Steam Dreams 2019 - New Summer and other tours

The tour started 15 late anyway and has maintained that more or less since. My previous comment was no harsher than your assumption that something was seriously wrong with 6233.

Dave B

 

Thanks for that. Shame it wasn't given the fast from Woking - there was a Salisbury about 6 mins behind which wouldn't have been troubled. The crawl to Brookwood made the late train later still.
There were hopes that the 20th anniv. run might have had a little routeing help along the way!

 

I know this is only on on-line discussion forum, so much of what appears can simply be dismissed as personal opinions, but there are still plenty of examples of 'assumptions' being presented as 'facts'. I don't know why the train departed late from Victoria, nor do I know whether everything is as it should be with 6233 (hopefully it is). What I do know is the NR timings were based around the normal SWR timetable, not the emergency one in operation because of the guards' strike this month. So inevitably the charter timings 'don't work' in certain locations and the signaller will regulate accordingly. This is particularly significant west of Salisbury because of the single line, though with only a 2-hourly service currently there are less trains to hinder the progress of the steam charter. An on-time (or preferably a tad before) departure from Salisbury and smart running should mean crossing a SWR service at Gillingham; if the steam is late it will have to wait back in Tisbury Loop. On the return, apart from a down SWR service arriving at Sherborne at exactly the same time as the charter - should be fun - there is nothing else to cross, so 6233 should get the charter to Salisbury quite a bit earlier than booked.
FYI, there was no restriction on the B1 through Brookwood.

 

Seemed o.k. at FNB; it was past in a blink of an eye - should I say a click of about four shutters!

 

I see it seems to be RTC’s main loco for 2020 according to their brochure received yesterday. Pity a Bulleid isn’t available. Come back Tangmere all is forgiven. See the HR out Thursday

 

Slowed right down through Hook in spite of appearing to have a clear path. Assumed this might be in consideration of any people on the footbridge(?).
Slightly more animated later at a foggy Fleet.

 

Previous train, also on the fast, sped through. Just found that the bridge was empty.

 

35 mph restriction for 6233 on the Down Main through Hook.

 

Just checked on the SD website and the White Cliffs tour this Friday is to be diesel hauled.

 

Was it on the fast line by Hook, then? Glad all seems OK with the run, but must be a little disappointing as an anniversary outing. Of course, 6233 saved the day. The 'White Cliffs' on Friday being diesel is a pity - it's a shame that SD's 20th anniversary period has been hit by a few setbacks.

 

Wot, no pictures yet?! I'll try and get mine on the WWW later tonight or tomorrow but, in the meantime, here's one from a friend of mine:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/trains-travel/49233824661/in/photostream/

 

This is a video frame from Brookwood - at least the 10mph pass ensured no blurring in the dull weather! 6233's passing was followed immediately by the RHTT on yellows behind!

 

6 minutes would not have been enough even if 6233 had been running well. With Clan Line though a different matter

 

10mph through Brookwood and 35 mph through hook. Loco didn't slip much and it only did when it started to spit.

 

I wonder why 'Clan Line' would have been significantly faster than 6233, when the latter is more powerful and both are limited 75mph? Looking back at my video, I also wonder why 6233 was eased to such a low speed so far before Brookwood (by about a mile out it looked like it was down to 20ish) rather than a sharper braking later, given that it was already well late. There will have been good reason, no doubt.