The Heart of Midlothian, Saturday 4th May 2013

I've given into temptation and booked on this one especially as there is a little longer in Edinburgh and its from a local station.
Anyone else going with the A4 ?.

 

Anyone know of any confirmed timings yet please, nothing on Real Time yet with 12 days to go

Neil

 

Someones having a laugh at Network Rail 05:45 start from Huddersfield

Realtime Trains

Neil

 

Looking through my records, we started from Huddersfield at 06:44 last year. Will you get the corresponding hour in Edinburgh?

 

York 724
Ncl 1108
Edb 1449

Must be the k4

 

I surmise from those times that there will be hefty layovers at Tyne Yard, Belford Loop and Berwick. I'm now glad I did this trip last year.

 

The trip is rather slower this year. See www.uksteam.info/tours/t13/t0504a.htm

 

No news on the 'Welsh Borders' front, I see, which I am booked on.

 

Shes naturally not happy at getting up an hour earlier than first thought to take me to the station, better not ask her to take a picture on departure too lol.

 

I'm disappointed with these timings. I'm not an expert at all but for example Real time trains shows a gap northbound from York between 07.48 and 08.23 (to Middlesbrough)/ 08.29 (to Edinburgh). On the face of it a Fast Line path for the Heart of Midlothian at 07.50 from York to the slow line at Birtley Jct. getting there at about the time scheduled (09.11) should be feasible. Also it should be possible to run from Newcastle to Berwick loop non stop at 11.08 (or why not leave slightly earlier at 11.05?), even with 2 Mins engineering allowance at Belford, before the next service (11.36 XC from Newcastle) gets to Berwick (due 12.19).

There may well be other factors that we are not aware of but given a planned journey of 7hrs 25 mins from York to Edinburgh (an average speed of 27.5 mph and including 1 hr 20 minutes parked at Low Fell Royal Mail terminal) I believe the whole issue of steam timings needs to be debated.

 

I don't think they need to be debated. We have to take what we can get there will be reasons why we have got thos times for Saturday.

 

Has to be remembered that there will be less paths North of Newcastle as First Transpennine are still extending their services to Edinburgh I'm sure. Add in any diverted freights, and you have more severe restrictions than with the same tour last year.

 

Or perhaps there are fewer people at Notwork Fail now who can be bothered to put a bit extra in to give a steam special a good run?

 

No ticket yet ! with any confirmation of the 'new' times.

 

Re. Enterprise, I personally know somebody who works at MK within train planning, and you should hear the lengths they have to go through and the difficulties they deal with having to path in a steam charter, amongst every other path requested outside of WTT ( extra freights, diversions, stock moves etc... ), oh, and the WTT changes themselves!

Yes, getting a path like the one above is frustrating for the passengers, but please would people stop criticizing the folks at Network Rail who do so much more than a lot of members on here give them credit for, and actually praise on their patience of dealing with requests thrown their way left, right and centre.

Charter planning, such as with all parties involved in relation to this tour ( John Cameron Support Crew, West Coast Railway Company, Railway Touring Company and Network Rail ) have a lot they have to work around to get a charter running, it's no small feat. If you don't agree with their methods and results, you can always go forward to Network Rail and point out this obvious path they must have not been bothered to find.

 

As well as the other restrictions mentioned already, don't forget that there may be temporary speed restrictions because of P-way work, etc. and also that extra speed restrictions may apply to No. 9 because of clearences or axle-loads.

I'd love to know exactly what does go into finding a path for a tour such as this. If done right, it would make a splendid magazine article.

 

Revised times now at www.uksteam.info/tours/t13/t0504b.htm
Unfortunately these are hardly any better. The train takes 4hrs 23 min from leaving Newcastle to leaving Berwick GL (about 67 miles), of which 2hrs 41mins is spent stationary.

David

 

I Play golf at Goswick, just outside Berwick, and the intensity the ECML is used, has to be seen to be believed on a Saturday.

It is almost constant back and forth, so trying to path a 75mph excursion into this is in my view a hard ask.

When the tour is proposed, do they get any idea at all of timings, or is the cash collected, then a poor set of timings thrown at the passengers.

It seems to be getting an all too common, and the only way to run north of Newcastle is to run mid week, to get any decent timings.

Note: is that why SD and The Elizabethan are mid week?????

 

You miss my point. I was referring to the passing years and the absence of old steam men in contemporary scheduling.