The Great Britain VIII

Quite honestly if they'd been abducted by aliens I wouldn't be surprised any more. It's the turning into the tour from hell.

 

notice that there is no news on rtc website last update on 22/04/15,probably because no news is good news.

 

Can't be sure here but it looks like delay getting into Oxenholme from the down loop may have been due to waiting a late running Euston-Glasgow to pass. Shown as departing Oxenholme at 1400.

 

On its way now 47 down

 

Dep Oxenholme 1401. Dunno what problem was, ECS had left Carnforth on time.

Andrew N

 

Call for a banker from Carnforth ?

 

They were told on the train "Class 67 needed rebooting twice" Make of that what you will.

 

GB8 looks to have come to a stand about four miles north of Oxenholme at 1415.

Andrew N

 

Now failed on the main line 3 miles north of Oxenholme. At least the lucky(??) passengers have access to food/tea/beer.

 

Spare drivers and 47s at Carnforth.

This is more enthralling than fiction!

 

It did indeed stop just down from me at Hayfell bridge just North of Kendal with the crew looking around the loco for some time before restarting but I have been told it may now need rescuing .

 

This is getting like a bad soap opera, I bet DBS are getting evermore delighted that they agreed to take this ill fated mystery tour on!

 

I'mI believe the plan is to push it to Tebay using a 66 on a coal train... that's from the train manager of the 14:07 VT service to Edinburgh.

James

 

a 1z99 has departed Carlisle station and following 1m14 south at 14-51.

 

Now that trip I want to video. How could you track the extra terrestrial leg on RTT tho? Has it been gauged?

 

The coal train was indeed right behind 67018 so that could be true .

 

It may end up rivalling the infamous "Bridport Belle" of 1966. This tour had just about everything go wrong that could. Below was the worst of the many incidents which took place and one which, hopefully GBVIII won't have to suffer:-

The train was so late arriving at Maiden Newton that when the driver of 35030 Elder Dempster Lines arrived LE from Weymouth and told the guard, "I've come to take you back to Waterloo" he was shocked to be told "but we haven't even been to Bridport yet". The two Ivatt 2-6-2s then headed off to Bridport but stalled on one of the banks on the return journey from Bridport and had to be assited by a Class 33. By the time the train eventually got back to Salisbury, it was almost 4 hours late. (It did regain some time on the way back to Waterloo by going direct via Andover instead of the original plan to run via Romsey, Havant and the Portsmouth Direct) There was a very readable account of this tour in Railway magazine some years ago. Sadly, it looks like GBVIII is going to live on in legend for equally unfortunate reasons.

 

looks like its on the move its near to grayrigg at 15-17

 

Virgin have been tweeting that a rescue loco is on way from Carlisle - so we shall see!

 

Blimey. First time that bad coal has come to the rescue?