Mainline steam 2013

The program of mainline steam tours for 2013 is now building up steadily. One significant change however is the expected closure of Reading to railtours for two years from around Easter 2013. This will have quite a big impact on some operators and there will be many fewer trains on the GWML. Trains from London to Bath/Bristol area (VSOE, RTC, Steam Dreams etc) will now have to run via Basingstoke and Salisbury. One complication is that the height clearance at Dundas aqueduct between Trowbridge and Bath is now quite restricted with some engines no longer permitted in at least one direction.

One positive change is that the route southbound from Cheltenham to Bristol via Cam & Dursley has at last been reopened to steam, and I suspect we may see more trains to Bristol and the West Country from the Midlands as a result.

David

 

Mixed blessings then. Midlands to West Country...hmmm - a Duchess on the Devon Banks and to Kingswear then?....

 

One must hope tour promoters and Train Operating Companies are aware of this and have a list of which engines are permitted and which are not, to prevent one route / loco being advertised and then one or both suddenly being changed a day or so before a tour runs. This is something which can be planned for.

 

With that in mind, could I suggest to Ben & Vintage Trains that Minehead might be an attractive trip for the crank and daytripper alike ?.

 

With 9600 and/or L94 waiting at Bromsgrove or Stourbridge to assist the train up the Lickey or Old Hill on the return, perhaps? Yes, I know, it's an extra expense, but is it justified if it allows extra revenue-earning coaches in the train? How many extra coaches to cover the cost? Then the limiting factor becomes the number of coaches the train loco can haul up Filton bank.

 

5043 managed 12 on the GBV up Filton in the pouring rain, so it should not be a problem.

 

Not good news for us in the Thames Valley then, not sure if there is too much action here between now & then either.

 

Sounds like a good idea in theory, day out at the seaside, preserved railway visit, some fast running with a couple of banks and a Banker thrown in, with the option to run straight through (a Castle would be fine on Minehead table surely), or bolt a WSR loco on at Bishops Lydeard, got to be a winner for bookings surely ?.

 

I suppose most steam heading north west out of London will have to use the WCML or via High Wycombe in the interim, speaking of which, is the Chiltern Line easy to access from other than Marylebone/Paddington ?.

What about if your heading from the Midland to the South Coast via Reading West and avoiding General, will that be allowed ?, can see issues with getting ECS from Eastleigh if not.

 

From Clapham Junction - Willesden - Action Mainline to western mainline, then turn off at West Ealing.

 

Not sure about the West Curve, don't forget they are putting the new freight link in off there to bypass the main line. Plus rebuilding the second Cow Lane bridge although that is the station side of the West curve. Also a new viaduct it seems.

Reading station area redevelopment - Network Rail

http://www.networkrail.co.uk/upload...mprovements(1)/Images/ReadingGraphicLarge.gif

 

What about this, have they sorted ETRMS with specials yet?

"The first drive to install ERTMS will take place on the Great Western Main Line as part of the large-scale resignalling of the line, coinciding with the arrival of new trains and electrification."

 

I think ERTMS anywhere other than the Cambrian is still some way off, I recall one of the mags having an interview with the NR Charter woman (who name escapes my mind at the moment), and she was of the opinion ERTMS woulden't be rolled out elsewhere until a solution could be found for all forms of traffic (a class 37 had to be heavily modified with 50% fuel capacity removed to accommodate the current spec kit, not an option on some other Diesel/Electrics).

I'd be willing to bet when IEP is rolling under the wires into Box Tunnel, it will still be under block signalling (though for how long is anyones guess).

 

Its a possible alternative although the Chiltern line is far from a quiet backwater these days - I can't imagine there being many spare paths at all on a weekday on what is now a 100mph main line. Also there are no loops to speak of for long trains and no where suitable to make a water stop. Both these needs were nicely catered for by the loop at Oxford when going via Reading.

 

Isn't London - Banbury doable on 4000 gallons then ?.

 

I have been on 2 trips on the Chiltern line one out of Paddington and the other Marylebone, and both have had the water stop at Banbury ( No stop before).
If a tour started at say London Victoria it could water at Willesden if another water stop was required.

 

Tours starting from Victoria might have more of a problem, though. They'd need to top up before joining the GC/GW.

 

ERTMS will indeed be installed on the GWML but overlaid with conventional lineside signalling, the first installation without is expected to be the southern ECML in the mid 2020's if i remember correctly.

Chris

 

I don't know whether its actually possible or not, but I think an extra water stop would be required in the schedule over such a distance with many places where the train could be held up or delayed. Hopefully an expert will come on here with the right answer.

 

That makes more sense, though the performance of it on the Cambrian is improving now, it's still very much a work in progress, both in terms of performance and kit size / power usage.