Dorset Coast Expresses 2015

Is that, is that not "recent"?

 

So being realistic it is due to rain heavily in Dorset tomorrow then fair up again That might dampen things but all the dead grass, litter and old leaves will have dried by the time the DCE arrives here on Wednesday afternoon. No idea of the state of the N Forest but going full bore with the expected A4 (more than able to take the load with the diesel idling) after the tour crosses Holes Bay and hits the patches of heathland between there and Moreton is a risk with Dorset having been predominantly dry recently. Fire on the last trip too apparently.

If they play safe and there is no lineside fire the locals cheer, go flat out and take a gamble the enthusiasts cheer.

If it was your call either at WCR or NR which call would you make?


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Been working around Bournemouth today and it's basically been light drizzle or heavy rain all day so the ground should have had a decent soaking although the forecast is due to be sunny and warm again tomorrow. Hopefully todays rain has had some effect!

 

60009 sat outside Southall this morning (quite a difficult shot at 125mph)

 

Sounds as though it's the B1 again...

60009 reportedly out of gauge at Wool. Can anyone confirm?

James

 

Works have been done at Wool in the level crossing area since the last A4 ran to Weymouth so it is plausible that changes would prevent 60009 running.


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'Mayflower' it is - missed a shot of it when I hopped off at Clapham Junction by a second or so as it was 'bowled' by two other trains! All I could see was the smoke, but snapped a shot through two trains' worth of windows and could just make out the name plate! Not quite so disappointed to have missed the shot as I would have been with 60009.

 

So everyone has known for 5 days that the A4 is rostered for doing this trip, The A4 comes down to do this trip, and then suddenly 12 hours before its due to run it wont ruddy fit? You can't make some of this crap up.

Full marks AGAIN to the Mayflower crew for getting it ready and a fire in its belly, but how the hell did they do this so quickly - unless of course it was known some time back that the A4 was a non starter.

 

Seems a tad late to realise that!

 

Yep. Nice trip to Winchfield, only to find out it's 'flower again. It was very noisy leaving....but it had noisy company too.
Nice loco but a shame about the A4. Top quality planning.

 

Adding a bit of colour to a dull grey Brentford

 

Surely they knew at least 2 days before as they had to get 61306 in steam and an FTR done before this morning


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Next scheduled run is Bristol - Par and back on Sunday.

 

Well, last night I poured over the route, did lots of timings, and made plans to catch the A4 at three locations on the down and three locations on the up. Whole plan went to pot at the first weypoint, Brookwood, when I found out the A4 was scratched, and decided not to bother with the rest. However, to be fair, the B1 has put on a bit of a cracking show here.

 

Then the West Somerset Steam Express on the 22/8/15.

 

Probably not WCRC's fault on this occasion but NR. WCRC would have expected an A4 to get to Weymouth given Bitterne has been down regularly on the DCE in recent years. Quite likely they also had to get the A4 south in an available window of opportunity but whilst NR were rerunning concurrently what ever they do to validate gauging only for WCRC to be then told of changes at Wool that stop 60009 running the job.

One has to ask why the line is now out of gauge at Wool given the money spent recently by Network Rail on infrastructure alterations and re-signalling of this stretch of line through Dorset which should have improved things for all three of the TOC*s running regularly over this route rather than having apparently made them worse.

*(SWT, the sand trains(TOC?) and WCRC)

 

Significant diesel assistance, and from the speed on that load I suspect for quite some way up the climb from Woking. But full marks to the crew on the B1 for using a good dose of regulator too!

So a very nice and noisy sequence. Goes to show that a diesel on the back can still see good sections for steam gricers, only spoiling it for us timers who in any case know that train will have a diesel on the rear and can avoid booking on it.

 

Also agree, another excellent video. An earlier poster explained why the B1 has to be pushed uphill on this loading in comments on one of last week's return leg videos. Basically although the 2nd loco is pushing at the back the load requires the equivalent of double heading, the B1 alone would be too weak.


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