Royal Duchy series 2014

Can only recall one close call coal wise with Tornado when a top up was misjudged. But at the end of the day its a planning thing - knowing roughly what youll use and what you can carry...

 

If you look at the back of the tender from the rear, there's a header tank behind the coal space which is usually vacant on most Stanier tenders where the water filler cap is, carries an additional 1000 gallons or so I believe, very discreet unless running light or tender first when it's on show to the world.

 

Well Tangy is doing the Duchy again on Sunday with Ray Churchill.

 

In BR days, Castles were diagrammed for up to 350 miles on one tender full (nominally 6 tons) of coal. They could do Cardiff-Paddington and return without re-coaling but not Swansea-Paddington and return. But I suspect that coal consumption is higher these days especially with poor quality coal.

I have twice travelled behind Tangmere when it has completely run out of coal. Once there was a diesel to push us home. The other occasion was from Bristol to East Croydon via Fareham with no diesel. Running was very slow from Preston Park with a max of about 45mph. At East Croydon the tender had been completely swept out and the brooms were being stored in the support coach. There was a conference at the platform end about how to get the ECS back to Old Oak Common. I think it was eventually parked up in a loop/siding somewhere (Selhurst ?) until a diesel could be found.

 

Presumably they had steam raised and a decent fire put in at Old Oak Common, then had the tenders filled immediately before going off shed and a short run to Paddington, so started the revenue-earning part of the day with effectively a full bunker?

Would that still be the case today? Or would a typical mainline engine, after a maybe somewhat round-the-houses trip from e.g. Southall and less flexible coaling arrangements, actually be starting the day already half ton or so down on a full tender?

Should have burnt the brooms!

Tom

 

I was thinking about the Cardiff Canton turns to London and back. The engines came off Canton Shed fully coaled and more or less straight onto the stock in Cardiff General. At London they didn't visit Old Oak Common, but just watered and turned (but not coaled) at Ranelagh Bridge before working a down train. The total of about 290 miles was well within range on 6 tons. The Canton Britannias with an extra ton of coal could *just* do a full round trip to Swansea (about 380 miles) without recoaling. Typically this was Cardiff-Paddington-Swansea-Cardiff. One Swansea-Cardiff leg that I remember at the end of such a diagram was the up Neyland sleeper and mails, and for a time it was booked for double headed Britannias which would have made eeking out the coal supplies a lot easier.

As you suggest, these days there is often a lot more ECS work, standing around, starting/stopping, turning etc. all of which eats into the coal supplies.

 

Was riding the footplate of a German ng 2-10-2t in the 90s, (1990s, not 1890s! ), from Freital-Hainsberg to Kurt Kipsdorf and the man from the hotel at Radebeul was waiting on the platform there to hand all the cardboard food boxes/wrappings to the driver. Who fed it into the firebox! Lovely smell of pizza wafting about as we went up through Radebeul Gorge.

 

I presume you mean Rabenau!

I don't think a few cardboard boxes would get it from the Weißeritztalbahn to the Lößnitzgrundbahn no matter what was still in the bunker! (Never mind the change of gauge in between - although it may once have been possible; the Sächsische Schmalspurbahnnetz was once quite extensive.)

 

Based on MP242 = 8 min 10 sec then I agree 5 min 17 seconds is a good estimate. A very good effort indeed but still 4th in my list. 34067 is the only loco apart from 71000 to go under 5 minutes with a reported 4:54 but with a lightweight 8/271/290.

 

For those wishing to see steam from Bristol to the west country this Sunday may I remind you that the Royal Duchy will run via Yatton while the Torbay Express will run via Bath. <BJ>

 

also the Royal Duchy times are later than usual doesn't leave Bristol till 9.55 arrival at Par 14.49 the return times are the usual ones.

 

37.706 and 34067 through Bath at 15:09 with the 5Z36 Southall - Bristol Kingsland Road. <BJ>

 

I was told tonight from the crew of 70013 at Bristol TM that a diesel on the back is NOT planned for tomorrows trip

 

34067 stormed up Whiteball more-or-less on time, with the LH drain cock blowing very noisily. No diesel!

 

I wonder if this is why the train arrived at Exeter 5 mins early but departed 18 mins late.
6 mins after the departure from Exeter a Cross Country unit set off from Exeter for Plymouth. The Royal Duchy was obliged to pull into the Warren to allow it to pass. Tangmere set off in hot pursuit but passed Dawlish and Totnes 27 mins late. Tangmere's stop at Plymouth was reduced from 10 mins to 2.5 mins. The train arrived at Par just 10 mins late. <BJ>

 

Tangmere through Bodmin this evening...best I could manage with the light, and trying to keep my puppy under control! Everyone on the train was looking at him! Tangmere sounding a bit rough in the valve timing department...

 

the train departed Exeter 18 mins late because of watering problems, the water tanker didn't have enough to fill the tender and had to back to refill.

 

This vid I've just seen on another forum at Dawlish looks rather disturbing....

 

Are either of the two gents I was standing with on Bodmin parkway station forum members? Sorry that my dog was desperate to say hello to everyone!