Kentish Belle on 26th May

This is a local train for me and I've been booked on it for sometime. That was done hoping to get a run behind 34067.

Then it looked like 70013 would be the loco. Fine by me. I could pretend it was the Golden Arrow!

Now what I wonder?

44871? Too much to hope 30777 will come all the way up from Swanage for it, and have the route changed to get it back into Waterloo as I understand it can't run into platform 2 at Victoria. (What WOULD Sammy Gingell say!).

Whatever loco I seem certain to get some new "track", ie from the RYTC web site, "70013 'Oliver Cromwell' hauls our train through Dartford and Gravesend continuing on through Chatham and Gillingham. At Fawkham, a village near Sevenoaks in Kent, we take the Whitstable line running close to the Thames Estuary on to Margate."

I say new track, but I have driven the B262 and A227 many times, so it will be great to roll along the tarmac on a train for once as we head down from Gravesend to Fawkham. LOL!

 

Bryan, I wouldn't bank on it doing the advertised route. The Kentish Belle of 31 March was advertised via Dartford, but actually pathed via Swanley
before it was eventually cancelled. See www.uksteam.info/tours/t10/t0331a.htm


David

 

Thanks David. I did guess that maybe the route would be changed! Hopefully this one will run ok.

Cheers,

Bryan

 

44871 now in the frame as many expected

10.30 dep Victoria

Timings are a MASSIVE prob at present + the departure time is the only time I have!!

RAY MASON

 

It is IN the frame as you put it.

 

RTC has the actual times on it's website Victoria dep 10.30 arrive 16.20 Bromley South dep 11.00 arrive 16.00 Margate arrive 13.00 depart 13.20, If these are indeed correct, I assume it is going via Swanley and not Gravesend and Dartford

 

I don't think it has actually been timed yet (!). There have been big delays in timing trains this week - perhaps because of the timetable change last weekend ? However I'm told that it will not be going via Dartford or Redhill. Times will probably be something like the 31 March train, with a few detailed variations.

David

 

Oooh a 5. In Kent. What a novelty! When was the last time we had a 5 in Kent? 45231 on The Spitfire in 2006(?) springs to mind.

 

Not that good getting to the day before the train and no definite timings. Or no firm route announced yet!

The above does help David, (thanks), but I'll make sure I'm at Victoria in good time in case it goes earlier than that, or earlier than the time shown on the RTC web site.

 

Well, thank to Davids we now know what the route is as well as what loco will haul the train.

Shame the web site of the RYTC still shows us as being hauled by 70013 and a route out via Dartford and back via Redhill. Just hope they know what is going on tomorrow.

What would we all do without David and uksteam.info!

 

Times are now online at www.uksteam.info/tours/t10/t0526a.htm

David

 

As I said above, what would we all do without David and uksteam.info.

Thank you David.

 

The thanks are really due to the team of hidden helpers who supply the gen !
This train should be load 9, no diesel as far as I can determine (unless NR insist).

David

 

To second Bryan's post and the modest acknowledgement from David I think that David and all of his team cannot be praised highly enough - what would we do without them?

 

Through Denmark Hill on time. Looked good. I may post a shot up later but only after I've done some revision for my A level exams as I sacrificed the morning to see 44871!

 

I'll nip out to see her through Dunton Green this afternoon. Should be making some noise accelerating uphill out of Sevenoaks.

 

It climbed Grosvenor Bank without the diesel. It seems to detach not long after leaving the Platforms, I guess it just gives it a shove. Is that normal practice as I have usually seen it push all the way to the top of the bank.

 

One from Denmark Hill this morning:

 

On its way home after leaving Ashford

 

Heading back into the capital
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiKCTw4owEQ
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spinner673/4642381444/

I must say, she's very quiet isn't she?