Cathedrals Express Sunday 13th Sept

We're not all as miserable as this in the Bristol area.

Thanks today to the folk at the Tornado Locomotive Trust. After seeing Tornado climbing Honiton bank with 13 coaches, it just proves what a magnificent loco you have. <BJ>

 

Wot no exhaust...

 

Nice glint Matt. Newton St. Loe?

 

Now known as Newton St "No Exhaust" !!

Is a stunning location, what's the chance of getting light like that (with exhaust) before the wires go up...

 

There are some superb pictures on here of Tornado. Here is my take:

Orpington at 7am Sunday morning



Going to London


Then back to Orpington at about 2350



Thanks
Mike

 

What a machine,

 

Westbury

Maybe this answers the whistle, exhaust and upton scudamore bank debates

Virtually all Service trains were being announced as late, with Tornado about 10 minutes off those times on UKsteam

It was stopped short of Westbury as there was an HS125 occupying Platform 1. Once this went I think those of us who went to Westbury got a treat, but that whistle was a bit feeble.

loaded for sound rather than vision
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Zt1BCLp730


Well worth the trip, many thanks to all concerned

 

Speed at Whiteball summit (MP174) was 57.

 

I saw the train from the M5 at Bridgwater. Did it have to follow the 'stopper' again? <BJ>

 

There were engineering works on the GW mainline on Sunday - BBC travel reports mentioned replacement buses between Bath and Chippenham. I guess this meant quite a few diversions via Westbury, so even if the work didn't over run, lots of scope for delays, signal checks, etc. Two or three DMUs climbed Upton Scudamore in the 10-15 minutes before Tornado appeared.

Seems to me she did well to accelerate from walking pace through Westbury to (I'm told) about 22mph at the top. She slipped once, briefly, on the reverse curve just out of the deep cutting above Dilton Marsh - right in front of me.

 

I was a bit further up the climb and I thought she did very well considering she'd taken the climb more or less from a standing start. Good sound recording as I heard all the way from restarting at Westbury through to the summit.

 

Was a cracking day all round with good company! A storming climb of Honiton just showed how the A1 can perform, 34mph was reported into the tunnel with a slip inside the tunnel well controlled by Driver Thompson. As mentioned by tenbycastle, the "On Board timer Mr N" reported a speed of 57.5mph at Whiteball summit which was a good effort with 13 on.

The climb of Upton Scudamore was more leisurely due to being held outside Westbury and the signal at the very start of the climb was red so the acceleration through the station seen in that video was lost so Driver Burns took the climb steadily, mind you it was good to see the gathering on the summit so be good to see some footage.

Spirited running on the way back also and cruising through the London suburbs in darkness in the 60's was pretty special too! A trip that will live in the memory for quite some time.