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City of Wells' Parallel Run

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by Christopher125, Jun 11, 2010.

  1. Christopher125

    Christopher125 Part of the furniture

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    Thanks to a heads-up on another forum, i see there's a new website making available a wide range of railway industry videos - RailNetChannel

    While these include news reports, road learning videos etc there's also some historical films as well - including City of Well's high speed run between Salisbury and Yeovil. It starts off with an interview of the fireman, then shows the run from a combination of in-cab shots and those from the observation carriage running on the other line. As its been mentioned on here in the past, i thought it might be of interest.

    http://www.railnetchannel.tv/avc-view.aspx?videoid=51&categoryid=0

    Chris
     
  2. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    Very interesting, thanks for putting it on here.
     
  3. Dan Hamblin

    Dan Hamblin Part of the furniture

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    Seconded. Well worth watching :)

    Regards,

    Dan
     
  4. royce6229

    royce6229 Well-Known Member

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    Brings back happy memories, I like the way he is quite tactful about the maximum speed. :)
     
  5. Romsey

    Romsey Part of the furniture

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    VERY tactful. I've seen a log and the train register from one box on the route. I'm not saying anything until the last staff involved have retired, which could be quite a few years. I agree they were great times to be on the South Western Division with a number of pro steam managers in various posts.

    Salisbury steam events were organised under Network South East, much to the disgust if the Inter City Charter Train Management.

    Cheers, Neil
     
  6. buzby2

    buzby2 Well-Known Member

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    Gerald Daniels, whilst in charge at Salisbury, organised many tours and (so far as I'm aware) managed not to lose money on them. Sadly missed enterprising gentleman when he retired. Had many a happy trip in the Salisbury area when part of 4472's support crew.
    Managed to get a copy of the video he had made of the parallel run. Very interesting conversation on the Manager's Saloon intercom when GD was trying to get the Class 33 driver to go a bit [lot?] quicker. Have only just got round to considering the lack of brake force [only a 33+Managers Saloon] when compared with the speed achieved (allegedly!!!!!!). The majestic speed of City of Wells as it (seemingly easily) overtakes the Officers Special still raises the few remaining hairs on the back of my neck!
     
  7. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    The logs timed by one of the top timers of the time, (he may still be timing), of 23rd and 24th July 1988 are online, but not easy to find! The 24th had the fastest running, although the actual maximum,(supported exactly by milepost passing times), was not quite up to the level that has been quoted from time to time. Still excellent running on a route that used to see a lot of such speeds in normal steam days. Especially considering the speed limit for steam in 1988!

    Gerry Daniels was a much respected Railway manager in those days, and I reckon provided he didn't compromise safety, (which he would never do), he could have done almost anything he wanted. How times have changed.
     
  8. martin butler

    martin butler Part of the furniture

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    Gerry Daniels and Network south east did a lot to bring steam back to the south east, i can remember the runs based on Salisbury and the other very good things that they did, remember 70000 and 71000 on the cambridge line, i cant see any mainline toc doing something like that now, of course it helped that they had the stock, the crews and owned and ran the lot except for the engines
    for me though , the hilight was waiting at hook in gathering darkness then seeing the marker lights of the first steam hauled express to run on
    3rd rail since 1967 and being at weybridge to see an M7 with 3 or 4 on come bucketting through, followed by Clan line with the rest of the stock , a few minutes later on the fast and the expresions on the faces of people who were waiting for a service train, to hear an M7 whistle blasting come though on the slow, followed by Clan line at full chat, a few minutes later had to be experienced
     
  9. buseng

    buseng Part of the furniture

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    I went to some of these events, Woking & Winchfield spring to mind. I am sure newly restored 35027 was at Woking as well. Regarding Winchfield there was a shuttle train service to Andover hauled by a 33 or 73. At Andover steam took over for a run to Romsey & back. The steam locos concerned were double headed 80079/80080. I went on one of these trips & by god didn't those two tanks shift! I won't mention the speeds talked about! By the way I have copy of the original parallel run video.
     
  10. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    Some really great stuff there guys. I missed it all as when my BR career really started to take off I took the decision, (100% correct as it turned out), that my professionalism could be put under severe pressure if I continued a hobby interest in BR steam activities. So I left all of that behind me. Hence my interest in German and South African steam where I could play to my hearts content without worrying about potential conflicts of interest.

    But before then, in the 1960s I did manage to miss some very fast runs with those BR std class 4 tanks! My elder brother Don logged one making an extraordinarily fast start on, I think, the Tonbridge-Redhill line. My memory tells me with a very light train it got to over 80 mph in a very short space of time. And on one of the tours to Exeter I went on, we had a choice of "full in" trains once we were down in the wild West. I chose some rubbish runs behind what I am not sure of now. The others, who chose wisely, had a storming run behind a BR class 4 tank that ran to over 80 mph. I'm amazed I've forgotten the actual maximum it reached. I was reminded of it about every ten minutes on the main line run back to Waterloo that evening!
     
  11. buzby2

    buzby2 Well-Known Member

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    That passing move nearly didn't happen as 30053 managed a 'few' mph more than planned! I seem to recall our Woking Driver (possibly Dave Hewson now with WCRC?) having to ease off the M7's regulator substantially but, when '28 finally got a hustle on, it was terrific. I'd like to think, if lots of money could be raised, that '53 would still be up for it but she's 16 years older.
    A brilliant end to the weekend's events which helped celebrate Woking Council's Centenary [1994?] and I just wish I'd got a video camera all those years ago. Unfortunately our run was at night and the quality of most domestic video cameras, at that date, was rubbish without floodlights so don't believe anything has made it onto YouTube. Neither have I seen anything covering the M7's weekend shuttles Woking-Guildford-Aldershot-Woking.
     
  12. martin butler

    martin butler Part of the furniture

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    I lived in woking at the time , and saw the whole thing, clan line was in the bay platform i remember, and worked a commutor special to waterloo,for the childrens home whilst the M7 did the guildford aldershot woking shuttles
    woking 150, wasnt that a show, 2 engines in steam wasnt it , city of wells, and the usa giving brakevan rides i remember the MHR wanted to send 34105 down ed hauled in light steam, but at that time nothing moved in any state of steam unless it was on the approoved list , imgine if a re run was to be held of that now, given that even non mainline ticketed engines now run in light steam if haulled would the line up be even more interesting
     
  13. royce6229

    royce6229 Well-Known Member

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    The M7 shunting the empty stock at Waterloo, made a perfect end to a memorable day.
     
  14. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

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    These were great times for SR steam. I went to both the Woking and Winchfield events but can't remember much of them as I was only a small child at the time. I can remember the later events at Woking though with 30053 and 35028. It was a bit special for me seeing 30053 on the ML after seeing big Pacifics out on the ML. My Father and I went to see her at many locations. I was gutted I couldn't see 35028 on the early morning run though as I had school to attend. From what my Father said afterwards 35028 was going very well! Another treat for SR enthusiasts was 70000 working tours to the MHR. We had the unusual sight of 70000 sitting in Aldershot station during a break in the turning and servicing run. Wonderful times!

    Sadly we never saw 34092 on the ML.
     
  15. martin butler

    martin butler Part of the furniture

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    Another treat for SR enthusiasts was 70000 working tours to the MHR. We had the unusual sight of 70000 sitting in Aldershot station during a break in the turning and servicing run. Wonderful times!

    was that the time when 30506 hauled an 11 coach train plus 70000 up medstead bank? i forgot what took the train onto mhr metals , wasnt it 922203 i can also remember one gala day when we had 70000 out because its railtour had been cancled, and because of the conditions we decided to put 76017 on the front and the sight of the two standards double heading was the hi light of the whole day
     
  16. Dan Hamblin

    Dan Hamblin Part of the furniture

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    That will be this one then:

    http://daniel-hamblin.fpic.co.uk/c1806992.html


    My first ever main line railtour, a treat for my Dad's birthday :)

    Regards,

    Dan
     
  17. royce6229

    royce6229 Well-Known Member

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    Not sure about 30506 but remember a run with the 92xxx that took 70000's train up Medstead bank, a diesel had been added at Alton and while the 9F was going great guns, half way up someone in their wisdom decided to open the diesel up...totaly destroyed the moment.
     
  18. martin butler

    martin butler Part of the furniture

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    yes it was the return leg,that used 30506 , the 27 was insurance because 922203 hadnt done much hard work, and it was felt that it would be better to have the 27 coupled in i was on 73080 that day, i think we ran with about 8 on ourselves, because some of the passingers objected to the 27 and joined our train instead i didnt see much of our run, i was too busy but i know it was rather spirited i believe my old mate RF was on 922203 that day
     
  19. Sheff

    Sheff Resident of Nat Pres

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    Any ideas why I can't run this please?
     
  20. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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