'Tangmere' to Bristol. 19th March,2011

It was working this morning as I was getting plenty of texts - it does depend on people sending in updates though.

 

We had plenty this morning. Not sure what's happened.

 

Tangmere at Twerton Tunnel on the outward leg.


At Corston on the return leg.

 

BristleGWR - what splendid photos, thanks

 

Lovely shots there
H

 

Has anybody any idea why 34067 hasn't got the nameplates on?

 

Yes, someone took them off

 

anyone know why Tangmere is running late??

 

It's 70 late arriving at Preston Park (?). The delays are going down to the TOC, problems with the engine, following on-time trains and station work.

 

its just gone through Wiversfield

 

It was there at 21.54...let me check...past Haywards Heath (?) a few minutes ago. About 15 minutes running time to Three Bridges.

 

It lost a lot of time at Salisbury for a start, having been about 20 late at Warminster but about 45 late departing Salisbury. The "box" was doing a lot of the work on Upton Scudamore Bank and nearly all the work on Alderbury Bank!
Andover

 

Have just seen a video on another site of the return trip. It was leaking steam from the front end badly.............probably the pump? It was a rear view so could'nt see properly.

 

I was videoing at Old Dilton just south of Dilton Marsh station and yes 47804 was shoving hard. When I saw it in the distance I thought that cant just be Tangmere it was going that fast up the bank.
I heard there was a problem with the air pump,one report said 34067 had been failed because of it but a few posts later it was on the move again,pump fixed or could they have switched to vacuum as it was West Coast Job?

 

Also "brats on the line", instead of leaves on the line. Children had placed what looked like a lumps of timber on the line near to the bridge over the Westbury avoiding line. The driver of the Portsmouth DMU had to stop and get down onto the line and remove said objects.
This delayed the following trains including Tangmere.

 

I think the loco brakes are air so without the air pump Tangmere's brakes won't come off.

 

If you look at my vid earlier in this thread you can clearly see that she was leaking steam from the pump/compressor again & that was very early on in her tour, so I'm not surprised it got worse. I am surprised though that this problem had re-occured, as those of you who have been following the 'latest on 34067' thread will know that this was noted on her loaded test run & the pump was replaced, but I guess they still had problems since they delayed her run back to Southall until the last minute, then they must have known there was a problem still otherwise why else would they banker her with a 47.

 

The problem with the air pump may have increased at Bath on the return journey. I filmed the train at Corston between Bristol and Bath. There were no signs of leaking steam at that point and the train was on time. Later I read a report of Tangmere running 15 late departing Bath with the class 47 diesel pushing. <BJ>

 

I understand the pump was repaired not replaced.

 

Tangmere's brakes are as built with steam on the loco and vac on the tender. With dual braked locos the TPWS etc is attached to the air system which is linked to the vac system via a relay valve so even if the train was being hauled on vac, the loco's air system needs to be operational on the mainline...