Swanage - The Jurassic Crompton - 11/05/23 return on 14/05/23

THE BRANCH LINE SOCIETY@ https://branchline.uk/current-fixtures.php

THE JURASSIC CROMPTON – Thursday 11th May 2023
The Branch Line Society announces a special railtour designed to deliver passengers to the Swanage Railway Diesel Gala.
It will be operated by GB Railfreight featuring D 6515 (33012) and the London Underground owned Class 438 4-TC. All accommodation will be sold as Standard Class and spaces are limited. It is expected, subject to pathing and operational requirements, to feature a number of sought after items of 'bobbins' along the way including of course the connection from Worgret Junction to Norden. There will be a charity raffle on board with all proceeds donated to Alzheimer's Society - the new charity partner of GBRf.
All times and routing are indicative until confirmed by Network Rail. Final routing and timings are usually confirmed by Network Rail five days before travel and will be enclosed with e-tickets.
D 6515 from Eastleigh P3 (Dep 11.12) - Fareham - Havant P2 - Haslemere P3 - Guildford P8 (pick up 12.42) - Wokingham - Reading P14 (pick up 13.22) - Down Feeder Relief - Basingstoke P4 (pick up 13.58) - Wallers Ash Down Passenger Loop - Eastleigh - Southampton Central P4 (pick up 15.07) - Up Fast - Church Lane Junction - Down Fast - Up Fast - Brockenhurst P1 (photo stop) - Bournemouth P4 (photo stop) - Poole P2 – Wareham [pick up token] - Norden - Swanage (arrive 18:41).

Fares are £65.15 per person and accompanied-under-18s benefit from a £32.57 reduction in fares. There is no surcharge for not being a Branch Line Society member on this occasion.

THE RETURN OF THE JURASSIC CROMPTON - Sunday 14th May 2023
This charter is also operated by GB Railfreight and features D 6515 (33012) and 2xGBRf Class 73s operating top 'n tailing on the London Underground owned Class 438 4-TC. All accommodation will be sold as Standard Class and spaces are limited. It is expected, subject to pathing and operational requirements, to feature a number of sought after items of 'bobbins' along the way including Laverstock Curve. The Class 33 is booked to lead from Swanage to Southampton and from Waterloo to Eastleigh with the 2xClass 73s leading from Southampton Central to Waterloo.
There will be a charity raffle, with all proceeds donated to Alzheimer's Society - the new charity partner of GBRf.
All times and routing are indicative only until confirmed by Network Rail. Final routing and timings are usually confirmed by Network Rail five days before travel and will be enclosed with e-tickets.

D6515 from Swanage (dep 15.30) - Norden – Wareham [set down token] - Poole - Bournemouth - Brockenhurst - Southampton Central (set down 17.30). Class 73s haul to Redbridge - Laverstock Curve - Andover - Basingstoke (set down 18.55) - Woking - Wimbledon - London Waterloo (set down 20.00). D6515 resumes haulage to - Wimbledon - Woking - Basingstoke (set down 20.55) - Andover - Laverstock Curve - Romsey - Southampton Central (22.20) - Eastleigh (arr 22.40).
PLEASE STATE WHERE YOU INTEND TO JOIN AND ALIGHT (this is for coach stewarding purposes and can be changed subsequently by notification).

Fares are, again, £65.15 per person and accompanied-under-18s benefit from a £32.57 reduction in fares. There is no surcharge for not being a Branch Line Society member on this occasion. All queries should be directed to the Bookings Officer, by email: bookings.officer@branchline.uk Please do NOT email the Bookings Officer to try and book or save spaces. Bookings CANNOT be made by email and must be booked online via the BLS website.

 

I note the loco number-based fares - all good fun, but worthwhile...?

 

Oh come on…? Did you ever see what Deltics 9 and 19 were sold for

 

Both trips now cancelled. The 4TC is described as being unavailable for passenger use - any ideas?

 

Appears to be paperwork issues. The set is still going ecs to Swanage for the gala and can be used for passengers once it gets there and is away from the network.

Peter

 

Paperwork issues, can move as ECS but not with pax.

 

It's a shame the two GBRf Class 73/1s can't be rescheduled: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:H36646/2023-05-10/detailed to call in to Arlington's, en-route, to collect the 4TC and then bring it to Swanage to save D6515 in a separate movement to go and collect it. Or, perhaps, that's all in hand and the timings have yet to reach RTT.

 

Sigh... Thanks.

 

Despite being cancelled as a passenger train, RTT is still showing this as running (5Z34) to the original route and times, via Havant, Guildford, Reading & Winchester to Swanage. Can anyone verify if this is truly the plan? It's a very long way round if there are no passengers to benefit.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U55283/2023-05-11/detailed

 

Yes I did think that is a huge waste of diesel fuel as I believe the 33 is due to be the loco. Maybe NR are too busy with strike timetables to replan it.

 

At an educated guess, the NR Charter Train planners were a bit distracted by short notice security workings for last weekend and now have a backlog of work.
( Note that the LSL Paignton to Shrewsbury charter for tomorrow hasn't been loaded onto open access sites.)
5Z34 will probably be bid VSTP to start from Arlington Rail care about 1430.

Cheers, Neil

 

My simplistic mind wondered why the two 73's could not bring it down as they are stopping at Eastleigh for 30 minutes.

 

30 minutes is not enough time to go into Eastleigh (Arlington); couple to the 4TC and brake test; draw unit into Eastleigh East Yard; run round unit; couple and brake test again; then depart for Swanage.
I wonder if an Eastleigh driver may take over GBRf 73107 and 73201 during the 30 minute break and, after arriving at Swanage, he/she will stable them before taking D6515 (33012) back to Eastleigh (Arlington) ready for the [non-existent] rail tour routing the following day.

 

So is the 182 mile, rather than the normal 60 mile, ECS move from Eastleigh to Swanage because one specific end of the 4TC needs to face Station Road for the push pull operations tomorrow?

 

Suspect not. I've certainly not heard that possibility raised anywhere.
The rail tour timings were in the train planning computer and, I suspect, with all the other happenings causing chaos on main line services the last thing on their mind was to re-plan an ECS move.
This movement just stuck to what had been planned - only without passengers. No more, no less.

 

You are probably correct, although as it passed through Eastleigh in the afternoon it could have just used the back end of the planned path I would have thought as the 73's did the previous day due to the landslip.
SWR seem masters a only using part of a path judging from the number of Weymouth's that finish or start at Dorchester South, Wool or Wareham.

 

Perhaps there was no room to run round the 4TC in Eastleigh East Yard during the latter part of the timings.
Anyway at least the 4TC's batteries got a good charge - assuming the ETS cabling was connected!