The Great Britain VII

Well, I hope they don't change the dates as that would probably preclude me from doing it. As you say, there are ways round the issue but I thought I would mention it just in case having a Duchess up the WCML into Euston or not would be a deciding factor for anyone.

 

Conflict #1: I'm wondering if Tangmere will be available for the GB or will she end up on the Golden Arrow Statesmen Tour scheduled for the same day. April 26

 

I suspect that the initial discussion between promoter and loco owner over whether a particular loco is available on a particular day will often be fairly informal with the result that the pronoter thinks they have the the loco for their tour, but there's no formal contract at that stage, or the agreement may be fairly general with the loco owner saying that the loco is available for a tour or series of tours without any specific dates being agreed. Yes, it would be better if everything was signed and sealed before the tour was advertised, but unfortunately things don't seem to work that way.

 

RTC's" railway holidays" brochure has just arrived and shows some updates to GB VII that at the moment have not been carried through to their website. A B1 originally advertised as running from Aberdeen - Inverness- Kyle and return has been replaced by a Black 5 although it is not specified which one . On the last day the train now returns via the ECML, not the WCML, presumably due to engineering works . 60009 is now rostered Edinburgh - York and 46233 York - Kings Cross. The remainder of the tour so far seems to have remained as advertised.

 

Picking up on something mentioned elsewhere... What are the chances of the line at Dawlish being repaired in time for GB7 to go to Truro and Falmouth? Uncertain enough for RTC to to be thinking about alternatives, I'll bet. So, what might they do instead? Here's one suggestion:
Day 1: London to Exeter as planned, then to Barnstable with Braunton & Tangmere "top and tail" and back to Exeter. If they can't get to Barnstable (path, gauge, whatever), then go to Oakhampton.
Day 2: Exeter-Bristol-Carmarthen-Fishguard or Pembroke, perhaps using 34067 to Bristol or Cardiff, or maybe 5029 all the way, with 4936 assisting beyond Cardiff. If RTC can change their hotel bookings from Cardiff to somewhere in West Wales, then they can head straight up the Central Wales line on Monday morning, otherwise they'll have to come back to Cardiff Sunday night, which might limit how far west they can go. We know Castles have been to Fishguard and Pembroke in recent years, but what about Halls? Also, would the layout at Carmarthen allow the pilot loco to turn then re-attach to the other end of the train? It would be good if they could run from Carmarthen to where-ever and back with steam on each end, rather than resorting to a DL banker.

Sunday night, there could be a Castle, a Hall and 2 Black Fives on shed together.

Are there any other lines proposed for GB7 that have storm-damage problems? What about the Cumbrian Coast route? I guess that's been exposed some bad storms recently.

 

a letter received from RTC yesterday gives a number of changes to GB VII even without the Dawlish problem, although it did refer to this saying NR expect the repairs at Dawlish to be completed in 6-8 weeks and hopefully GBVII will not be affected. However they are working up a contingency should repairs take longer than expected. The section with Tangmere from Bristol to Cardiff has been deleted from the itinerary, for operational reasons, with overnight accommodation on Day 2 now being in Bristol not Cardiff. The following morning the trip along the Welsh Marches begins at Bristol. 70000 replaces 4936 and now double heads with 5029 on Days 2 & 3 assuming the original itinerary to Truro / Falmouth remains. On Day 1 Braunton is taking the train single headed all the way to Exeter. Presumably Tangmere is hauling Statesman's "Golden Arrow". In Scotland the K1 is replacing the K4, the routings via Shotts and Bathgate are confirmed but have swapped trains / dates as you could not easily get to the West Highland line via Bathgate. This route is now being used by the optional Stranraer train and the Shotts route to get to the West Highland line. However there is no mention of what is working Aberdeen -Inverness -Kyle and return. It also says both 45690 Leander and 45699 Galatea are confirmed locos. It is commendable and appreciated that RTC have notified passengers so far in advance of these changes and I note most of them have already been carried through to their website.

 

I wonder if 45690 will return in BR Maroon too.. now that would be fun

 

It has been noticable this year than RTC are communicating with their customers better, with regard changes of route, loco changes/allocations, and updating their website more promptly than in the past. Hopefully this will continue for the rest of this year and forthcoming years.

 

I wonder if they'll trust 34046 to attack Honiton Bank unassisted? The last few times Tangmere has been that way there has been a diesel shoving on the back, sometimes gently, but not always. It must depend on the load - the GB is often 11 or 12 coaches. Is that too much for a Light Pacific? The climb to Honiton Tunnel is about 7 miles of mostly 1-in-80, with a short section of 1-in-70 about half way up. Tangmere and other class 7 locos have climbed it successfully with "normal" tour loads, but my guess is that, since the service trains have become faster and more frequent, there's not enough time for a slow steam tour to traverse the long single-line section, even with the newly extended double-track section through Axminster. Also, you can't be sure of an uninterrupted run downhill through Axminster to carry some momentum into the climb, though at least the speed limit over the river bridge at the foot of the climb seems to have gone. Perhaps only the most powerful locos (Clan Line, Tornado, et al) can clear the section unassisted in the time allowed?

 

Very true. A friend video'd her at Hackhurst Down on 1st Nov (I've just been editing his footage). The DL couldn't be heard above the sound of Braunton's exhaust, so I'd say that if it was assisting, it wasn't doing very much. I suspect it may have been used restarting from Shalford, and possibly again nearer the summit, but Braunton seemed to be coping very well over the mile or so above Gomshall station.

 

Last year Tangmere worked alone to Salisbury where the diesel was put on the back to Exeter. In fairness whilst it did assist it didn't do all that much but there were a lot of unhappy passengers on the train. The climb of Honiton was meant to be a highlight of the tour. The idea of being double-headed this year was to avoid the need for diesel assistance. I do wonder if 70013 could not give a helping hand on its way to Bristol for its Monday run over the Welsh Marches, if it was felt assistance was required. It would arrive at Exeter the right way round for an onward journey to Bristol. Of course we do not know the load this year.

 

Looking at, and listening to, the video footage, Tangmere was doing her fair share with GB6, though it wasn't quite what was advertised. The shameful episode, where Tangmere was clearly doing very little and the DL on the rear (a 57) was doing the work, was The Atlantic Coast Express on 7th April. I video'd the train at Andover and Tisbury and my friends saw it at Seaton Junction. I've never seen any train, steam or DMU, go up Honiton Bank so fast before! Of course, I don't know what else might have been going on, to cause that much assistance to be necessary throughout the journey... Anyway, enough windging about the past. Let's hope for a pleasant surprise this year!

 

Could well be 34067 is available for neither, has it been made operational again yet ?.

 

My wife and I will be coming to England in April to do the GB VII tour. I'm quite excited about it, since we have nothing that even comes close to this kind of chance to ride behind and/or photograph such an extensive lineup of steam here on this side of the pond. Can anyone tell me what, if any, opportunities there might be for those riding the train to actually photograph it? Do they ever do any photo runbys, are there opportunities to detrain while engine change or servicing operations are taking place, do they let you hang around at the end of the day's run to do some photography or do they bustle you off on buses somewhere? Any enlightenment on what we can expect would be greatly appreciated.

I just happened across this forum while doing some research on the trip - if this isn't a proper place to be asking questions of this sort, my apologies.

 

Latest I heard is another 6 weeks or so for Dawlish, and this was from a chap who works for First Great Western.

 

Welcome Larry. There are some opportunities for taking photos, at the beginning and end of the day, during water stops, and so on, but there haven't been any proper run-pasts in the past, as far as I'm aware. It's probably worth contacting RTC themselves and asking what, if anything, they've got planned for this year's trip. Also, get to know the stewards in your carriage so that they can tell you, when the train stops anywhere, whether it's just a short stop and they want you to stay on board, or whether there's time to hop off and take some pictures (and so that they don't let the train go without you!).

There's at least one optional day on this year's trip - from Edinburgh to Stranraer. That's a difficult route to follow by public transport, but perhaps a group of you could hire a car? You should be able to get 2 or 3 shots in each direction. The countryside between Ayr and Stranraer is wild, bleak and dramatic. Here's my shot of GBIII leaving Girvan on 10th April 2010:

 

If that's correct, then GB7 should be OK. However, I heard a clip on the news yesterday, following the damage to the temporary wall made of shipping containers over the weekend. An NR engineer seemed to be saying that they might not be ready until Easter. GB7 starts the weekend after Easter, so maybe it's beginning to look a little uncertain?