The Robin Hood - Sunday 9 November 2014

Superb photo!

 

Yesterday's run was like the curate's egg, good in parts. Apart from the shove up Sharnbrook (water issues with '115 was one report), the run down the MML was good with '115 heard clearly from our seats towards the rear of the train. The return was much more patchy with several instances of diesel assistance. The unplanned turning of the while train at Lincoln didn't help - came as a complete surprise to the on board staff as well as the water tanker. Got permission to go "up front" to record the departure from Connington but as soon as '115 gained the up fast she was eased right back and what is usually a storming climb of Abbott's Ripton Bank on ECML steam runs turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. Pleased to have got steam at last out of St. Pancras but the run to KGX wasn't anything to write home about.

 

The problem with that is if you're at the back leaving STP, you'll be at the back on the return run as well. Not that reversing at LIN made any difference to that after local decisions made yesterday.

 

Wouldn't have been done like that without the diesel!

 

quite right - I wouldn't have run at all.

 

Sounds like one of those days where a well chosen line side seat was the better option

 

One passenger said he had spoken to the local manager who told him just what manoeuvres were involved in swapping the locos around but had decided to turn the whole train as it was easier. As you say, no diesel, no train turned.

 

To whom?

 

Hadn't this been thought of when the trip was being planned?

Difficult to imagine the train arrived at Lincoln and all involved in it's operation saying, "OMG, look, the steam engine is facing the wrong way AND at the wrong end of the train for the return run. What are we to do now?"

 

The pre arranged plan according to RTT and uksteam.info was for '115 to take the train forward into Lincoln Terrace sidings - working 5Z47 - then run light to water and turn at Boultham Jct. - working 0Z48 - and finally work the ecs back into Lincoln Central from the Terrace sidings - working 5Z48. So whilst you can't believe everything that appears on the internet, it would seem that somebody had it all worked out at some stage. After all, VT go through the same manoeuvre when they run steam to the Lindum Fayre.

 

You would be amazed...!

 

Not for most of the outward run as '115 ran well and seemingly unassisted for much of the journey. Yes the conditions were nigh on perfect at times for the photographers but to get steam out of STP was worth missing the pics IMO.

 

I wonder if that was what had been paid for?

 

That really has me ROFL!

Nice one Neil.

 

I've seen stuff like that occur with steam charters where there has been no planning put in place to do basic things like turn engines on triangles and it's all been left to do on the day at (nearly the) last minute.

I was pleasantly surprised one day to find that a path for turning a steam engine at Worcester had actually been put into TRUST (what you see as RTT) but that was a one-off in my experiences of working here.

 

I had heard before we got to Lincoln that the plan was to turn the whole train.

 

Is the line via Sleaford now controlled from a Control centre ? When it was individual boxes you could not return that way because would have closed.