The Royal Duchy 2016

The loco change time is 0936 to 1000. Thought ten minutes was tight!! Pity about the Tiverton Loop stop so soon after a Taunton start. RTT outward timings below.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U55014/2016/08/07/advanced

The return timings posted don't show the loco coming off at Fairwater Yard as yet but it's obviously in the 50 mins from Norton Fitzwarren to Taunton.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U55015/2016/08/07/advanced

 

That's true. Thanks for the correction. <BJ>

 

Assuming to avoid the trail of HST's, Al. But quite a decent way to spend 50 odd minutes just sitting there with a simmering Duchess waiting. Better than sitting in a motorway queue !!!

 

What a way to kick off the Royal Duchy season, the Duchess!! And for anyone visiting South Devon, the sight of Tornado passing along the seawall at Dawlish at 11:29 and the Duchess at 11:51. Fantastic stuff. <BJ>

 

The weather forecast looks good too, sunny and warm!! I wish I still lived in the West Country. Just imagine the looks on those startled bathers as one steam trains passes, only to be followed 30 minutes later by another one. Amazing.

 

The reason for the Tivvy stop is that the only other place to water is Plat 6 at Exeter, and 6233 is banned due to gauging. Bishops Lydd to Plymouth with shunting etc. at Fairwater is too close to call. There are reasons for operational decisions which are not always plain to see. I have spent three solid days trying to make this one work. It was on and off twice yesterday, luckily we now have a positive. If sitting at Tivvy loop is unacceptable, catch a later train to Exeter and get on there! I can assure you that the planners at NR at MKC have absolutely bent over backwards this week to make this work. uninformed jibes are not particularly encouraging to those who have made the effort.

 

Ignoring all the nonsense above - personally I'm unbelievably happy about the level of effort you have put in, and I'm not even travelling on the train

Never in a million years did I think I would see 46233 working down here and I'm as excited as a kid at Christmas!

Who cares about the 1 hour stop when your on a steam hauled express with no diesel on the back, being hauled into sunny Cornwall

Try and avoid 'this rolls Royce isn't comfortable enough' please everyone !!

 

If one hour in Tiverton Loop is the deciding factor on whether we get see a Duchess in the South West, I think it's a small price to pay considering the long wait we've had to endure, to see this loco over this famous stretch of railway.

 

Thanks for this, @The Man . It's exactly the sort of informed comment that's desperately needed here. I know you and your colleagues have better things to do, but I'm sure there would be fewer "uninformed jibes" if we were better educated in the planning difficulties that you guys have to overcome to get the show on the road. It also helps to know when MKC has "bent over backwards". Sometimes, it looks like they go through the motions without caring whether charters get a good path or not. That's probably unfair, and we'd like to know the true picture.

As for the rest of us - when we see something like an hour-long loop stop and don't understand why it's done like that, all we need to do is rephrase the comment into a question. Who knows, we might get a helpful explanation...

 

And inevitably, as there is only as small number of us and an equally small number of planners at NR, other jobs get pushed back in the queue. Given the (lack of) availability of steam locos, at the moment, a lot of re-planning and diagramming has had to take place and that's not just for WCR jobs but DB also.

The 'business model', to which so many of the 'armchairs' love to refer, simply doesn't exist for steam charters- it's work above & beyond.

JS

 

From wsr.org.

''This is the first visit of a Coronation Class Pacific to the WSR''.

True Steve, but many years ago Duchess of Hamilton spent a prolonged holiday at the local Butlins holiday camp at Minehead. <BJ>

 

Taunton is a bit busy even on Sundays. There's a 1018 XC Plymouth; 1033 GW Penzance; 1015 TBX which might be steam hauled; 1057 GW Penzance; then there's the 1130 XC to Penzance following the Duchy.

 

Gone into planning mode big time.. Ive been hoping for something different on the Duchy so 6233 is amazing..
Weather looks set fair as well..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2651474?day=3

 

Pity someone had the bright idea to reduce Newton Abbott to three platforms in the 80's, a 4th plat or even through loop would have been mighty useful.

 

I can't imagine which one! ;-) Talk about biting off the hand that feeds you though...