'Torbay Express' 2013

I've just received a brochure for the Torbay Express 2013 season. Prices are slightly higher at £82 for standard class, rather than £79, and 1st class £129 rather than £125. An interesting comparison in terms of mileage and price is RYTC's 'Royal Duchy' excursions from Bristol to Par. Although a longer journey, standard class costs £79 and 1st class £122. <BJ>

 

I suspect the price rise reflects the price of everything going up at the moment, not happy about it, but if they are both doing it, then it's not through choice as presumably they would try to undercut each other if possible, I just hope the market can take it, prices are going up, but wages and employment are not (or slower than a tortoise) and there will be a crunch point somewhere where it becomes unaffordable.

Any idea on motive power ?, the Duchy/Weymouth can still call on 34067/70013 so will prob be as you were, but the Torbay can no longer call on 71000, 70000 could probably return, but what else ?, 46233 and 60009 will probably be working out of Crewe, 34046 perhaps ?.

 

60019 and 5029 ?

 

60163?

 

I reckon that It'll be 4464, 5029 and 34046.

 

Hey railway folk
i would like to see
46115,35028 and possibly 6023 on next years torbay expresses

many thanks
yrm

 

The toc is DBS for these trips. So no chance of 46115 which is owned by West Coast. 6023 is only vacum braked so very unlikely( the only vacuum braked loco they have used is 61994. Crews do not have exerience of vacuum brakes).

 

In the absence of Monarchy, No 1 choice is a Castle - failing that, 46233, pretty please send it south for a nice holiday....! Clan Line would be interesting....

 

I read on the railroad herald excursion page that the proposed power would be 4464, 34046 & 70000. I don't know if these are the final designations but I would really like to see the likes of Clan Line to be part of the lineup though.

 

No GW power, again? *aghast* how on earth will they get up to Churston?

Oh wait, with a Manor on the back... It'd better stay on for Torre and Whiteball on the return...

 

Trouble with GWR power is it's either under overhaul, vac braked or cursed (how many times has it been tried to get 5029 without success before ?), unless DBS have a major rethink on vac braking, only 5029 is eligible until 6024 returns, maybe Mr Waterman will turn to 7027 once that Pink Scot is out the way

 

A Duchess is considered royalty... Otherwise last years wedding was a sham
could the Duke make a comeback in the season ?

Getting a Duchess south of Crewe was as rare in 2012 as in the 1960's... 46233 only made it to London once in Green..
sadly London's fleet was an all too predictable diet of the same 7's and 8's in 2012..

 

Wait a minute, out of the back of my head, 4079 Penndenis Castle, would that be possibilty by 2014?

 

I think I read somewhere that it won't be available in May 2014 for the proposed commemoration of the 1964 Castle trip to Plymouth (where it reached 96mph before trouble struck at Lavington). That doesn't mean it wouldn't be ready for summer 2014, but someone from Didcot would be better equipped to provide a definite answer. Also, is 4079 going to be fitted with air brakes? I don't know the answer to this either, but it will need to be, as the TBEL is a DBS operation.

 

I doubt very much it'll be fitted with air brakes myself, but 2014 is still some way off yet. It may have become compulsory by then ?

 

I doubt air brakes can be made compulsory as long as Vac remains safe (150+ years of experience) and there's a robust rescue plan, I can give example of air brake issues in the last decade running into double figures, but I can't recall a single vac brake issue.

In any case, that would automatically make more loco's eligible, Tyseley loco's for example won't go anywhere without a support crew and I doubt they'd want to be outstationed at Barton Hill for weeks.

 

Vac brake issues? There was a train with 2x Class 47s failed fairly recently, blocking a line and, iirc, a level crossing, for a considerable time until a rescue locomotive (47798 from the NRM) could get there.

Vac problems with steam locomotives are much more rare though, as you say.

Mark

 

We had an issue when 47760 sat down in 2009 while working the Dartmouth Express. It was due to be replaced by 34067 at Westbury. It never made it and blocked a platform for several hours awaiting rescue to arrive in the form of 47245 from Southall.

 

I suppose any question mark surrounding vac brakes are most likely to be available rolling stock and knowledge /. willingness to operate it than the system itself, which as we've heard, (for steam at last) is safe, and has a good reliability record. I for one wish it had never been necessary for air braking to be fitted to steam locos at all, but needs must.