Cath Ex - Flying Scotsman - 21/05/16

Wednesday is an evening trip around the Belmond Pullman route with only a return time to Clapham Junction given on the SD site.

(Post edited after infringement of rule on here about timings)

 

Cheers for the ..... I see that our mini tour isn't on rtt yet & I see they're not leaving the stock in the platform at Sal, even though it'll be back there ;-)

 

My cousin just seen it go through Maidenhead. "Really impressive".
Assume there is a diesel on back to drag it into Salisbury from Laverstock N Jn later?

 

Sorry for breaking the rules, both departure and arrival times were shown on there when I looked on Monday. I assume they have taken it off now the train is fully booked as only the passengers need to know when it's leaving

 

The very fact they are not publishing times will make it worse as people will (a) those who will trespass will just trespass for longer (b) block roads longer and (c) get pissed off with the steam movement which may back fire elsewhere.


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Now you are talking common sense, if you ever want a career with NR I'm afraid that has just disqualified you.

 

I'm a bit confused, is there or isn't there a box?

 

Class 47 on the rear shoving when she just passed through Theale.

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Bonus this morning - they pathed her on the fast out of Pad - flew through Iver - most definitely on the hurry up to make up a late departure!

 

12 late Paddington Right time Reading. Not bad for a 50 year old class 47!

 

Everyone on a station just before Newbury seemed very well informed about timings - they weren't there by accident!

 

The box was doing nothing.

Here's the proof flying along the down fast!

 

Iver was empty - there were about four of us, including @mrKnowwun , a few of the orange army, and a rather bemused GWR guy, there for crowd control!

 

At Twyford station this morning, families with children thronged the platforms with barely a trainspotter in sight. They managed to get the timings and yet there are those dedicated steam enthusiasts who are clearly struggling to get times.

The atmosphere was superb. I advised passengers waiting on the down main platform 1, that FS was booked on the down slow platform 3 and that it was best for them to go there for a better view. Then, we were told that the signallers had switched 1Z60 to the down main and so everyone raced back to platform 1 and just 1 minute down at 0925, Flying Scotsman raced through at was must surely have been 75+mph. What made it even more remarkable was that the signaller relegated a down 125mph HST to the slow line just after FS had stormed through on the fast. Now, that really was the icing on the cake! Here is my brief clip (it was brief because of FS speed)!!

THE LOOKS OF ANTICIPATION AND AMAZEMENT FROM PARENTS AND KIDS ALIKE AS SHE RACED THROUGH WAS A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT!

 

What a lovely piece of film, the look of pleasure on the kids faces as she came through is what its all about, inspiring future generations to take an interest in these beautiful machines.

 

All behind the yellow line except one?

 

Amazing really that they weren't all on the opposite platform where they would have got a much better view

 

Looking good at Southcote Junction earlier!

 

A quick and inevitably imprecise analysis of the film shows the coaches to pass in 7 seconds which given their length is consistent with the 75 MPH speed limit. I wonder how many parents would encourage their children to stand that close to motorway traffic?

Whilst the reactions and enthusiasm gives hope for future generations love for steam it is easy to see why industry insiders worry about the risks. If they had been on the opposite platform would it have been behind the fence or with their backs to approaching trains? I'm not familiar with Twyford (although somebody mentions Maidenhead in the film but it is perhaps surprising that platform access was allowed - it isn't at many such locations where there aren't scheduled stopping services.

 

It looks like a dmu might have spoiled that view.