Rtc 2010

railway touring company have announced some fantastic trips for early next year including a great britain 3.

 

I was looking some interesting tours with rare track mileage on some like Robin Hood line and Kirton Lindsay - Brigg line. Sherringham level crossing to NNR.
Brian

 

I'm interested in 'The Royal Duchy' double headed by 30777 and 34067, even if it is diesel-hydraulic hauled from Penzance back to Paddington. I'm planning to get on/off at BTM anyway, and it adds more steam mileage to my personal railway map of Britain. I presume this is a positioning move for GB III?

 

Appears to conflict with the loco details on the GBIII page!

 

thats because being railway touring company, they have listed the itinerary for last year's tour. hopefully one day they will enlighten us as to the plans for this year, but extraordinary stuff all the same.

 

The only doubt I have is that would 30777 fit on the route to Penzence? 5029 wasn't allowed this year so I have my reservations about a King Arthur. Would love to do the tour but I don't want the locos changed at the last minute because of gauging!

 

I think 5029 failed with a (tender) hot box this year.

 

Yes 5029 failed to make Cornwall as a result of a mechanical problem, nowt to do with gauging etc.

 

I wasn't referring to Nunney Castle's hot box. If you look on UKsteam for the Penzence leg of the Great Britain it says:

"[5029 from Plymouth not Penzance due to gauging issues]"

 

Well, even if its just 'Tangmere', its a good trip. I think 30777 is slightly smaller than your average 'Castle', as it was a Maunsell-designed locomotive that was smaller in height and width (and corresponding roof radius) than the Urie type. It was designed to fit within the Southern's composite loading gauge which was leaner than that used on the GWR. This may bode well for modern-day Penzance, although it has to be admitted, a few trip with 30777 have been canceled due to gauging issues.

 

I think the gauging problems with the "King Arthur" are more to do with the cylinders than the height.

Regards,

Dan

 

Indeed, that is the case.
At one time 777 was banned from what was then Platform 8 at Leeds as, returning from a run over the S&C we were routed into that platform and the left hand cylinder took a sizeable chunk out of the edge of it.
Imagine our surprise when, returning from a run over the same route a few months later we were sent into the same platform removing yet more of the platform edge. Perhaps the idea was that, with a few more runs the loco would no longer have a problem...

 

I must admit, that's pretty hilarious (although not the damage to the cylinder casing)! In that case, I wonder what platform has had some recent attention to the edging between Plymouth and Penzance?

I suppose that is possibly the case, as I think its around the 9ft mark in width.

 

Very tempted by the SR double-header to Cornwall with a very good price for the 3 excellent loco's involved but I have a feeling one of them won't make it................

 

The original plan for the Penzance - Bristol leg last year was for Ollie to take just the tour train from Penzance to Plymouth, Nunney Castle to take both support coaches from Par to Plymouth, and the pair to work the complete formation from Plymouth to Bristol. In the event, of course, Tangmere was a last-minute sub for Nunney, and was able to work the whole route. Even so, D1015 took one of the tour carriages (a buffet car?) back from Penzance - I never did hear what the reason for that was.

What is the restriction on Castles west of Par? Is it height, width or weight? IIRC, 777 is actually wider over the cylinders than a Castle. At least, she is subject to the same speed restriction through Culham station as a Hall, but Castles run through there at full speed.

 

Well, it will be interesting to see developments. I wonder if 34046 will have its tender sorted out by next April? Now THAT would definitely be the double-header of the century so far (on a par with 'Duchess of Sutherland' with 'Duchess of Hamilton' sometime in the future)...

 

How often did Duchesses double head in the days gone by ?

 

Its a shame there's nothing GWR for the Western Region legs given its the GWR's 175th !

 

You could probably count them on the fingers of one hand and still have five left over.