RTC 2025

Were they not all Tangmere trips which I believe has a larger water capacity than a Black 5?
The Seaford 150 Black 5 trip (Sunday) watered at HH and that came straight out of Southall and started the tour at Kensington Olympia, none of this sitting around for hours before leaving Victoria.

 

Correct, Tangmere has a 6,000 gal ex MN tender, a Black 5 is 4,000 gals.

 

I recall it being 34067 in 2014: I managed to pick Endlewick Farm Crossing between Berwick and Polegate, and the only cloud in the whole sky appeared at the crucial moment to spoil my picture!
I don't seem to have written anything down for 2015. Perhaps it didn't run that year?
In 2016 it was 44871 & 45407 doubled headed,
It was definitely 70013 in 2017 and still with no water stop. Does it still run with the original BR1 tender? If so, the water capacity is 4,250 gallons - not much greater than the figure for a Black Five.
In 2018, it was 44871 and although I only wrote the timings from HH onwards in my diary, they suggest there was no water stop then.
In 2019, my diary says 45407 did the honours but I have no timings written down - presumably the weather was so miserable on that day (26th November) that I didn't bother to go and see it.
It didn't run in 2020 and from 2021-24 it has been 44871. There was definitely a water stop by 2022.

I don't have anything written down for 2011-13 because I wasn't living round here then. Prior to that, RTC ran several trips a year to Hastings, but via Maidstone East, Ashford and Rye outbound then back via the same route as tomorrow's train. 34067, 70013 and 44932 all featured at various times on these workings. I have vivid recollections of another photographic disaster, this time involving 44932: the weather conditions were perfect and I was at a location on an uphill gradient between Etchingham and Stonegate. I went to press the shutter only to find out that I hadn't wound the film on!

 

Well, almost all of the route for tomorrow is now drenched - there were widepsread torrential downpours while I was driving across Surrey this afternoon, which had drifted up from the south, as well as the steady, heavy rain last night. However, probably too late to revert to plan A now.

 

Running under cautionary signals, LMS Black 5 No. 45212 approaches Redhill with 'The Sussex Belle'.
Was going to chase this, but with the fire risk and lack of water stop I decided to just go and photo it for a change. Typically, the sun went in just as it approached!

 

Yes, although I live not far away, I didn't bother as there would be no effort from the 'five' (even though everything is now wet!). A shame, as steam is scarce round here nowadays.

 

You did the right thing I thought I might try West St Leonards as the steam loco usually accelerates away from Bopeep Junction and it is uphill pretty well all the way to Battle, with the gradient sometimes as steep as 1 in 100 and the line is quite curvaceous for good measure. but no, it pootled away from the junction with the diesel doing all the work.

Still, not a totally futile journey. I also enjoy photographing modern traction, albeit not EMUs, and a pair of 73s on an engineer's train followed 45212 up the line to Tonbridge about half an hour later in perfect sunshine.

 

A rather muted display but here’s my footage from yesterdays tour around Sussex:

 

At least the 47 is discreetly marshalled at the rear of the train and not immediately behind the loco.

 

I don't think it was possible to have another diesel tucked in behind the five, as it would've made the train too long for Eastbourne.