Christmas Cheshireman, 28th November

Ian has posted elsewhere he has been asked to provide a black stanier for Thursday and Saturday. Two loco's double(ish) coal, crews, wear and tear etc.

 

So another Welsh Marches train will be ruined by diesel "shoveage" just like 12th September.

 

That's a really odd decision by someone. As Ian himself pointed out recently in another thread, providing two locos has normally proved a very cost effective option for the tour promoter.
Will be even more strange if a second loco is required in any case. Shame for the customers hoping for pure steam.

 

45407 back on for this?

 

Black 5 on the tour.

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t15/t1128c.htm

 

Confirmed from RTC Steam both directions!

Hey a black 5 isn't too bad for my first trip out!

:O)

 

How many coaches are listed on your ticket letter? Is there any chance it is a short enough train for just steam haulage?

 

Tickets say 9 on... (presumably plus POB)

 

Plus kitchen car.

 

Probably a 47 on the back then. Ho Hum.

 

That's 11 including the POB and Kitchen Car then. Little chance of allowing it to run unassisted with the restart on the 1 in 106 onto 1 in 95 from Cwmbran, then the Abergavenny restart on the sharp right hander on the 1 in 85 steepening to 1 in 82 in half a mile.

 

Are they still calling it the Christmas Chesireman ?? Also, the word Christmas shouldn't be used for any tour in November !

 

Or one that goes nowhere near Cheshire!

 

Two fives is the optimal motive power for a steam hauled tour of this sort, has been the norm in similar circumstances, baffling why it isn't so this time.

 

Cost?

 

As the owner of said pair of fives has pointed out before, when it's all added up two steam instead of single plus diesel isn't much dearer and provides the exact product booked.

 

I agree that two Fives would make more sense. Maybe 44871 needs tweaking to comply with the latest ORR regulations before it can be driven by WCRC crews on the main line, although this is just a guess. However, could 45407 do this run unaided? I think it could. 44932 took a similar load from a standing start at Poole up the 1 in 60 of Parkstone Bank with no diesel assistance and only one minor slip in November 2010. Admittedly, 44871 came to grief at the same spot more recently, but the gradients on the Welsh Marches route quoted above are not as bad as either Parkstone or the 1 in 76 (or is it 1 in 78??) up to Harman's Cross on the Swanage Railway which again, 44932 took in its stride on that same train and the conditions at the time were far from ideal.

 

44932 has also took 11 coaches up Sapperton unaided !

 

Despite these feats, it has to be said that 44932 wasn't the most reliable member of the mainline fleet towards the end of its most recent spell in service.

As regards this trip, the stop at Abergavenny is probably the critical factor, so I'll be expecting a shove on that part of the trip, and maybe on the initial climb up Filton Bank to clear the section in reasonable time. The rest of it is reasonably standard fare and shouldn't tax it unduly. What happens on the day is another matter.

 

Rewind 24 hours and you were looking at the prospect of a diesel at the front and back.

Diesel 'shovage' is not good but ....... <BJ>