Swanage Belle - 21st September

60009 booked to take the Belle to the seaside resort.

Times:
60009: Victoria - Swanage via Winchester
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50652/2017/09/21/advanced

Deisel: Swanage - Southampton, 60009: Southampton - Victoria via Andover
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50653/2017/09/21/advanced

Weather unfortunately looking typically wet, but I guess that's what you get when you book on an out of season tour to the coast...

 

Lovely and sunny and warm in Swanage today!

 

It's not only the out of season tours that suffer from wet weather, some of the Torbay Expresses experienced heavy rain this summer. <BJ>

 

....and Steam Dreams once ran to Weymouth with 6233 in the days when some of their trans were marketed under the "Sunny South Express" rather than "Cathedrals Express". It ran in the summer period, but suffice it to say, the weather didn't live up to the train's name - it belted down all day.

Then in the summer 0f 2012, on one occasion, the Weymouth Seaside Express didn't make it due to flooding

 

Rain just stopped in Swanage as 60009 calls at Wareham to pick up the Swanage Railway conductor driver.
Currently around 3 minutes late but should recover that time en-route to Corfe Castle & Swanage.
Welcome to Union of South Africa's first visit to the Swanage Railway!

Update: Arrived at 13:57 - spot on time.

 

Twixt Addlestone & Byfleet Junctions, often the scene of a pathing stop but not this time

 

60009 arrives into a busy Swanage with many coming out to see the A4's first visit (?) to the line. Below are the GPS recordings and maps of the run down.



It was overall a rather leisurely run down except after Worting Jnc to just before Winchester where speed quickly rose to the high 70's with the driver making good use of the downhill grade. Speed peaking at 80.4mph with sustained 79/80mph running for a good while!

 

Nice to know it was in the 70s when seen passing Shawford and blessed with a little touch of Autumn in the leaves, but emerging in the gloom at Sway once the rain had set in! http://www.railwayimagesuk.com/PRES...INE-STEAM-ACTIVITY/2010s/Ex-LNER-STEAM-LOCOS/

 

And the return. Steam leg only from Southampton recorded

 

Tw0 shots from yesterday at Creech Steeple. Unassisted, the A4 sounded superb as she climbed the 1in78 away from the River Frome bridge. Not often you hear an A4 shout like that, but that was definitely what happened here!



James

 

What bit of kit did you use?

 

It's an app on my phone. Wouldn't say it's the most accurate as at the end of the day it's on a phone... but it certainly covers a lot of aspects