Cath Ex Ashford-Oxford 17-Dec

The Ascot situation was borne out of the train stalling on the climb from Sunningdale to Ascot. In fine winter sunshine, the Black 5 was held up outside the station because of a Reading service, and it therefore had no run at the incline and even if it had, the railhead was so poor that it was always going to be a struggle with a load of 12 and almost full of passengers. Standing on Sunningdale station, the stalled train could be seen in the distance and for more than 25 minutes it tried to restart many times without success. Apparently all the sand had been used up in Kent due to the poor rail condition there which caused the Black 5 to almost stall on an incline in the Sevonoaks area. Some hand sanding saved the day and although South West Trains and Network Rail will not have been happy with the delays to Reading bound trains, they will have been relieved that longer delays were avoided.

Driver Peter Roberts was glad to be relieved at Ascot. He had done a magnificent job getting the train to Ascot.

The delay there was due in part to control putting the train into the wrong platform. Special permission had to be given by Reading Control to lay hoses across the lines so that the Black 5 could be watered. At least 2 trains and probably more, were held up outside of Ascot station waiting for the watering to be completed and the obstructing hoses removed.

By this time the sunshine of Sunningdale had turned into the heaviest snow storm I think I have ever witnessed and the prospect of a Black 5 with a well filled 12 coach train climbing to Martins Heron with snow covering the track was not good.

In the event, Pete Robert's relief driver, Dave of Woking, did a truly magnificent job and without one slip pulled the train off into the distance albeit with great caution.

I had just experienced the magic of steam in the most difficult of circumstances. They always said that a steam train would get you through somehow. Today proved that to be so true.

And as for Black 5's, they were always regarded as the best class 5 locomotive ever built. Today proved how true that claim was.

Steam forever!

 

Hats off to 44932. She and her support crew have held South Eastern mainline steam together for the second half of this year single handed.

 

Any further news on this tour?

 

I'm an SR man through and through, athough I have always had the greatest respect and admiration for the Black 5s. Wonderful steam locomotives.

But 12 cars in winter for one, with some of the grades to climb, seems to be putting an enormous strain on loco and crews. Some super work mentioned above to have got out of the trouble the train got into.

Be interesting to hear how it does back into Kent. Not sure what conditions are like nearer London, but the re start from Bromley South may become a major challenge if the ice we have down here near Maidstone is present up there.

 

20-45 clapham j 74 late

 

Hi KenYeti

I have just played my footage at home from today's extraordinary events at Sunningdale (stall) and Ascot (miracle!) and you are absolutely right. 12 well filled coaches, gradients, ice, then heavy snow provided, I would suggest, the biggest challenge to any steam loco in preservation. To see the Black 5 haul such a massive load out of Ascot in a blizzard on a rising gradient was, yes, miraculous.

I just wish my dear friend Mike Notley was around today. This must surely qualify for one of the tours of the year. Not because of high speed. Not because of conquering records, but simply that, in the face of massive adversity, the Black 5 and the West Coast drivers managed to defy the severe elements they were faced with.

As I have said before, steam locos on the mainline bring fear, excitement and most of all PRIDE. Anyone who witnessed what happened in Surrey this freezing cold day, enthusiast or not, will have been overwhelmed with the performed of a prewar steam locomotive that beat the severe elements.

If someone could help me with downloading my footage, I confidently predict a massive response. Why? You can hear students on Sunningdale asking what is going on, you hear the drivers speaking with Reading Control in the blizzard at Ascot, you see Graham Bunker of Steam Dreams assessing the situation and you hear the wonderful comments of Dave, an ex Guildford fireman from the 50's giving his priceless six pennysworth.

So techys let me know how. Once on You Tube, I have the feeling that this footage will hit the thousands if not millions of lovers of steam.

Long live mainline steam.

Nick

 

Sure, let me know what you want to do. I am just processing my own Ascot video, and will upload it tonight. I'd love to see yours.

If you want to PM me, I'm sure I can arrange to get your clip processed and posted online, I live in Bracknell and I guess you're not TOO far away

Let me have a phone number and I'll call you tomorrow

 

What kind of help do you think you might need? It should be pretty simple to set up a youtube account, then just follow the instructions to upload and job's a good'un. Thats the theory anyway...

Chris

 

I agree. The crews must have been brilliant today, and certainly were getting her away up the slope out of Ascot.

But honestly! 12 fully loaded coaches for a lone Black 5 on a day when snow and sub-zero temperatures were the forecast, on a route that was always going to have stops and starts and slippery gradients. For goodness sake!

I often defend on this forum the right of the tour operators to make a profit, by doing what it takes to run a tour successfully. But really, Steam Dreams, you should be looking at the stupid risks you took with this today. Why no box on the back? There was on Wednesday on the same train. Or better still, why no second Black 5 on the front?

 

We are about to start the same old debate Steve, especially as the return seems to have been seriously delayed aswel (possibly late start from Oxford result from the outward run) on whether extra power should have been on. Brilliant to see an engine conquering adversity, but with a stall probably delaying service trains, its not really what is wanted. We've seen it on the S & C amongst others where too heavy a load is put on for the engine so I'm not sure under what guidelines it is allowed to happen. Again it will be 'we can learn'! We should really know what could happen in todays circumstances. Well done crews though, sounds as though you did magnificent job.

 

Here, here.

 

Here's my video from Ascot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srNIb_yKcT0

 

Now that was smooth; icy rails, no slip. First class job with such a load

 

Surely the driver must have been aware of what platform the train was booked into, especially if it was due to take water?
Should have stopped and queried it really?

 

I should think that with the stall only just overcome, the last thing driver wanted to do was to stop the train again to ask where he was being led !!?? !! Just seems that so many factors were against easy running of this one (again).

 

Presumably there is some way of isolating the live rail otherwise hand sanding sounds quite a hazardous activity, or have I got the idea of hand sanding completely wrong?

 

There's a picture and small article with this trip in The Sun today. Not really anything info wise that they got wrong.

 

I think you mean diesel loco, don't you?