RTC 2023

The ticket advice for Tuesday suggests 44932 “on the board” for this working.

 

The logistics of getting to the start point aside, one of the benefits of a railtour to one's patch with steam only on the outward is the ability to bail out and go home during the layover, so I'll spare a thought. Nevertheless, the steam leg tomorrow seems a better proposition than the loops and press call faced by 60103.

 

35018 ready for departure at Kings Cross, Bill Monteith and Martyn Soames on the footplate this morning

 

Pausing at Peterborough

 

As RTT, OTT and all the live maps are down at the moment, to confirm we are currrently in Claypole Loop for our water stop

Mick Rawlings took over at Peterborough for the run north, quite a slow run up Stoke but a very fast run on the other side, noted 77mph through Grantham

EDIT 11:53, passed Retford on time

 

Leaving Huntingdon

 

Something that strikes me about this is the amazing lack of visual obstruction the OHLE presents. You have to look twice to check it is there! Of course, there are those (not I) that say it should have been been like the GWR nuclear-resistant stuff... Nice long shot on the straight.

 

Yes, looks good, but the masts are too far apart putting a lot of tension on the headspans. And if a sparrow farts nearby, the whole lot has a tendency to come down. There's usually a weekly farce with the overheads coming down somewhere on the ECML - when was the last time you heard of a fault on the GWML (well, the few miles of it the government allowed NR to put up)?

 

BIL on this mornings White Rose to York, firstly seen at New Zealand Bridge, Sandy, and secondly at its maximum speed through Grantham with plenty of whistling:

 

Welwyn North and the water stop at Huntington today. Photos to follow!

 

Just seen The White Rose leave York on the web cam with the 47 on front at 16.16.... Has BIL had a problem?? Or have things changed and I havent seen the change?

 

It was always going to be a diesel on the way back. BIL carried onto Carnforth after leaving the train at York - an excuse to move it back to base after its southernly trip.

 

It was supposed to be steam one-way only so nothing has changed.

 

Thanks

 

Indeed - the balance was wrong in both systems (BTW, I can recall several GWR OHLE failures). The GWR one was so OTT that the money ran out whereas the ECML one should have been somewhat more robust.

 

Excellent filming.

 

Photos from Welwyn North and Huntingdon... https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/albums/72177720306505822

 

It was a good morning excursion. We were treated to the unusual experience of weaving across Peterborough station throat to reach Platform 1, and then the weave back to the Down Slow. The climb of Stoke was steady, but kept to time, which is the main thing. There was a nice sprint down the other side. A question posed was when was the last time a rebuilt Merchant Navy ran between Grantham and Doncaster in preservation?

Ultimately pleased to have linked London with Edinburgh with 35018 (via Knottingley), and with Bulleid haulage via the main from when I had 34067 over the Selby Diversion in 2015. One of my personal challenges met.

Without the need to return south, I spent the afternoon bimbling around a few of York's hostelries with friends while attempting to dodge (sometimes unsuccessfully) the showers, stag and hen dos and the linen brigade (race goers).

 

Railway Herald had it working back to Peterborough.


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Think that was from when it was to be hauled by 6233. When it changed to 35018 the RYTC webpage for the tour changed to say diesel on the return leg.