Britannia to Shrewsbury 23 November

Failed FTR exam with steam gland leak, so not able to travel Saturday.

John

 

What sort of steam gland leak? Most are quickly fixable.

 

I don't know - this is what the NVR signalman told me.

John

 

I understand from someone who works in the loco shed at Wansford it's actually a leaking crown stay that's the problem. Uh oh!

 

That's more plausible.

 

I hope SD are working on finding a suitable alternative, just in case. Maybe Britannia or Braunton, provided they're not stopped for maintenance and have a support crew available? Given Tornado's extended range, I'd hazard a guess that London-Bristol would revert to DL-haulage and maybe the water stop would need to be changed - Abergavenny or Hereford instead of Magor?

 

I do admire your tenacity with steam trips Al. With all they throw at you these days. With you being a hard core steam timer from the good old days I'd love to see you start a thread somewhere more appropriate than here on Nat Pres by writing a post summarising the highs and lows for you in 2013. And whether it is still all worth while for you. NOT a "knocking" thread, but you tend not to do that, but just how it is for you these days as that hard core steam timer. The costs and benefits showing as part of that post.

As I've posted elsewhere I've virtually given up now. My very narrow focus on pure SR steam only trips has virtually nothing to home in on these days! And I am flat out at present with my Owls.

 

Flat out with your Owls?.........you can fly?

 

One hell of a thud when I land!

 

Should be passing Andover and Andover myself today. If Dave S is at home today.

Always quite emotional driving that route . Farnborough-Fleet-Winchfield- Hook-Basingstoke-Micheldever, (!), Overton, then down to Andover and then onto Salisbury Plain for the Short-Eared Owls.

I try to keep speed down, but any descents do have me winding out to 25% and yanking the throttle into the roof! LOL.

PS. What a shame a Light Pacific was never named Andover. And preserved as a main line loco!

 

Getting back on track, Looks like 70000 doing this now.
http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs13.htm#twk
http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t13/t1123a.htm

 

Does anybody know if Britannia will take us all the way from waterloo or just bristol-shrewsbury-bristol? With such a tight turn round at shrewsbury being late arriving would be a problem I feel . Keeping fingers x just in case!!!

 

Victor better keep an eye on his pie then......

 

SD website now shows 70000 for this trip, with the existing timings, although I'm sure an extra water stop will be needed in each direction between Magor and Shrewsbury (just over 100 miles) - hopefully that can be fitted in without any major changes to the timings.

 

UKsteam.info timings say "PROVISIONAL TIMES Times subject to amendment". I expect that the final timings will be a little different from the Tornado plan. A friend in the railway video fraternity has heard that the return trip may have a DL pilot from Shrewsbury, though I don't know how reliable his source is. I can see how that would be one possible option that is being considered, but I hope DBS and SD come up with something better.