Great Britain XV: 15 - 23/4/23

Cheers Ian. The orangemen didn't, but a dogwalker in the field certainly got a surprise on her usual morning walk! 44932 is a 60mph loco.

 

I believe most Black 5s are now cleared for 65mph.

 

Yes it’s the diesel which does the damage. I have had a 5 with 13 on the 2pm Glasgow in 1966 and it did very well. I thought one of the reasons for the high cost of the GB trips was to pay for the extra DL paths to follow the train until really needed, in this case after NE

 

I cannot seriously believe that the cost of any diesel loco adds significantly to the overall cost of a nine day tour such as this. The whole operation is hugely costly anyway, as you would expect, and the extra cost of a strategic diesel in the mix is negliable in the grand scheme of things.

Peter

 

Never let the facts stand in the way of a good story Peter

 

Thanks
This was taken using a pole. Not at full height, but at about 5-6m

 

Couple of shots taken at Dawlish..

 

My take on it is--- start with the price in the Mark 1s of 2675. Knock off maybe 800 for the hotels and local coaches and you are left with around 250/day for the train trip (excluding the Aberdeen day) which compares with RTC's 185/day for Premier First.

That 30% premium has to cover---all the unimaginable bespoke planning ; all the LE movements and hiring costs (45596 this year) ; the away from base costs of the crews and support staff and yes the LE paths for the accompanying diesel, which, looking at the NR Control Period 6 tariff, is just a small proportion of that 30%.

Wish I was there, today looks like a really good day.

 

Typically wet day coming through Abergavenny. Not great but a snapshot off my mobile's video clip of Llanvihangel Summit. Decent climb and superb sound from the Jubilee with load 10.

 

I saw it up and back yesterday as it passed Taunton. Looked and sounded superb. But I was surprised at how message empty tables I saw as it passed. At least one coach seemed completely empty. I'm not sure it that means lack of custom or whether they keep lots of empty space for the passengers to move around.
Ian

 

Good to meet you both this morning. I was the guy stood next to you with the video camera and umbrella. [BJ]

 

Nice to chat and put a face to a fellow friend and part of the furniture. We really must get badges!! Good of you to have a gentle chat with the family with kids who turned up quite late. They were very good. Even the dog took notice and didn't bark!! We don't publish our recordings but birdsong in the country is OK but not kids shouting.

 

45596 0n the climb out of Shrewsbury this afternoon, Chester bound.





Cheerz,

Alan

 

Action from day two with a proper steam tight locomotive !

 

Here's my footage of 45596 Bahamas going solo over the Welsh Marches on Day 2 of The Great Britain XV. I filmed her on Filton and Llanvihangel Banks as well as Moreton on Lugg. The video also includes 4079 Pendennis Castle on the Severn Valley Railway yesterday. I hope you enjoy it.

 

Trespassers causing delays unfortunately.

 

Running down towards Shrewsbury...

 

That doesn’t surprise me at all .

 

45596 near Gobowen, Rhosymedre and Chester

 

Thanks for the videos. Just great to see a real steam train in action on the main line without a you-know-what on the back!