End of Southern Steam (RTC) - 9/07/22

Indeed sounds like an excellent effort on the run home today

 

23 minutes Basingstoke to Woking ……

 

14L at Waterloo after 50L earlier - good work.

 

My video of the up train in the fading light:



Ron.

 

Thanks. They looked great with the MK2 set. Whilst people think I am a pure steam man which I am but I am not only steam. I have a special affection for 47s because of their long lives and what they have done throughout the network since 1964. They just aren’t right on the back of steam hauled trains

 

37 minutes in the days of steam would not have required anything special. About 50 up the bank but I suppose if the DL wasn’t pushing then it was a reasonable effort with equal to 500 tons. I timed many runs on the up Belle at 60 plus with 450 tons plus a few at 70 mph plus with the same load.

 

Can someone please clarify exactly what happened at Southampton? RTT is seriously confusing.

 

Yes, RTT is confusing, as it shows the train scheduled to pass the station both before and after the goods loop. The actual times for the goods loop itself are missing, but the other actual times do make sense.

 

RTT is not infallible. I was on 144C Scarborough to Cardiff on Wednesday and RTT stopped updating after York. No updates at all for the remaining 230 miles of the journey. We were a phantom train!
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66181/2022-07-06/detailed

 

Given that the train was shown to be timed through Southampton Central twice (once before and once after the loop), yes, it was confusing/wrong. Of course RTT isn't perfect and is a huge benefit, but it was just a simple query as to the procedure there.

 

Remember that Clan Line was watered at Yeovil, Weymouth was in chaos yesterday afternoon after a track circuit failure. So not only Weymouth to Soton but a delayed trip down through Maiden Newton as well. The Statesman set for example was in Jersey Sidings when we arrived not Dorchester South where it should have been.
From being on board very little if any diesel assistance, which was excellent bearing in mind with late running service trains all over the place (Bournemouth looked rammed at the country end, sidings full and a unit in P4 as well) and Statesman leaving 43 late with their issue, temptation must have been for NR to apply some pressure to be "quick". Climb up to the tunnel was worth the long tiring day alone, let alone Parkstone & fast running to Bournemouth only spoiled by the annoying bridge restriction Wareham side of Wool. And of course due to be late missing the rare crossover on the the down line west of Wool due to not needing the pathing stop.

 

Well after a day spent battling the SWR meltdown (getting kicked off the third Weymouth-bound train I'd caught after arriving at Southampton at an unmanned Wareham with nobody having a clue where to go or what to do next was "interesting" to say the least!) and missing several of my planned shots, here we have some of those which survived the carnage. Biggest disappointment was Brockenhurst, had hoped she'd come flying through given the time she'd made up since Bournemouth but it seems nobody remembered to lower the level crossing. Caught her on video later on at Surbiton though and...wow...

More at https://railwaygalleries.smugmug.com/MainlineSteam/Steam-Tours-in-2022/

 

I haven't seen any videos of the climb to Upwey as of yet so for anyone wondering here it is. Safe to say the shot there will remain one of my favourites for a long while yet:

 

Wareham unmanned after about 14:00 so not surprised. In all the chaos a 10 coach 444 left Weymouth, something I have never seen before and I thought that may have "popped" the power supply. It was going quite slowly do not know if it possible to just drag the second unit.
A melt down day not only for those on the train but as you said for SWR yet again.

 

You do occasionally have 10 cars from Weymouth in the event of disruption, with authority from Control and Electrical Control. Special conditions will often apply and a whip round needed for an extra 10p in the meter.

 

Ah, where's the S&D when you need it the most . Bournemouth West would have been a great help yesterday. <BJ>