West Somerset Steam Express 2016

A photo from this morning's run.

 

So who pays for the light engine move, is it in the ticket price?

 

I think 45699 might be out of gauge in the up direction on the B&H via Newbury hence why it has had to return via Bristol engine & POB. Full marks to the guys at West Coast and NR charter team for coming up with another short notice solution, which whilst not perfect, has at least allowed the train to run with 45699 on a route it has not done before. All down to shortage of available locomotives again I suppose.

The comparison with Vintage Trains is not really comparing like with like - VT sensibly stick to a small number of regular core routes usually with their own fleet and stay away from London termini, remember several VT tours were originally advertised for 46233 this year and they didn't happen.

 

Nice shot. Where did you take it ?

 

Not only that, the light engine will only be trundling back whereas, had it been on the train, it would have been speeding between 60 and 75mph. Weird indeed.

 

I find it very difficult indeed to congratulate anyone for failing to keep the network to spec.

 

I very much doubt that the non-standard gauging envelope of an ex LMS 5XP 4-6-0 forms part of the 'spec'.

 

A couple of alternative views taken at Fore Bridge just east of Little Bedwyn

Galatea - Black & White by Stephen Dance, on Flickr

Galatea - Colour by Stephen Dance, on Flickr

 

Accelerating away from a signal check just outside Westbury.

 

I took a few pix at Bishops Lydeard, but have only had time to put one on the internet :

IMGP4420. 45699 GALATEA on arrival at Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway. by Ron Fisher, on Flickr

 

Anyone who was a passenger on the train on here?

Care to comment on the trip from a passenger perspective?

How was the diesel return handled for passengers?

Robin

 

A brief video clip at Fore Bridge and then Galatea working back to Southall light engine later in the day at Bourton

 

It was taken just outside Great Cheverell

 

Nothing non standard about it, The loco is to gauge.

 

from the time open access was allowed any reduction in gauge size was really an exclusion by stealth by network rail who should be taken to task over it !

 

The point is that all steam locos on NR infrastructure are gauged as specials (as an 'out of gauge' load) and are not part of standard Locomotive Gauge. The loco has to have a 'Rolling Stock/Infrastructure Compatibility Certificate' and clearance over the required routes via the steam locomotive gauging process.

 

Delayed leaving Taunton for a few mins to let a late running HST pass.

GWR staff appeared to have the same lack of timeliness that Gerald Fiennes was frustrated by nearly 70 years ago......

"Sir, we do not blow our whistles at passengers from (insert station name here)!"

 

This was true when I managed Bristol Temple Meads in the late 80's. The north-east to south-west services were booked 10 minutes for Royal Mail to unload or load mail. On my first day watching what the station got up to, one such service rolled in 8 minutes late in the middle of the day. A couple of minutes was sufficient for the necessary platform duties and no-one from Royal Mail appeared.....

And the staff let it sit there and depart 8 minutes late.

On my enquiry as to why, the answer was 'it's got to have its time, boss!'

We had some watch and whistle practice, and things started to improve, amid a fair bit of grumbling about 'Southern' ways of doing things....

Robin

 

The loco adheres to gauge, is known to adhere to gauge and doesn't change year by year. NR can't say the same about the permanent way. Still you seem to be prepared to defend that situation so I'll leave it at that.