RTC - BIL to Weymouth 6 & 9/07/19

Couldn't be in better hands. Ex Nine Elms engineman. Of Tangmere on Upwey fame. ''O horse up a hill perpendicular''. (Richard 11 from memory). How long since he has driven a Merchant Navy?

 

........... If you lot darn sarf break it...............us Northerners will invade and reclaim it by force.

 

It's not yours - it's ours! We southerners are about to barricade Southall (note the first part of this name) and keep it back where it belongs . . . .

 

Hang on, hang on, play the long term game, let them have it back, and next year, they might let her come down for a slightly longer holiday I can think of a few holiday designations for her to visit, Sheffield Park , Swanage , Alresford .Canterbury Hastings,

 

The MNLPS have a rather nice picture of BIL on Yeovil Junction turntable on their FaceAche page, snapped by @KristianGWR of this parish, I think:

 

'tis indeed one of mine

 

Possibly 22/12/2010 - the famous occasion when Clan Line did the Steam Dreams Christmas White Cliffs trip (double headed with a Black 5 I think).

http://svsfilm.com/nineelms/35028pr.htm

 

She looks great, one thing caught my eye a someone who doesn't tend to watch many videos shot on Southern metals, the track seems to be bloody uneven, in most of the video's shes is bucking about a lot!

 

A great effort to get back to Victoria only 13L after the shambles earlier on. I don't know what happened at Weymouth because I wasn't there, but I was at Bournemouth. That was chaotic, and involved a mixture of slack operating and poor information practices put in place by SWT/SWR.

The Cross Country working from Manchester arrived a few minutes late and was put into p2. When it arrived, it already had the signal to middle sidings. However, it sat at the platform for nearly a quarter of an hour before eventually moving to the sidings. All this time, 'BIL' was stuck outside with neither through road available, making an already severely late train even later.

This is where the poor information element comes in - the platform train indicator was already showing the first train at p2 as for Birmingham New St., and as being "due". The train's external screens also showed Birmingham. Consequently, various groups of passengers boarded the train and had to be de-trained by staff. This happened several times because they were led to believe by the term "due" that their train was going to leave, despite scheduled departure being a way off. SWR indicators use this stupid term widely now - trains are described as "due" when their departure time is tens of minutes off! It is yet another example of the railway dispensing with tried and tested means of providing information and using useless ones instead (stations are now also described as "calling points" by SWR - two words where one (accurate) one was well-known by all!!).

Despite the modern railway doing its best to thwart things, credit to all concerned in the effort to turn an unfolding mess into a minor delay at destination.

 

It says a lot about the great British public that they could think that, in 2019, a 70 year old Steam locomotive on a train of 1950s vintage coaches could possibly be their service to Birmingham.

 

Then again the public don't know what sort of things are allowed (whacky as they would be to most of us) or can still happen sometimes. It's only 14-15 years since the last big volumes of Mk1 based vehicles disappeared off the mainline (although Lymington Pier had a heritage EMU of similar style until much more recently). Mk1 loco hauled stock only finished on service trains in the early part of this century albeit being restricted to very few routes and sometimes mixed with pressure vent mk2s. Saw Mk1 buffets in scratch mk2 rakes subbing for HST's between Penzance and London until the turn of the century also. The last full rake of mk1s on a timetabled service train I travelled on was late 90s on a late afternoon Sunday Hereford to Paddington vice HST formed of a full mk1 railtour set albeit with a 1960s diesel and not steam!

Recall having a few stranded or "left waiting by late trains" passengers rescued especially off smaller stations over the years via heritage mk1/mk2 railtour stock albeit diesels in most cases. If they had tickets those were accepted between the stations concerned or a suitable sensible ticket sold as appropriate.

Even more relevant if its overseas passengers even less familiar with the modern day network and what could/couldn't be reality.

 

Has that been activated , or is BIL staying down here a couple of days longer?

 

Path showing for tomorrow http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U55358/2019/07/11/advanced

 

So great videos people, nice to see Pete Roberts getting a go on BIL too. Certainly seems as though she's had a good couple of runs back on home territory! Lets hope the crew on Clan Line tonight get on the whistle as they fly through Southall this evening.

 

No - it was the XC Voyager which sat in the platform and which was re-boarded, when it should have long departed for the sidings, along with the indicator saying its return working to Birmingham was "due".

 

I thought people would like to see a couple of photographs of Merchant Navy Class 35018 'BRITISH INDIA LINE' at London Victoria Station before she ventured out with "The End of Southern Steam" trip to Weymouth.
The first image was taken when 47245 was hauling the train into position on to Platform 2.
The second image was taken after the red light had been removed and replaced with the powerful head light lamp. Also by now the crowds had been let through the platform barriers to firstly admire the locomotive and then board the train.
If you are wondering how I was on the end of the platform, with one other enthusiast for company, when the empty train arrived from Souhall, it was because I had been at the station since 06:10hrs after travelling up from Plymouth on the "Cornish Night Riviera" to be on the tour.
In my opinion the poorly placed Company headboard spoilt the look of the locomotive and would have been better "placed" on top of the coal in the tender.

 

A few from yesterday's excellent trip despite the operating issues.
Looking west at Salisbury as the loco must have done may times before.
Passing Jersey Sidings light engine 16 late from Yeovil Junction. Lateness due to the usual issues on the single track line down from Pen Mill.
Water stop at Brookwood as the light finally fades
in the west.
Victoria just after 2330
And finally the piece of NR kit that was kind enough to derail on the Brighton side (not the Chatham) at Victoria and hence did not wreck the day before it even started.

 

I recall an incident in the late 90s (I think) when 73096 and its SD train were 'commandeered' to stop at some intermediate stations on the Weymouth line as the service electric had been cancelled. Passengers were then invited to board a steam train with green coaches for their short journeys! However, as I mentioned, this was a Voyager that was being repeatedly boarded when it was supposed to be ECS.

 

My footage of BIL's two tours. Filmed at Mottisfont & Dunbridge, Palestine Bridge and Lenthay Road Crossing. I hope you enjoy it!