The Heart of Midlothian, Saturday 4th May 2013

Errrrr, Is this not what they are paid for????? Welcome to the real world, if they have to work hard and put up with complaints......

 

But what good will old steam men in the planning department give that the current planners won't? And there is nothing to say that there aren't any younger men and women in the department who are involved or inclined to steam. That just sounds like the old argument of 'Ex-BR men....better than anybody younger could do now'.

The network has changed radically compared to time of old steam men....I am biassed massively towards steam, I would much rather have a fleet of A4's back at Haymarket, but I can't see how the point you're making would make any improvement over the way the network is operated now. No. 60009 hasn't been dealt bad timings now because the planners are too young to remember BR steam, or they are unsure on wether an A4 can accelerate fast enough. The slow timings are fitting within other high priority traffic on the railway and working with a 75moh speed limit on the loco, and also trying to slot an railtour into the very busy Waverley Station.

Also, just seen your message GuyCarr. Yes, they are paid for it, and yes, dealing with complaints are part of the norm. But what I am asking people to take in to consideration is that their is an actual passenger and freight network that steam have to run in between. Network Rail planners aren't just giving a long run between York and Edinburgh because they can't be bothered finding better timings, or feel it be amusing. It is because there are physical obstacles ( often called Public Trains ) that are pathed in a higher priority than steam. Steam is a luxury on an 21st century rail network which is becoming more congested by the year. People should stop expecting steam to be put in paths it would have in the 60's or 80's....

 

looks like I will tweeting a lot, eating a lot and ................. enjoying the day

 

New timings are showing on Uksteam. Now 90 mins at Heaton. Does the loco come off the train?

I wonder why they don't go into Tyne Yard like they used to. Usually takes 30 mins so would save an hour on the current times. Maybe it costs too much or passenger trains aren't allowed anymore.

SG

 

Last year behind 70013, we spent over an hour at Tyne Yard, and although the sun was shining, somehow it still felt a depressing place. Grafitti-ridden wagons; weeds all over the place; scars in the ballast showing where track had been lifted; the disused flyover to reach the similarly disused hump, the decaying remains of the former power box and a silence only punctuated by the distant hum of traffic and the sound of service trains rushing north and south as we waited for our path. The only motive power aside from 70013 on-site was a solitary Class 66, and the whole scene was watched over by the giant floodlight masts and the Angel of the North.

 

J

Jonathan,

The question I would as is:-

WHY try and schedule a train into a timetable that is already overloaded, I know that from seeing it every week, try to promise a speedy trip to Edinburgh, when we all know it is impossible on Saturday.

Surely a "switched on operator and TOC", would notice the problems in requesting a route, and know it a recipe for a slow speed crawl.

However, it gets advertised long range, without an idea on pathing etc..., and this inevitable conclusion happens.

IF, I had decided to book on this and I told my wife that it was going to take 6 hours to get to Edinburgh from Newcastle, the fallout would be nuclear.

That same fallout will come from passengers on the day I am afraid, frightening a further batch off the mainline.

Alternatively make the stretch only open for 90mph capable locomotives on Saturdays....

 

So surely then that is issue with the Railtour Promoter who are issuing descriptions of tours in advance, such as 'Speedy trip to Edinburgh', and not with Network Rail planners?

 

We did this day out last year, never again, the time to get from Huddersfield to Edinburgh is out of order. Oliver Cromwell did it last year, it spent as much time parked up as it did running.

 

On time and taking it easy near Alnwick, about 7 miles north of the stop at Wooden.

It's hard to believe that it's 49 years ago this week that I first saw 60009, southbound on a special, 2nd May 1964. My first A4.

Frightening.

 

My first A4 sighting was in about 1958 (that's an even more frightening time ago) At Darlington Bank Top Station, 60026 Miles Beevor, it was blowing off under the overall roof , scared me to death! Many years later I was riding on the footplate of Sir Nigel Greasley at Carnforth when it blow off, I was instantly reminded of 1958.

 

The last and only time I saw Miles Beevor was under much sadder circumstances.

It had just arrived at Hughes Bolckow's yard at North Blyth to be cut up. We often used to visit the yard on our bikes. Sir Ronald Matthews, Kingfisher and Lord Farringdon all went to the torch there. 60024 and 60034 arrived at the same time. The December light and a dodgy wind-on on my Ilford Sprite camera conspired against decent photos. This is Kingfisher at the end of the scrap line.

 

A shot of 60009 at Houndwood in the early afternoon:

 

When I saw your comment about your first sighting I wondered if it might have been a week later on the 9th May on Peglers Pullman when 9 worked the evening return from Edinburgh - Doncaster of a train with the Master Cutler set which had taken 4472 to Scotland in the morning. 60009 returned north partway on the following Monday when she worked the 16.30 Newcastle - Berwick stopper.

Today after seeing her cross the Tyne and travel over Byker Bridge, I was disappointed that I could not see any sign of her or her stock at Heaton Yard.

 

No, the following week (9th May) was my first sighting of 4472.

I was at Longhirst on both days with some school pals. I'd just started going there for the main line the week before - a day of little traffic because of a derailment at Belford, I remember. One A3, a K1 and an A1 were the only steam we saw that 25th April and we were lucky to get the A1. Wilson Worsdell came north as we were getting on our bus home and we were held up at the gates.

On the 2nd May we were at the crossing when No 9 came through from the north, all a-gleam. Late morning or mid-day I think. It was the cleanest loco I'd seen at the time and my lasting impression as it passed between us and the signal box was a mass of reflections of the sky on the wedge front and casing, topped by a massive chimney. We went back the following week for 4472 and were at the old colliery (now a spruce plantation) a few hundred yards south of the crossing when it went north.

I looked on Six Bells Junction for detail of the 2nd May trip (which I knew about at school in advance), but there's no sign of it, although the Pegler Pullman is there. By the time 60009 came south on the 9th we were probably back at home off the 5 o'clock bus having tea.

 

Ah Longhirst Box and level Crossing many an hour spent there on Saturdays in every season.

 

I went back to the old colliery for old time's sake one day last summer. The first time I'd been back since those days of steam in the mid 60s.

We used to sit on the top of some massive sandstone structures that must have had something to do with the winding gear or something like that and apart from the pitfalls they were the only sign of the colliery, even in those days. We used the pitfalls as a cycle track for racing and doing jumps, 20 years before BMXs.

Last year I went into the wood from the track and I was amazed to see these same structures still standing amongst the trees, now damp and mossy in the shade. I could even pick out the places in the stonework we used for footholds to climb up to the top. Eerie doesn't begin to describe the feeling.

 

No 9 near Darlington
Henry

 

Getting warmer Jonathan, it seems they are the easy target at the moment, as mentioned weekends are rammed on ECML above Newcastle, that's why other runs to Edinburgh now take place midweek.

Why advertise something that is obviously going to fail to deliver, on problematic dates, or is it used as a balancing move, and the passengers are an inconsequential part of the equation???

Either way, it does mainline steam no favours....

 

Some nice shots/vids - many thanks, chaps.

Henry's one is a cracker

Mark

 

Thank you Mark
H
elliottsteamscene