CME - 2019

Since RTC have asked nicely, we will allow it down there just for a few weeks, but your sarthen drivers will not be allowed out on their own.

 

Got stuck there in my Golf GTI some years ago

 

I'm one who would have walked away; and having seen the amount of shoveage on the webcams and the footage online wouldn't have regretted the decision for a moment. Working that hard on the long drag the Class 47 wasn't leaving much for the Jubilee to lift weight wise. More like the steam engine taking its own weight.

I'm rather concerned at OTW's comment that I assume he verified: 'So, there was a diesel on the back ...... its purpose was to provide heat'.

We've not had diesels providing ETH in previous years with the same stock on WCMEs. The steam heat usually works. Hope last week doesn't mean there's a problem with the stock's steam heating as we're booked on the next 3!! There won't be a diesel on the back from Euston so we won't know if a diesel is going to be attached until Carnforth U&DGL. Costs close to £80 for the two of us to get back from Carlisle to Crewe.

Perhaps Mr Shuttleworth will be kind enough to tell us what the position is with regards to heating the trains?

 

Thanks Henry, yes so it seems

 

I can understand your frustration as one who likes his steam to be pure but this is how I saw the situation.

1 The 47 was needed to take the ECS to and from Man Vic (not the case with the Euston WCMEs) leaving it on the back avoided LE paths.

2 On several trips steam heating often seems unreliable, for whatever reason, in one or more coaches - as was the case on The Citadel when fortunately an empty coach with working heating was available and passengers transferred. Where you and me (possibly) would put up with a cold carriage, Joe Public probably wouldn’t be too enamoured.

3 The train was heated by ETH, very effectively, except for the Bolton - Hellifield leg when the 47 was pilot. On this leg in my coach, H there was no steam heat.

4 I spoke to one of the drivers on this trip about the diesel taking its own weight. He said that the approach on inclines is that the diesel controller would be set to minimum and that he didn’t want the diesel to push as that spoilt his fun.

5 I am unable to assess how hard a diesel is pushing by anything I can see or hear. I can understand that the diesel will have to provide some power to heat the train and to lift itself up the hill. The ETH for a mk1 coach is 22kW. For 10 coaches that is 220kW or 295HP (if the motor generator is 90% efficient this increases to 327HP - this has to come from the diesel engine). I did some calculations of the HP required to lift a 120T loco up an incline based on actual trips. Up 1/125 @ 48mph requires 275HP and up 1/100 @ 40mph requires 286HP, if you take into account the various inherent losses in the electrical systems, mechanical windage, friction etc the Diesel engine has to provide more. So around 600HP has to be produced by the engine, there will be noise, there will be exhaust. It always seems that even at minimum setting the diesel loco produces more power than is required, I based my assessment that Leander was hauling the equivalent of 8/9 coaches on a run I did a few years ago with Galatea (not yet at her best) with 9 coaches - the speeds on the Long Drag and south over Shap were very similar.

If that was the noise a steam loco makes when taking its own weight I’d like to hear one working. So fingers crossed for Saturday.

 

I've been on a Heritage train or two in the past and like others occasionally found some carriages had a problem. They do their best to fix problems but it's nothing new I would guess and the heritage aspect means the equipment is getting older and is what appeals to us. If they make operational decisions then I for one accept it's for a good reason.

 

Any body hopeful of a double header on Saturday ?

 

It's a good chance for Mayflower to have a mainline test run without getting unnecessarily stressed. Two birds etc...

 

With this saturday's WCME train im certainly hoping that we do have 35018 British India Line & 61306 Mayflower double heading. I know it does say it will happen on the RTC website but it depends on if the B1 is operationaly ready and although it looks like the engine went out without any issues arrising on the loaded test run it could be an entirely different story behind closed doors. James Shuttleworth do you have any update on this as the story can always differ from what is being advertised.

 

Im gonna be onboard tomorrows tour so im certainly hoping we do get the sight of a B1 & Merchant Navy double heading, will certainly be one way to kick off 2019.

 

Both were being prepared at Cfth.

JS

 

Great to hear that the B1 will be going out with BIL, the funny thing is James the other day after id filmed Mayflower in Preston on her loaded test run I was chatting to my dad and he talked about when he rode behind Mayflower on a trip to Scarborough back in the 1970's/80's and I said to him id love to tick off a run behind her one day but the issue always has been where she's based. And it certainly looks like someone heard my wish and iv got a surprise late 25th birthday present (turned 25 on the 13th Jan).

Here's the video I took from the loaded test run the other day.


Hopefully see you on the saturday.

D Moyle

 

Well done you! I’m also treating it as a surprise 25th birthday present to myself (if somewhat belated)!

 

Better late than never...after experiencing numerous incidents in the last week of last Saturday's efforts not uploading properly I have finally managed to get one to work (after using a slightly more...primitive editor). Anyway, here is footage of 45690 last Saturday firstly being dragged by 47772 at Hoghton then on the return leg in the rain at Plumpton and Shap Village.



Here's hoping that the issue doesn't persist with tomorrow's video...

 

Here in the NW the day has dawned bright and clear but very cold. Forecast for today appears to be wall to wall sunshine with some partial cloud on Shap around lunchtime. Temperatures at best a couple of degrees above zero with the windchill -4 on Shap - hope the steam heating is working!

 

Do we know if Mayflower will be leading or is BIL?

 

Hopefully the sun and wind allow for something even better than this sight back in 2013.