RTC 2025

DCE not looking good for steam I fear. Only 3 days where the forecast shows light showers, no other rain, and one of those is the day before the tour, by which time NR will have decided.

 

The 13th of the month has a reputation for being unlucky falling on a Friday, but Sunday ?

On the hottest weekend of the year so far 45212 leaves Chester for Holyhead with the RTC North Wales Coast Express from Liverpool. Hoping for some exhaust from a cold engine having just left the cool air of the tunnels, it was just too warm and the Class 47 on the rear clearly won the exhaust competition.





As the trip unfolded arrival at Llandudno Jct was late seemingly held up by the preceding service train, and progress west to Holyhead was then an hour behind schedule.
Mid afternoon and the turning move to Valley was shown cancelled on RTT.


Eventually the train left Holyhead with 45212 running tender first some 98 minutes late with arrival back at lime Street 130 minutes behind schedule.
Unique enough for the sort of image I would rarely bother with.



Amazingly the forum had no chatter at all about the day in North Wales.
Was the triangle at Valley put out of action by the heat I wonder ?

 

Points failure according to wnxxforum.co.uk, but it doesn't state where it was though.

 

Thanks for the info about the return journey, saw on RTT it hadnt restarted so headed for home (it was also a day out at the seaside with the wife!). Saw it at Abergele on the outward run (at 28C that really is heat haze on the first shot) and passing Conwy Castle. Outward delays appeared to be down to a late running service train - and it's only an hourly service on a Sunday.

 

Network Rail must have been aware that the triangle was to be used at the weekend. Why didn't they test their systems prior to it's use instead of waiting for sod's law to takeover? Rant over. [BJ]

 

As far as I understand it was a heat related issue with the ground frame.

 

And failures can happen at any time. Southern end of the ECML is in disarray today after a points failure at Stevenage. Took NR about 6 hours to effect a temporary solution, and that's on a mainline near London, not some tiny, barely used outpost that's closer to Ireland than England.

 

Possibly to save time, as train was running late. Running up to Valley, turning, and running back to hook up, must take at least an hour.

 

Someone on board said the points failure was at Holyhead not at the Triangle.

 

Is it NR's responsibility to check the triangle at RAF Valley or RAF staff?
Possibly NR may have indeed checked their equipment on the main line connection but do not have authority to enter the RAF site perhaps?

 

Valley triangle has nothing to do with the RAF Valley a few miles further down, its at transfer sidings for Wylfa nuclear power station (was the triangle specifically put in for turning steam IIRC?).

 

Thanks for the clarification on the triangle's location.

 

The extra legs of the triangle were added in 1989 for turning the steam locos operating the North Wales Coast and Ynys Mon Expresses. Prior to that it was just a siding for transferring Nuclear flasks from Rail to Road and vice versa

 

The customer is shown as "Nuclear Electric" on NR planning systems and down stream on open Access public systems like Real Time Trains.
Cheers, Neil

 

After what is likely to have been widespread heavy rain over several days prior to its run, I am wondering about the DCE on 23 July having meaningful steam leading.

 

Zero rain down here in Swanage in that period, (although Swanage did instigate a steam ban) not sure how far west the rain went. If it has steam I expect very little effort from it anywhere west of Southampton.

 

The forecast for Swanage is for heavy rain and thunderstorms tonight, storms early tomorrow and Monday, then light rain at times on Tuesday and Wednesday. Similar for most of the rest of the DCE area (and London and SE had widespread torrential rain last night). IF that is anything like correct, perhaps the fire risk will drop considerably. Incidentally the RTT entry for this run has it calling at p4 at Woking (FL) and FL thereafter to beyond Basingstoke, BUT also calling at Winchfield (for water)! I imagine the SL bit there has been omitted but I just wonder if it will get a fast line run as far as Winchfield or be crossed to the slow on leaving Woking.