'Scots Guardsman' to Weymouth. 19/07/2016

Not really - just saw it at Esher. Reason for early running was obvious. Let's just say whoever was on the diesel was keen to get home before the pubs shut (can't blame him in this heat)

 

46115 making a fine sight at Winchfield this evening:

 

He was dog training in Oxfordshire today, in 37c heat.

 

Filmed at St. Denys, Moreton and Upwey:

 

I went to Fleet Station this evening, but it was in deep shadow so not ideal. Anyway, with the aid if a bit of tinkering I managed to get something as a record of the occasion. Three shots are now on Flickr and this is the first one in the Photostream :

RD13405. 46115 at Fleet. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

@Southofthethames, that was you on the end of Platform 4 then?
Here are a few of mine from P5 (so I'm not shooting into the sun.


LMS Royal Scot Class 46115 - Scots Guardsman by Tim White, on Flickr


LMS Royal Scot Class 46115 - Scots Guardsman by Tim White, on Flickr


LMS Royal Scot Class 46115 - Scots Guardsman by Tim White, on Flickr


LMS Royal Scot Class 46115 - Scots Guardsman by Tim White, on Flickr


LMS Royal Scot Class 46115 - Scots Guardsman by Tim White, on Flickr


LMS Royal Scot Class 46115 - Scots Guardsman by Tim White, on Flickr

 

Good shots. Looks like 46115 was working harder than I had expected at CJ. I imagine the passengers on the 455 behind may have appreciated the effort to clear the section!

 

As promised, snatched shots whilst I bled (a little)

 

My brother and I were regular steam mainline boys up to the time diesels became more a standard part of these tours. Even if they were switched out, there was always the feeling that they would be used without anyone on the train knowing, especially away from station stops, which after all, is when a steam engine is often at its noisiest. Racing back to Waterloo up the mainline in the dark used to be a thrill because you knew the steamer was doing the work. But we are now in a different place. Yes, I agree with your comment that the driver probably wanted to get home in the heat and an almighty shove was given. But is that really the spirit of mainline steam? For us, the magic has gone. We lineside every now and again and I post videos on here.

For us, it is back to OO where we can dictate what pulls our trains!!

 

Swapping diesel power for electric I see?

 

Indeed.

On the outbound run 46115 sounded as though it was putting in a good effort (with the amount of diesel 'shovage' limited to the exit of Victoria and the climb up to the Windsor Lines) up till the water stop at Winchfield. Here we was delayed getting into the station by a late running SWT service which in turn meant we ended up holding up another SWT service and demanded the diesel help get us going ASAP. It was a similar story at Basingstoke where the diesel was used to get us up to cursing speed.

Approaching Eastleigh we were held in a loop for a number or service trains to pass - with diesel shovage to get us moving again. Our departure from Southampton again featured major diesel action as did the start away from the water stop at Beaulieu Road - perhaps not surprisingly as apparently NR had instructed the steam crew to take things easily across the New Forrest (and other high fire risk areas).

Approaching Bournemouth it was obvious things were not going well for NR with a major signalling fault at Poole screwing franchised services - so more 'shovage' was the order of the day from the various signal checks - despite which we still arrived in Weymouth around 30 minutes late.

Heading back from Weymouth, the 46115 was on the back so it would have to wait until the departure from Southampton (via Romsey & Andover) before it could make its presence known. Alas it was a case of more 'shovage from the rear' whenever acceleration was needed right the way back to Waterloo.

So not a lot of true 'Steam Power' on display for the entire trip - however this needs to be balanced against a exceedingly hot day for the steam crew and some serious infrastructure issues which made using the diesel an attractive / necessary option more than would have otherwise been the case.

Had the temperatures been 10 degrees C cooler then I feel it could have been a different story on the return leg.

 

How would you estimate the mix of "enthusiasts" versus "Jo Public". I have lost touch a bit. From what I understand there is far less "standard" accommodation that was once the case 10 years or so ago. And so maybe the majority of the passengers don't care about being shoved around the countryside?

 

I made a point on another thread a while back that is worth repeating here.:- why are Weymouth and Swanage only considered suitable destinations for steam during the summer season? If the passengers consisted largely of families with young children or people armed with swimsuits wanting a quick dip in the sea before the return trip, I could see some sense in running this train and RTC's Dorset Coast Expresses in July and August.

My experience, however, is that many passengers are either having a special day out, taking a day off work or are retired. In which case, why not run these trains in the spring or autumn when there shouldn't be a fire risk in the New Forest? Such attractions as Corfe Castle or Weymouth's Nothe fort would be open then. You could probably even buy an ice cream too!

Obviously, if SD and RTC can fill their trains in the summer with people who don't mind the diesel shovage, I have no issue with this as they obviously need to earn their living, but I wish someone would test the market for the original Mk1 version of the DCE/Swanage Belle (i.e., with no diesel and a different steam loco in each direction) but running in, say, March or April. For all the market research the tour operators undertake, I find it hard to believe that about 7 or 8 trains can be filled each winter/early spring running some 600 miles from London to Carlisle and back with probably less than 50% of the mileage being behind steam while at the same time there is seemingly no market for even one 100% steam train on the Bournemouth line at that time of the year.

Springtime is also a more pleasant time for those of us who like to take our wives. I recall going to Oxford behind 6233 on a very hot day a few years ago. While for me, the thunderous ascent of Gomshall Bank and some very fast running between Wokingham and North Camp are my abiding meomories, my better half remembers that day primarily for the extreme temperature in the carriage!

Perhaps if 35018 is ready and run in by Christmas, early 2017 would be the ideal time to give my suggestion a try? Oh, and could we have 46115 back down here as the second engine, please?

 

Your wife should do as I did at the West Somerset Railway on Tuesday when it was scorching hot. Tell her to stand in the vestibule and open the window. She could then enjoy the cool breeze, the beautiful scenery and the sound of the locomotive hard at work ......oh, silly me. <BJ>

 

This could also be achieved if there was an available path from Victoria/Waterloo; if the second engine is put on at Yeovil Junction, you'd also get a fairly rare steam foray on the chord to Pen Mill. But if the westward paths aren't available, then they aren't available.