UKR Medway Pullman - 26/11/22

Four R1s were used on the heaviest trains. A friend told me he had seen one train triple headed with two bankers

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Cannot remember the load, but 80079 & 80080, 1994.

 

Tangmere is now at Southall so all looks good for this tour now

 

That pair stuck on the bank as well. There was some drizzle and they only made it part way up on one trip. The train returned to the harbour but the driving wheels on the top end loco were not rotating as it was dragged back into the station

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Wow; for once the term 'being dragged' was accurate! Surely then that was the end of proceedings - I can't see a seized loco being repaired in situ?

 

There's been a slight change to the route. UKRT website now says:

"In a change to our earlier advertised route due to engineering works we now undertake a reversal via the ‘Toomer Loop’ up to Rochester where we reverse once again this time with Rochester Castle and Cathedral now on the left-hand side. A stiff climb up the North Downs awaits Tangmere as we pass under the M2 motorway, climbing up Sole Street bank on our return to London passing through Swanley, entering the London conurbations at Bromley South. From here it’s a short run via Beckenham Junction, Penge tunnel regaining our original route at Herne Hill."

Still says Tangmere's on it though so...hopeful?

 

Could be, but updating web sites with potential motive power changes is not a forte of many operators. BTW, I think this change appeared on their site quite a while back now. Also, I thought it was an odd choice of word to say "conurbations" (plural) - there's only one conurbation, and 'suburbs' would have been fine.

 

I assume these are the timings for it
Realtime Trains | 1Z80 1131 London Victoria to Tonbridge P O Sidings | 26/11/2022
Realtime Trains | 1Z81 1345 Tonbridge P O Sidings to London Victoria | 26/11/2022

 

Yes, and one of the few trains to run that day!

 

Email received

 

Yes also got that but has Tangmere come south yet?

 

Came south last week

 

You'll get lots of Class 67 noises - what's not to like?

 

Not seized I am sure the brakes were dragging and it was drizzling so the driving wheels slid on the wet rails. Water is a fairly good lubricant.

It was not long before they had another try. The accerated well before the gradient commenced. The driver of the banking engine was leaning out of the cab with his cap pulled well down to ward off the drizzle and a fag in his mouth. Oh for a digital camera to capture the image

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RTC shows the same 11:31 departure time as confirmed by UKRT, but the ECS times haven't been updated: they show the ECS arriving at 11:43.

 

No you won't.

JS

 

ECS arrives at 1028 https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66402/2022-11-26/detailed

I don't know if it is an assumption I've made but I hadn't noticed before that the operator is West Coast not DB.

Andrew

 

The original timings were DB but now they've changed to West Coast! I guess that somewhat confirms Tangmere will be on it (bar the usual FTR exam etc) but I wonder why DB can't operate it? Did West Coast prefer to operate the loco?