Bittern charter (KX-YRK) for Brighton Belle project - 25 Jul

Some lovely shots, but should the Brighton Belle special have actually run down on the Brighton Line and had the excursion around Sussex as surely this would have been more appropriate? This isn't any critism as I'm sure it was a success and some good money has been raised for the project but why did it run up north and not around Southern metals?

 

You missed a great run, unfortunately there were very few on board to witness some fantastic running, I saw Pete Waterman, Sir William McAlpine and Mark Allatt all enjoying proceedings. We topped Stoke at 69.5mph on the way up, a couple of years ago that would have been fantastic, 40 odd minute early arrival. The total time stopped on the up run to York was 10 minutes 14s and that included the stop at Potters Bar. The run back was terrific as previously reported. Bittern did sound very odd with some very metallic squeaking at times. Its just a shame we didn't have our path back, the footplate crew appeared to be very P1##e@ at the slow line running. After all that effort for the first 100 miles only to be treated with slow line/fast line/slow line switching must have been disappointing for them. A great day out and I'll be looking for the next trip with that second tender, it looked great and proved its worth and I bet it turns up with the A1 at some point

 

If you've got the opportunity to use Bittern and its second tender, it makes for a much more attractive tour going on a near non-stop trip up the ECML than a trundle around the south east. Going to York also has the added benefit of ending somewhere suitable to launch the project, the NRM. It'll be interesting to see if they are going to run any more fundraising trains, im sure it cant be an impossibility for the future although finding a decent path might be tricky.

Chris

 

hi it is the LNER coat of arms fish7373 81c

 

hi it is the LNER coat of arms fish7373 81c

 

Just to add to PannierTank's posting, the pathing stop north of Peterborough was at about milepost 80 and we stopped there 1 hour, 36 minutes and 20 seconds after leaving York - an average speed of about 67.5 mph.

I also forgot to mention earlier that the overall time from KX to York on the outward journey was about 188 minutes including 4 stops (about 4 mins at Potters Bar, 2 mins each at Retford and Arksey and 1 min outside York). Unfortunately, I don't haver more accurate times for this leg as we were not expecting such a good run on the way out).

I was sceptical about the second tender as I was expecting that water stops might simply be replaced by pathing stops or short hops from loop to loop, but it certainly proved it worth on Saturday (albeit with the help of lots of late running service trains on the outward run, on the return it was actually our early running north of Peterborough which scotched the none stop run to Potters Bar as did not then slot in to our path on the double-track section south of Peterborough).

A thought - what about a run from Kings Cross to Edinburgh using Tornado to York (only one water stop needed at Grantham), then Bittern (with second tender) from York to Edinburgh, avoiding the need to go Tyne Yard which always seems to take an age?

 

Something like that would be good enough for me to raid the piggy bank! Though I doubt that Bittern would venture that far north.

Cheers
Alan

 

latest report on website is that nothing is wrong?

 

Just checked the "Bittern News" page on the Mad Hants website and it doesn't actually say anything. Were you looking at a different page?

 

Just found this vid of Bittern at Doncaster, we were at over 70mph through here =D>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3s4knH_QTM

 

Not sure if the post by cct man at 8.14pm is relevant.
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