Heaviest consist in preservation

Does this qualify?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-31010111

Heritage aspect?
One out base is the turning triangle on the WSR were the spent ballast is offlosded.

 

Up to this year the Weardale Railway County Durham operated 11-coach trains at Christmas, on scheduled services, rather than as one-offs. To make it more interesting there was a 'dead' 31 at the bottom end (which had hauled the train the other way), so the total weight was 33tonsx11 = 363tons and another 107tons for the engine making 470 tons. Two 31s working in multiple were used to make the return journey as it's mostly uphill and there are grades of up to 1in90 (with a couple of double bends thrown in for good measure).
The 'downhill' driver actually had the hardest job as his loco was also providing ETS for the coaches and he had the extra loco to pull (ie 577 tons in total). The short grade out of Stanhope could be quite interesting....................

 

11 coaches? That's a lot of santa-seekers. Was it profitable?

 

35006 with the 14 coach and 9f at the gwsr in 2016. Something in the 600-615 ton range. The 9 Had pulled the train In the southerly direction and that sounded rather good too! Think the welsh coal had got properly hot by then...

 

It would have been pretty silly to do it and then to repeat the exercise over a five-week period for five years
if it wasn't profitable!

 

Well, given the issues with the ownership of the railway, it's not an entirely silly question is it?

Moreover, anyone can run a train and take money. Know if that is the most profitable way of doing it is the point. My surprise was that you could get 11-coaches of santafans there for a number of services, when you are in a fairly thinly-populated area. Was it full? shifting fresh air about costs money

 

It was run under the auspices of the Polar express and like most services of this type was extremely popular.

 

Way back I am sure there was a 24 coach ECS working on the NYMR from Pickering to Goathland at least.
@Steve do you know any more?

 

Well it is really - as the recent change of ownership was due to the parent company in Chicago going into administration which in turn led to the sale of the UK assets, rather than issues with the Weardale itself. Clearly you didn't follow the introduction to the UK of the 'Polar Express' franchise which was pioneered at Weardale (and then sister company Dartmoor). I believe 52,000 passengers were being carried each Xmas at its height with peak days moving over 2,000. It was very profitable.

 

So, provided I know a lot about the corporate history of the railway and the economic details of a specific operation it's a silly question?

The last sentence is more interesting and impressive, thank you.

 

I've heard tale of this but I think it is without substance. I doubt that there were 24 coaches on the line when it was supposed to have happened. It may well be a 'fishermans tale' version of the occasion when D5032 took 14 coaches on the 15.20 from Pickering on the 9th April 1982 a photo of which appeared in the Summer 1983 edition of Moors Line (which is reproduced here.) This was a service train and not an ECS. Not sure how the train was assembled at Pickering and disposed of at Grosmont as the maximum that could be accommodated at either end was a lot less than this.

 

Didn't Vera take 10 up the bank too? or is that a "fishermans tale" too?

 

I always feel in this sort of discussion that "heaviest load" needs a bit of qualification with "what motive power, what gradient and for how long?" Stroudley Terrier "Fenchurch" apparently moved loads of up to 800 tons at Newhaven Harbour (which might have been interesting from a braking point of view!)

I think the Adams B4 "Normandy" went to Southampton Dock for an open day in the 1990s and ended up shunting 12+ carriages around the harbour; all in a day's work for that loco.

The heaviest I have personally been on was about 420 tons tare behind the S15. That was a connecting train for an incoming charter, and consisted of 8 carriages, plus "Braunton" on the back but not working (they needed to save water for the mainline return and arranged to be towed back to Kingscote, and indeed on to East Croydon, before reversing and hauling the train back to Alton, with no water stop). Gradients mostly 1 in 75 with some sections of 1 in 60 - not NYMR territory, but not GCR either. Some while later, I believe the S15 took 11 carriages plus a class 47 all the way to East Grinstead (peaking at 1 in 55); the 47 was apparently idling but I wasn't there.

Generally, our platform lengths restrict trains to 6 carriages, so only about 220 tons tare max. Anything longer can be handled, but require special operation conditions so isn't done very often. I've had 8 carriages / about 280 tons tare behind both Flying Scotsman and the S15 on occasion; the S15 hardly noticed. I think on occasion at diesel galas we have run 12 coach trains, top and tailed (that is far too long to run round at East Grinstead), but I'm profoundly indifferent to matters of diesel performance.

Tom

 

I remember one wartime weekend when Eric (45428) failed at Newtondale Halt with a packed eight coach Pickering - Grosmont train. A regulator pin in the dome had sheared leaving the loco totally powerless. The S160, 2253, came to the rescue from Goathland and walked away effortlessly with the 400 ton plus load.

Peter

 

Seriously impressive, and for a Type 2 as well!

 

I can’t remember the date but sometime in either summer 1997/98. I think it might have one Sunday (again I think) 46521 took it’s service train, load 7/8 80079 and support coach, and 2968, from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth, @LMS2968 can you help? The Standard had come back from Railtour duty and 2968 came back from ‘Steam on the Met’ an very unusual consist and bloody heavy load for an Ivatt 2! (If it was the Ivatt!)

 

I'm quite pleased how this took off, there's some proper tales of derring-do in here. I'd argue that hauling something 'reet 'eavy' up something pretty steep is the only way some of the bigger locos, steam and diesel, will be able to flex their muscles considering we're limited on the speed front.

 

Foremarke Hall on the same load !

 

6023 on load 12 and a dead class 25 on the PDSR a couple of years ago was pretty impressive too.

 

3x S160s taking up 10+ 2 class 33s at the CVR was very impressive