Torbay Express 2015

The crew pulled away from Weston-Super-Mare rather slowly knowing that at Uphill Jct
they would have to stop for a Bristol to Plymouth cross-country unit. <BJ>

 

Many thanks for that.

 

He would have to be on drugs to do that, so lets call him Gatlin!

 

Right time over Whiteball on the return. Incredible acoustics!

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Nice pic on Whiteball. Can't see many heads out of the windows (apart from a couple in the BSK (support coach?). Are the on-train stewards still preventing people from standing by windows?

 

Points failure I believe.

 

Plenty out of windows on seawall!

 

I must have been lucky at Cullompton as the sun was feeling generous....and unusually I was the only one there!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/psrp/20832639121/

 

It was indeed a very entertaining start to the day as The Brit blasted Flax Bourton Summit at a little over 58. Can't remember besting that with 11 on.

 

Would have been a lot noisier and faster. We were just over the top of the mile and a half of 1 in 155 approaching the slackening of the grade at Tiverton Junction when we got a Double Amber followed by 2 single ambers. We'd caught the Paddington. Speed was only 27 passing mp 179 just past the junction station. The Brit climbed the rest of the bank superbly, starting the 2 1/4 miles of 1 in 115 at mp 176 1/4 at 49 and coming off it at 50, then passing the summit at 51 and diving into the tunnel at 55.

 

Not my best day with a camera but heres my video of the day..

 

More video from both morning (wet) and evening, 4 shots on Whiteball and sounded awesome at Worle.

 

The loco sounded superb passing Worle but 58 isn't a great speed at the summit of Flax Bourton. On 15/7/12 70000 with 11/396/421 entered F-B tunnel at 74 mph, the climb from MP128.75 having been completed in 3 min 56.55 seconds, just 2 seconds less than the fastest I have recorded which was with 60163 (also load 11).

 

I don't think it is the stewards behind this. I believe it is one of the conditions of running the trains with heritage rolling stock and some common sense too.

 

A bit jerky at times, but a lovely collection of a Brit making a wonderful noise. Always brings back superb memories of a timing a Brit on the 14.00 Glasgow in 1967 making a tremendous assault on Shap going South. For my Owls I've driven that route from Kent 17 times each way since April last year and some days I'm almost in tears thinking of that day in summer '67. Especially on my Southbound legs.,

Re jerky. Only a suggestion. But if you don't have a steady hand or a fluid head on the tripod maybe think about setting the tripod and camera up and just let the train run through the shot when that is possible.

PS. I love the last shot when a pan was needed to pick up those little ones waving to the train.

 

Wow. Steam in the West. It didn't run hot, slip and then stall or fail with a broken mud flap door. Neither did a steam cock stick open and I doubt the maximum speed will go into railways folklore as the most exaggerated and widely published error since Adam was supposed to have nicked an apple in the garden of Eden.

 

Why is that relevant? We were talking on the thread link about the outward journey from Bristol. Keep up.

 

Quite the contrast in weather conditions here. The first shot of the day, at Flax Bourton, then the last, at Yatton. Just finished editing yesterday's footage, will hopefully have the full 5 shots going live on YouTube at 5 o'clock

 

But this is the Torbay Express. TBEL have had a very good season.

Unfortunately there's only one more Torbay Express to go ......where did the summer go? <BJ>