Royal Duchy 2015

The right engine for the route.
The appropriate bit starts around 1:45.

 

The video is not continuous and omits the initial attempts to start where the most serious incidents occurred.

David

 

Its a pity we don't have better video coverage from that location.

 

Yes it certainly has been debated ad nauseum!

3 cylinder locos get stuck more often than 2 cylinder locos because 3 cylinder locos actually have more places on a revolution to have loss of ooompff.
On a 2 cylinder loco, the pistons are not arranged end to end, they can never be both at end of stroke. 2 cyl locos are usually arranged so that when one piston is at the end of stroke, the other piston is in mid stroke.

On a 3 cyl loco is it possible for one cyl to be at end of stroke and another nearly at end, leaving one piston to try to start the train. And a class 7; 3 cyl loco has smaller cylinders than a class 4; 2 cyl loco. So there is less TE/ power/ ooompff per cylinder.

 

I am sure that boy wasn't they only person shooting some footage but will they post it on You Tube? Even so, his footage although a bit "all over the place" does capture some key moments and we should be grateful that there is at least some footage so hats off to him.

If you listen carefully, you can clearly hear the initial slips which I found disturbing and then the subsequent slips which were typical of a Bullied on a climb and on slippery rails.

You can see the rain falling and I guess any class 7 loco with 9 on would have had a slippery start up to Mutley Tunnel.

Remember the double headed Black 5's which almost stalled (down to 3mph) on Hemerdon had only 12 coaches, so 6 per loco. Poor old Tangmere had 9 to contend with all on her own.

 

All the more reason for the class 47 to have followed the tour to be in the right place to assist , for instance, had the diesel been at Pymouth then a decision could have been made to either attach it in behind due to the poor rail head condition so it could assist , or to push it from the back .if it stalled on the bank, i would have thought the most important thing is to get it to its destination with the least problem caused to other trains .

 

Step back there. We left Bristol in the sunshine and it was sunny all day until we rolled into Plymouth. It only looked to be a shower and the tracks in the station only had spots of rain on them as we left.

 

Getting to the bottom of this for me(maybe not others), I wish Tangmere and a few others locomotives were having a better track record at the moment. That is all.

 

OK, pack your sarnies for the next one down there!

 

Sod the sarnies, Its cream tea and pastie country.....

 

Sadly gentlemen if your after some of Cornwalls finest food, drink and hop based beverages Par isn't exactly a cultural Mecca!!!

Even the chippy has gone down hill....

 

I'll offer you all a deal - £40 a seat in my car and I'll take you all to a decent pub and a decent pasty when you arrive in Par! I think I'm on to a good little earner.

Actually, let me expand on that, I'll do a pasty run for the support crew and driver as long as I can get a high via jacket and a track access pass to take proper photos in the depot at St. blazey!!!

 

On Second thoughts, I am staying up here

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-33775958

 

How did I miss that?! Looks like I won't be taking the dog to the beach tonight then...

 

It seems we do now...



And several more of various attempts to start by the same Youtube user. I've only had a quick look at the first one so far, the quality looks a tad suspect, but better than nothing, perhaps.

 

I wish CanPac were returning to the mainline rather than to just chuffing up the bank from Alton. I have fond memories of some great runs back then.

 

The video of attempt 3 is a little alarming as she slips in reverse.

 

Danny, I am not prepared to start a debate on WCR..there was enough prejudice rubbish and bile frothing from many mouths on this forum earlier this year.

Needless to say, as with any other TOC, a driver is not rostered to drive a locomotive for which he is not familiar, nor asked to drive a route which he does not personally 'sign' without a conductor.

 

Unfortunately in 1985 GW engines had quite a bit of bother on the route.