the Rainhill Trials 150

Ah, that's good, I guess the technology behind You Tube vids, (whatever it may be), is more universal, : )

 

Hello,
Could something like this ever happen again?
To expensive to run?
No location?

Nick

 

I think the planning for S+D 200 in 2025 has already started.

 

That's not completely true. We brought 7298 light engine from Southport via Wigan and the WCML including taking water on Springs Branch shed. The Jinty was followed 40 mins later by 'Lion' on the 2 L&M coaches. I believe the looks on the passengers' faces were a study as their trains overtook Lion doing a 'spiffy' 40 mph on the up slow between Wigan and Lowton. The local B.R. management rode in the 1st class coach and IIRC the guard rode in the 'Dickie seat' on top. I've got a set of slides of the event- must get round to scanning them.
As regards Maude's journey, a lot of collusion went on that wasn't reported at the time. A member of the support crew told me that they had been instructed to stop and await a diesel pilot at Blackburn but the 'boards' were off and the B.R. crew decided that it wasn't worth waiting! Possibly this also happened earlier in the journey South. Rocket 150 was an incredible effort by everyone from B.R. top management down but it simply couldn't happen now - too many people obsessed with covering their a$$es.
Ray.

 

Maybe a preserved railway could take on the task, if there was another rainhill, there's No Bold Colliery, no access to Liverpool road and a lot of 25kv wires.
Indeed are there any sidings still between Victoria and Liverpool ?

 

I went to Bold before the event but didn't have enough spending money for tickets to the main event.

 

An incorrect bit of trivia !
7298 ran from Southport light engine.
I was also on the support crew & rode on the loco during the cavalcade on one of the days.
The B.R. crew allocated to the loco on that day included a driver in the scruffiest uniform I'd ever seen, who was an ex-Speke Junction engineman.
He climbed onto the footplate & said "I've not been on one of these for a while", grabbed hold of the reversing lever & promptly threw it into full forward gear without holding the release. The look he got from Derek Foster (the owner) said it all.
I was also involved in shunting the locos in the yard. One day when the yard was pretty full with visitors, we had to shunt some locos ready for departure.
Two of us were walking twenty feet in front of 7298 warning people to keep back & some idiots were actually crossing the track between us & the moving loco.
Some choice words followed !
When all of the Rocket 150 events were over 7298 returned to Southport, but made a stop at Wigan engineers yard to pick up a 6-wheeled LNWR Pooley van which Derek had bought. Some of us jumped aboard & had a 40 mph ride down to Southport. Is this the only recorded run by a 6 wheeled coach on the main line in preservation days ?
To finish the tale, I bought the coach last Summer from it's then owner & restoration has started at Llangollen.

Bob.

 

Thanks for that link, I enjoyed that.

I went up there but remember little detail now, though we were glad that two GWR locos were eventually included, instead of just 4930 as originally programmed.

I seem to recall it was said that the GWR was to get less representation than the SR and LNER partly because it was to get its turn in 1985 when the Western Region had something grand planned for the GWR 150; sadly to be aborted due to the untimely closure of Swindon Works.

 

There was an article in "Steam Railway" a few months later about "Maude"'s workings. They set off in steam, reached the start of the 2nd leg of the journey and were told it was OK to proceed and that was repeated all the way there & back. Local controls gave permission for each leg, but even the crew were amazed by this.

 

S&D 175 was planned for the year 2000, but there would be a few changes rom the 1975 format.
Back then, those of us who arrived early were allowed to remain on Shildon station. Yes many people viewed from the standing & sitting spectator areas, but a few people went down the line to photograph the cavalcade from over bridges.

A few companies even advertised excursions to the event, just like in 1975. However their prices were higher than a standard day return to Darlington.
The plans announced for 2000 were that on arrival at Shildon, spectators would be escorted off the station to one of two designated viewing areas. One was seated and the other was standing in a field. If you weren't in the front few rows, you were not going to get too good a view, let alone photos. Stewards would also patrol the over bridges and move on any pedestrian who stopped to observe the cavalcade.
(Those Stewards would not be the Police and pedestrians would be on a public highway).

There were so many complaints about these proposals that in the end the event was cancelled.

 

Fascinating, thanks. Maybe it’s not too late for a correction in Severn Valley Railway News! It’s still the same editor, in fact David Williams has edited SVR News from issue 3 in 1966 to the present day (OT but surely worth a mention!).

 

I was there as a very excited 9 year old (!) on the first day (Saturday?). I seem to remember Rocket didn't appear due to derailing and Lion led the procession. I just remember it as a fabulous day out with my late father

I also vividly remember going past Bold Colliery on a service train about a day or two earlier (we were on holiday in the area to go to the event) and just being stunned at seeing all these famous locomotives I'd only ever seen in pictures or as models lined up - probably only lasted a minute or two but seemed to go on for ages. Magic!

 

I think theres somthing rather romantic about this humble little 0-6-0 goods engine making such a long journey and bypassing officaldom. Brings a smile to the face!

 

Not the best event at which to take photos. Colours gone a bit off on some too. Highlight for me was Bold's Austerity having its moment of fame. I think we were near the assembly point rather than in the posh seats!

http://mickpope.zenfolio.com/p673654356

 

I went but was only 18 months old so I can't remember anything about it! On the day we went they were filming the great railway journey of the world with Michael Palin. The event must have made an impression as I have been keen on locomotives ever since! My dad bought me (although I think it was really for him!) a poster of Leander on a rail tour near Sheffield which he put on my bedroom wall and lasted for ages! Happy days. I have enjoyed the bbc documentary on line, I always hope one day I will see a photograph or film and spot myself enjoying the event! I can't imagine we will ever see so many locomotives on the mainline again especially as some were so old. I have a few of the locos featured on my model railway and at the weekend I bought 1000 Midland Compound a simply stunning locomotive.

 

Also available online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/steamtrains/7306.shtml