VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Sat 5th May

We are looking at moving this tour from Sunday to Saturday 5[SUP]th[/SUP] May as there are pathing challenges in Birmingham on the return.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Moving from Sun 6th May to Sat 5th

Any last minute-dot-com takers for this one?

A chance to ride behind 4965 and 5043 double-heading from Tyseley to Llandudno this Saturday.

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Moving from Sun 6th May to Sat 5th

Footage of 4965 & 5043 on the outward leg.

[video=youtube;M2FWFujoD78]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2FWFujoD78[/video]

Hope you enjoy.

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Moving from Sun 6th May to Sat 5th

what a lovely sight, Phil and well videod (as always!) Wind direction was a smoke factor but reckon those two can be noisy together !!.

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Moving from Sun 6th May to Sat 5th

My photo from this morning:


4965 Rood Ashton Hall & 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe by Teenage Steam Photography, on Flickr

Thanks,
Lewis

 

Video of todays trip at Lan-Tan on the outward leg and Rockcliffe Hall on the return:

4965 and 5043 on The Llandudno Victorian Festival Special - 05/05/2012 - YouTube

Chris

 

Re Ralph "Do all Voyagers smell that bad"? Yes. And the trains of that name are pretty disgusting, too.

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Moving from Sun 6th May to Sat 5th

Did you you mean the loos?

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Moving from Sun 6th May to Sat 5th

Thanks for the kind words they are very much appreciated.

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Sat 5th May

I gather that this train called at Birmingham New Street en route back to Tyseley, with no diesel attached. So I guess this is another place like Edinburgh where NR are relaxing steam restrictions.

David

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Sat 5th May

That is correct, steam hauled throughout on the return, from Llandudno Junction to Tyseley Warwick Road, via Birmingham New Street (8min operational stop)
Due to a points failure at Valley, there wasn't enough time to bring the ecs from Llandudno Junction, where it had been stabled, to Llandudno, for the return journey.
We all had to embark onto the 3-car units, for the short, but very cosy, service train to Llandudno Junction, where our return journey started. Quite some effort was required to shoe horn us all in, along with the other passengers. Departure from LJ was only 10 mins down, and we were on time by Crewe. There was no mention in the on board itinerary of having a diesel pilot attached, and this turned out to be the case, excellent! A great day out, glorious sunshine in Llandudno, well worth the trek up from East Anglia 10 out of 10 all round.

 

I never understood the use of diesel pilots on previous trains into New St - with a diesel on the front the steam loco would be more likely to be under the roof and set off fire alarms.
;
The Darlaston stop is rather mysterious unless there was a gauging restriction on passing the Southampton Docks-Crewe rerturm charter.

 

Usually when the Diesel came on at Bescot, the fire was dampened right down so there was no risk of blowing off or making much exhaust under the roof, but generally they stop if possible in the open air at the platform ends.

Can we take it New St is now cleared for steam passing through or are there still strings attached ?.

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Moving from Sun 6th May to Sat 5th

Heres some HDRs from the stop at Crewe

5043 & 4965 HDRs - a set on Flickr

Jason

 

Re: VT trip to Llandudno Victorian Extravaganza - Moving from Sun 6th May to Sat 5th

As someone who uses them monthly yes. Issues with chemical toilets.

Visited the Llandudno fair on Sunday. Superb! Did see the carriages at the junction on Saturday (was heading back to Llandudno after a daytrip to llanberis.)

Duncan

 

The whole question of steam in New Street has been something which we have had to treat very gently a little at a time in order to grow confidence in what we do. We still consider that it has to be something which is done occasionally rather than regarding what we have achieved as a licence for a free for all every weekend. The major concern in operating through New Street is the spectre of setting off the fire alarms and causing a station evacuation, as it qualifies as an underground station. There is also the question of station capacity, and the possibility of causing delay to other traffic, as well as compounding delays in the event that other problms occur elsewhere on the day which impact on what we are doing, which then makes the situation even worse. The LNW zone ops management were in the first instance very sympathetic to the suggestion that a steam train could be top and tailed in by a diesel and then steam worked out at the south end, and this eventually happened with 6201 a couple of years ago. It was followed by the 5043 Euston trip, and then we began to have issues retrieving trains which had gone north due to the routine closure of the Sutton Park line on Saturday evenings. It was eventually suggested that we could simply put a diesel pilot on the front and pilot the steam loco through in 'light steam' as it is all down hill into BNS from Soho, and instructions were issued that only certain platforms would be used, and that the train had to be signalled right to the end of the platforms, so that the steam loco was stopped out in the open and not under the roof. This has worked well on a number of occasions, and consequently with the growing confidence which these ops have given, the NR ops management took the decision that they would try out a working without diesel pilot, and this was unfortunately scheduled for the 6201/5043 return trip from Carlisle on March 10th, which as many know, did not quite go to plan. It eventually happened last Saturday evening, and makes a little bit of history as the first steam worked train to Arrive at BNS since the mid 60's, and who then watching at that time, would have believed that the next would be hauled by a Castle and Hall almost 50 years later?

I still have the view that this is a rare privilege, and we have to be responsible in not wearing out our welcome, so do not expect a free for all, and by the same token do not expect to see steam working into BNS in the opposite direction, when it would be required to work under the roof dragging the train into the station form the Proof House direction - you just have to draw a line on occasions.

All in all it is a great example of the teamwork that is possible with Network Rail provided that you are acting responsibly, but care is needed not to wear out the welcome.

On another note the rearrangements to the train wer not caused by a points failure at Valley, but by problems shunting the train into the engineeers siding at Llandudno junction prior to departure for Valley, due to the failure of the electric release on the ground frame for the siding. This caused us to be over an hour late departing for Valley, and this had a further knock on effect when we came to leave Valley as the were several other trains which we were held for, eventually departing Valley at around 17.15. After discussion with Network Rail control, it was decided to abort the start from Llandudno and start from the junction, which allowed us to top up the tenders and get started only a few minutes down on schedule. Full marks to Network Rail control and staff on the ground for helping to manage the situation to best advantage, and full marks also to Arriva staff at both Llandudno stations for the considerable help that they provided to make sure everyone got up to the junction.

Regards
Bob

 

Thanks for that explanation regarding the situation at New St Bob, always best to prudent considering the chaos that could be caused if it went wrong, it's not like you could build up speed from Proof House and coast under the roof with the 10MPH limit at the south end either.