The Waverley Tours 2023

Lunds, Aisgill (Wet!!) and Hellifield today

 

I said about 5, you said more like 15, call it 10 then Or if you don’t want a number, call it slow and steady

 

Certainly better than 8th October 1983 when 4472 took 110 minutes from Appleby to Aisgill in gale force winds and pouring rain:
https://settlecarlislesteam.co.uk/1983/8th-october-1983-cumbrian-mountain-express

I wonder why I was the only person in the classic Birkett field?

 

A couple of shots with Scotsman heading north at Lunds on a beautiful summer day, with light breeze, warm air and fluffy clouds, then later, with half an hour to go before the return at Birkett Common, the sky darkened and by the time 60103 arrived, with a friendly wave from the footplate, the wind was lashing the bushes and the first heavy drops of a biblical thunderstorm were falling. My phone was buzzing constantly as the lightning detection app alerted me to nearby strikes. The Kendal area had been getting a pasting for some time, and it was heading our way.

 

Nothing to do with the weather, which might have given the linesiders a good soaking but did not affect the A3's performance. It was more to do with the fact the quality of the coal in the back of the tender proved to be rather indifferent. As sometimes happens on a long journey, you run into it at just the wrong moment.

Peter

 

60103 crossing Far Moor, Selside. As seems to be the norm I was accompanied by 'my' cloud at the vital moment. The preceding unit & the following Network Rail HST both passed in full sunshine.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/167082436@N06/53036169718/in/datetaken-public/

Phil

 

Scotsman has hauled 12 unassisted before in fact it may have hauled 13 unassisted way back in the days when it had a single chimney.

 

RTC released additional tickets in standard class only a few days before the tour. That had me wondering whether load 12 would become load 13 but it was infact load 11 becoming load 12. Interestingly enough when it went to Scotland it ran with load 12 plus a 47 on the back but there was only 1 standard class coach plus the buffet car which surprised me. Guess that’s the affect of the cost of living crisis.

 

But iirc as part of the 'Just How ruined is it and how do we manage that' report commissioned of Mr Meanley et al guidelines were issued as to managing 60103 in service and 12 on the long drag is off the scale... confident that the machine can handle it and its great for the punters that there is no box/ shoveage but i would guess this is a bit of a one off

 

Dod not knoy yuh worz frorm Olster Al.

 

I think @Big Al meant don't run with a train that's at the maximum limit for the loco. Fine on a good day with everything ok, but a bit risky when you have dust in the tender.

 

return keeping time ?

 

Do you :

-Take 2 or 3 carriages off and push a standard class fare up towards £200.
-Top and tail with a diesel.
-Only run Scotsman on flat routes.
-Plinth Scotsman and declare it uneconomical to operate..
Or,
Based on previous recent experience with the locomotive, declare it capable of taking 12 over the S&C? I believe it did achieve this despite taking it easy due to variable coal.
Bear in mind in gained plaudits recently for it's performance over the Devon Banks. I would suggest the work undertaken at its last overhaul have produced a stronger locomotive that perhaps West Coast are more confident with, that can only be a good thing surely?
Who would be a promoter!!

 

A bit later than I anticipated - processing the video to 4K on Youtube took forever.

60103 going nicely at Lunds and slogging south in squally conditions at Birkett Common on the return.

 

But West Coast were quite happy to work 12 coaches over the S & C with a Mogul. So about these load limits are they in any way aligned with what these engines were designed to haul and are they formulated around what it was found these engines could achieve on the road? Because the historical record indicates that the limitations recommended to the NRM were a little, shall we say, conservative. It then raises the question as to why this should have been the case particularly given the fact that efforts were to be made to ensure that the locomotive would not be over exposed. Certainly in the 1970s I travelled with the engine on a number of occasions with loads of 13 which presented few if any problems.