47 at the rear lead the tour from Bristol to Cardiff, no turning maneuver is required so may still be an on time departure.

 

5Z43, the ECS move from Barry Tourist Railway not showing any activity yet. This is the link:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U52522/2019-12-10/detailed

 

It's showing as At Platform at Cardiff on RTT though, so maybe the ECS went somewhere else.

 

As I mentioned, the train went to Pengam rather than Barry.

The return journey has departed from Cardiff on time. <BJ>
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U52523/2019-12-10/detailed

 

Left Cardiff on time as 1Z43.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U52523/2019-12-10/detailed

Duplicated sorry.

 

Tornado has missed the Magor stop and is now at the Pilning water stop.

The train cannot proceed too early as it has to pick up passengers at Bath Spa. <BJ>

 

Tornado on a West Coast run tour, I know that west coast crewed a test run, with her, is this the first time she has actually been out on a tour with them crewing her ? does this mean that now tornado is on the books of both DBS, and West Coast? I would imagine a driver with knowledge of either 60009 , or 60103 should be able to at least drive it.

 

It's been out plenty with West Coast this year and is on both operator's books !

 

All Aberdonians were WCRC operated and it had a test run before the first one in March. Steve Chipperfield (who was the driver from Edinburgh to Dundee via Perth on the first Aberdonian) had already driven Tornado ten years ago (whilst with DBS) and it has similar footplate controls to other LNER pacifics.

 

The four runs Tornado has done over the S&C this year have offered nearly every combination possible:

1. 13th April - DBC operated, Riviera Stock
2. 20th July - WCR operated, Riviera Stock
3. 28th September - DBC operated, Riviera Stock
4. 5th October - WCR operated, WCR stock

 

The cancellation code for 1F09 0930 CDF-PMH doesn't give much info -
M8: Fault above solebar. National Railways Enquiries gave even less info.
Any idea what happened?
Cheers, Neil

 

Did I understand it correctly that it failed in the tunnel? I know there used to be a rescue train stationed at one end, which I believe went years ago, so what happens now as far as rescue is concerned, especially given the fact that so many trains are incompatible with each other as far as couplings are concerned?

 

Train went to Pengam as Tornado was declared out of gauge for Barry.

The water stop (for the Duchess would have been Magor) so Pilning just became a long pathing stop. We also did not have the Theale water stop (for water) but still stood there for almost the full allotted time as we did in the platform at Reading for nearly 30 minutes. Slow return schedule just short of 7 hours.
When we were at BTM some passengers asked if they could take a service train back to Bath, but just after we came through that line was closed for a BTP incident.
So a bad day around Bristol and Cardiff for GWR who also I believe were impacted by a fatality in either the Taplow or Slough area.
Still the passengers in my coach, and most others I spoke with enjoyed their day, and after all it is them that matter.

So in hindsight a good job we had take a diesel otherwise I suspect we would have terminated at BTM.
For the record drivers were
Pete Roberts to Bath
Ray Poole Bath to Cardiff and return
Dave Hewson Bath to Paddington.

A couple of poor quality images, the first of which at Reading I thought reflected the return journey.