The Royal Scot, Thursday 6/11/25

A couple of phone pics after arriving at Carlisle



Driver Mike Wylie looks on as Gordon Hodgson takes the driver's seat




The "Duke" looking good with the Royal Scot. Perhaps it could carry the Caledonian headboard next(?) time!

 

A single fireman on the Jubilee hauled 11 coach CMEs that I was on produced extraordinary efforts to take the performances into territory well beyond theoretical 5XP levels, all the way from the Carnforth starts until passing Shap. These were well into Class 7 level and amongst my top few runs alongside the Bulleid pacifics during the 1960s. The Royal Scot didn't warrant this and the crews did what was needed within the capability of 71000. I wish I could have been there so that I could have hung up my GPS and finally retired from main line timing to concentrate on writing my column. The Royal Scot will feature in my column in HR 340 with the story told by Al

Don

 

I enjoyed that,, thanks for posting it, a bit of everything in the daily life of Carlisle.
It looks as though the Colas Loco. Wash is out of action, the filth on their locos is a disgrace. If the shiny bits are filthy it begs the question......what condition are the oily bits in ?

 

We're digressing, but as someone who was not even conceived at the end of SR steam, all I've ever heard are the heroics; never the sad consequences.

 

within 7 seconds of the preservation record driven on the principles expressed by Mike, albeit with a light load, says something about the quality of machine and men on the day.

Apologies for digression.What is the justification for a 75 limit on a 100 railway? Is signal sighting in the environment of a steam cab the constraint? Surely the loco is working far less hard going downhill at 85 at Calthwaite than going uphill at 45 at Shap Wells.

PS @35B you've never heard what happened to 35007?

 

No - passed me by.

 

Each autumn Network Rail hires in locos for the Railhead Treatment Train (RHTT). During it's operation the train will send out a powerful spray of liquid in order to keep the rails free from gunge. In doing so the train becomes covered in grime. It's a waste of time cleaning the train as within a very short time it returns to it's filthy state. At the end of the season the locos are thoroughly cleaned and if necessary, repainted. Hope this helps. <BJ>

 

It remains unfortunate that the A1 Trust gave up on running Tornado above 75 mph despite originally having the intention and approval to do so. It remains anomalous that that same limit applies to all locos with 6'2" or larger driving wheels and 2 or 3 cylinders.

There are some logs on here from the last few years where the speed has crept a little above 75 before the brakes have gone on, but it has been only a little and, considering the practicalities of driving a steam loco, I don't think anyone is going to get upset about it. Apart from Tornado and the specially authorised runs with Bittern in 2013, there have been only a very few occasions when speeds of preserved steam are rumoured to have gone significantly above 75, and the less said publicly about those the better. Early in the days of main line preserved steam, when the official limit was only 60 mph, I was once on a train that reached about 82 but, although I remember the fact, I don't remember exactly when it was so I can say no more about it.

 

I have recorded 84 mph or slightly more three times in recent years , all in safe locations. Two with SR locos and one GWR. none deliberate but all due to the drivers being fraction slow closing the regulator.

 

Right at the end she blew her inside cylinder cover off near Brookwood, but made it to Waterloo.

 

Fastest we ever got to was in the mid 1980's with an LNER locomotive running very late and we reached well into the 90's (if my fathers arithmetic was correct).

 

Blatent plug for my footage from 3 years ago starting around Coleham dept.
At the start the locos are fairly clean, but later on you can see they're getting a bit plastered in muck - it being fairly obvious why the 'trailing' loco gets filthy.

 

Thank you - now you mention it, that does ring a bell. But in the context of the role of crews, I must admit I was more concerned about the people than the machines given the comment by @Big Al

 

One issue in the UK is that, to my knowledge and during my SR timing days, individual steam loco classes didn't have a class speed limit. They did in Gemany and I think that could be one reason why some crews would quite often take a certain 012 pacific up to 87 mph (140 km/h) in the heritage era. The loco speedo was redlined at 150 km/h - 93 mph - but that was from the streamlined days. So I timed a lot more 80 mph plus runs in Germany in the 21st Century than in normal steam days. One heritage era driver once made the comment that he would only be handed the loco to drive if it was in full operational condition - including the locos top speed. I even got a rare 70 mph start to stop average speed run. I never recorded a crew exceeding the 012 loco class speed limit.

My understanding of the UK is that there is a 'block' 75 mph speed limit for all classes with 6' 2" driving wheels.

As for instances in the SR 'last fling' the only incident I can recall of high speed causing a major issue was a crew letting the water level get too low, I think that that was under braking on a downhill grade - which melted the fusible plugs. (Dreadful result in the 1977 Bitterfeld boiler explosion.)

Other incidents I recall were down to the lower level of maintenance - like the MN that slipped at 80 - 85 mph (the speed limit), and only one sander worked, causing a bent coupling rod, track damage but the loco and train stayed on the track.

Bryan

 

Fair comment. I never thought of that.

 

Can be arranged Oswald !

 

Oh No! It appears that Gordon has gone over to the dark side - (NO, not that Dark Side!) Looks like he's got a digi camera in his hands. Wonder if he still has his battered old Pentax that he used to carry everywhere.

Here he is during a water stop in Abingdon loop with said camera and his fireman, the late John "Fingers" Fletcher, ex of Lostock Hall. I'm sure some on here will remember the details of our unassisted climb up Beattock on the West Highlander that day in Sept, 2010. Happy Days.

Peter

 

If you look at the 2025 photo you will see what may be the Pentax camera strap still around Gordon Hodgsons neck. So perhaps he is just looking at a photo taken in that digi camera by the person looking on?

Bryan - a Sherlock Holmes amongst dinosaurs - B

 

Bet you didn't think that in the 50s and 60s. You would be happy seeing 45581 in that condition.