60163 Tornado to Kingswear 23rd March 2013

I am amazed no one has started a thread on this one.

65 minutes late on leaving Reading due to air break problem which held the train up at Slough for over an hour.

Snow falling and freezing cold - feels just like the Arctic!

Very disgruntled passengers - all 56 of them - waiting at Reading and the problem was that no one really knew how long the repair to the loco would take - if at all. It was a relief to hear that it was on its way.

 

Hmm, not a good start. Problems in Torbay too, 4277 with 7 on needed hand sanding all the way from waterside up to Hookhills viaduct. Wet track and layer of rust. Not seen a 2-8-0T struggle like that before. Drizzle stopped now, and trains running will hopefully make railhead conditions better by the time Tornado arrives. I suspect we will see the Rat put on the rear though....

 

Currently 52 mins down:
Realtime Trains

 

Rumoured to have failed and replaced by diesel at Newbury

 

Realtimetrains update at 12.27 shows it is a Diesel. Oh dear.

 

Might explain why load is 715 tonnes. (Realtime trains always shows diesel/electric).

 

And recovery of time looks too good to be all sub -75mph running.

 

As mentioned on various threads recently, "diesel" on a RealTime Trains schedule means "not electric", so RTT can't tell you whether the loco has been changed part-way. RTT shows the train took it's booked 13 mins at Newbury, and was 64 mins late at that point. When I checked RTT just now, it had left Taunton at 12:38, just 43 mins down.

 

Worry not. No diesel on the back of the 11 coaches.

Good news. My brother has just informed me that the train left Taunton at 12.34pm just 39 late having been 65 late at Reading.

 

Tornado reported at Fairwater at 1238 on SWRGEN by Geoff - Ta Geoff
Real time trains does not have category for steam so if loco hauled ill always show diesel/electric I understand
Looks like they are picking up time well
Dick

 

Approaching Newton Abbott - more or less right time!

 

Correction just past NA 2 early

 

Thats good. I must admit i had not looked at that realtimetrains site before. I guess diesel is helping out to recover time that well.

 

NO DIESEL!!!!
14 early arrival at Paignton

 

Gen on here is useless. First 60163 taken off at Newbury, then diesel on back, now diesel not there at all!

 

How did it make up so much time?

 

Agreed - why do people bother posting this unverified rubbish :frusty:

 

Good running, slick water stops, pathing stops omitted and something else.......oh green signals!!
Well done everybody!

 

The realtime site says train timed at 60 mph & Tornado is a 75 mph loco and they missed the Tiverton Loop pathing stop.Simples.
Colin

 

Really struggled up Goodrington, was down to a snails pace at Broadsands/Churston. No Rat on the back either. I think it made it though...

James at SVN