WSR 2011 Autumn Gala 29 September - 2 October

A quick note to say thanks to all those who were involved in putting on the gala - I spent last week in and around the West Somerset and it was very warm being there let alone working ! I had a great week and was sorry to have to leave late Saturday afternoon. Just to add a couple of comments from my observations - firstly well done the cleaners !! the locos looked great especially Manston and I was very taken with the way she tackled the line. Norton Manor looked a treat and a well done to the crew who managed to reduce the drain valve sticking on Thursday afternoon to minimal levels during the stops at Stogumber and Williton - she sounded great going up from Watchett to Washford. Shame about Nunney but I did manage a ride on Thursday and she was as loud as ever. Was interested to see how 1744 got on and she seemed to do fine on the trip I was on and watching lineside on Friday and Saturday. Lots of other great memories but will finish by mentioning two items that stick in the mind from Crowcombe. First was sitting with a few others on the station in the gathering dark on Friday evening waiting for 5542 and the autotrain which was running late due to the problems mentioned earlier - lovely warm evening and 5542 looked a picture when she arrived. Will post a link to a great picture on wsr.org shortly and the other memory was listening to 88 battling up the hill from Lydeard on the 0900 on Saturday - it was a beautiful crisp clear autimn morning with damp rails but she did well with only a few slips whoch were well controlled and she was well on time. Thanks again to all for their efforts - I know there are some issues that need addressing but I had a great 3 days and thanks again DH

 

Link to 5542 as promised http://www.wsr.org.uk/cgi-bin/gallery8a.cgi?h=Snapshot&p=2011/asg/300911_1_tst

Thanks to Steve (WSW) and the photgrapher for the photo

 

5553!

John

 

I would like to clarify that 5029 has not 'done a bearing in'. The loco was taken out of service as a precautionary measure to prevent possible damage to the bearing. A sensible move, yet unfortunate.

 

5553 ran short of water due to injector problems, almost certainly due to the high temperature of the water in the side tanks after standing for several days in the hot sun ! Injectors do not work well with hot feed water. 5553 was stopped near Roebuck crossing on the climb to Crowcombe as a precautionary measure. It was back in good health the following day.

Incidentally like 5542, 5553 is about to be withdrawn for a 10-year overhaul.

David

 

Some photographs from Sunday.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16582147@N07/sets/72157627806740724/

IRC the WSR had had some flak in the past for not running trains for about 80 minutes around midday.

 

The PLC website says it will be running at the Winter Steam Festival, is this true? When does the ticket expire?

 

I spent three days at the 'Backwards Gala' and have to say the amount of tender first running was beyond a joke. 12 of the twenty trains on two of the days were tender first, you could go all morning without the chance of photographing something right way on Crowcombe Bank. This subject is raised after every gala. Locos arriving tender first at Minehead were turned to go out tender first again, what's the point of that? This makes the situation worse than if there was no turntable at all! As a high proportion of those attending galas are enthusiasts I was surprised at the amount of tender first running. Given the railway is so good in so many other aspects its a shame this issue cant be taken more seriously for the galas.

Highlights were the Manston run on Friday morning and 7828s return to Minehead with the delayed train on Friday evening after 5553s problems.

 

I think I'd echo some previous comments that it didn't feel like a gala, it just seemed like a high season timetable. I'm not sure if it's just the length of the line and it just swallows the timetable up. But galas on smaller lines seem busier and more special some how. Plus, if you have family in tow, you never seem to get the value out of a rover ticket.

 

Makes it louder on the train?

 

I agree with you and it was clear that this gala was less well attended than its predecessors, with trains being less full, in some cases a lot less full than they ought to be. The platforms at the stations were less well attended too and there were no traders under the canopy at Minehead at all.

I think that SEPTs 'take it or leave it' attitude is having an effect and many enthusiasts are adopting a 'leave it' attitude. There are many other galas to visit during October and many people, like me, can only afford one long weekend away in any one month. Other galas this month are the GCR's next weekend, then the Ffestiniog's, the ELR and finally the Mid-Hants. I think that next year I will go to one of the others rather than the WSR's; the ELR event looks interesting and Bury isn't that much further away than Minehead.

On a different topic, I was concerned about the number of trees that have been permitted to grow on Washford Bank in the Bilbrook area. It was noticable to that the water drains at the foot of the embankment have not had any attention for a while. Bearing in mind the problems that teh SVR and G/WR have had with their structures, I can't help but wonder if the WSR isn't courting a risk here.

Regards

 

A few people moan about this every year, but I am afraid it is down to the laws of physics ! Just think about it carefully ! Not turning engines arriving tender first at Minehead means that after a very short time, every engine is chimney first out of Minehead and remains that way for the rest of the gala ! The current turning policy is designed so that every engine (with one or two exceptions) can be seen running chimney first in both directions during the course of the gala, which is appreciated by most photographers (but sadly not all it seems), but this inevitably means that sometimes engines arrive and depart from Minehead tender first.

The "backwards" gala is a misnomer. In fact the amount of chimney first and bunker/tender first running is equal over the four days of the gala, although not necessarily over any one day. It can't possibly be any different until such time as the Norton triangle is opened (next year hopefully) so that engines can be turned at BOTH ends. Then we can have the first all "chimney first" gala !

David

 

I remember 5542 and 5553 made their debut on the line in September 2002 so I guess the ticket runs till sometime next year. I am guessing that 5542's owners have chosen to withdraw it early in order to do the overhaul before next year's peak season - I am sure they will correct me if I'm wrong.

 

This view is clearly mistaken, indeed it's crackers. As far as the first 'chimney first' gala goes, if SEPT continue as they are doing it is much more likely to be the first 'all tender first gala' just to have a poke at the customers. I was talking, as you do, to a number of the volunteers over last weekend and morale is clearly very low, they are unhappy and the senior people on the railway ought to be taking notice.

Regards

 

I agree with your sentiments. Finances are rather tight at the moment and faced with a choice of attending this or the Severn Valley it was a "no brainer". It is the first time I have missed a WSR gala since 2000 but to be honest I wasn't that sorry as I've got a bit bored with them in recent years. The timetable may work well but it makes the whole day seem to run in slow motion and this year's loco lineup wasn't that interesting (apart from the N2 which is coming to the Mid Hants so I'll see it there).

Something needs to be done to rejuvenate WSR galas in my opinion - I don't know who is involved in organising them these days but since Richard Jones left the railway they seem to have lost something. I get the idea that the current organisers are not trying too hard and are sticking with what they see as a tried and tested formula.

 

. A few? No lots! Try talking to people at stations and on the trains and observing past comments on this forum. The vast majority at this gala were people old enough to remember working steam and that Castles and Pacifics normally operate chimney first. The amount of chimney first running at this gala was not equal over the four days at all.

It was a good gala and 5553's problem was handled well on Friday. I was very impressed that on arrival at Minehead a new roster for the next days operations was ready to take account of the Castle's failure. As Orion has said traders under the canopy at Minehead as per the Model Railway swapmeet in August would have been welcome. I also agree about the top part of Washford Bank needing clearance, the views from the train are being blocked in and bridge abutments and trees certainly don't mix!

 

Indeed I am one of those who looks forward to all the tender engines working chimney first during a gala - doesn't everyone ?. At present however this is a physical impossibility as most photographers recognise. Over the four days of the gala, discounting the auto train workings, the working timetable showed 38 trains in each direction, 3 of which were double headed. Exactly half the loco trips (ie 41) were chimney first and half (41) were bunker/tender first. On Thursday and Sunday slightly more than half were chimney first workings, and on Friday and Saturday slightly more than half were tender/bunker first workings. There is no practical alternative at present. The overall balance would be broadly the same whatever turning strategy was used, so it is no good moaning about it ! But it will all be different when the Norton triangle is in use.

Incidentally this analysis is based on the planned WTT and does not reflect the changes brought about by 5029's failure.

David

 

EDIT: Found the link I was after

http://railloopmagazine.webs.com/RAIL LOOP 2011 compressed.pdf (Page 4). Rail Loop, bringing you the news before it happens! :lol:

 

I think it was frustrating to have several consecutive tender/bunker first or chimney first departures from each end. Alternate tender/bunker first and chimney first departures would have been far less frustrating.
I do think it is a tricky area with a turning facility only at one end and at the present time if you don't/can't attend all 4 days you won't benefit from the turning. I attended Friday and Saturday and while I enjoyed the gala it was frustrating from a photographic perspective.

Paul

 

To throw in a curve ball, some of those travelling (I'm one) prefer tender first running as the 'noisy end' is closest to the carriages!

I agree that the timetable is a bit dull, with very few double headers and lots of sitting around waiting time at stations. My main reason for visiting (Manston) only managed a round trip and a half on the day I visited, when the Valley manage at least two if not three round trips (in an extended) day.