Cathedrals Express (5th July) - Lewes to Ely

Anyone know when timings for this might be available? Nothing yet on UKSteam or Realtime Trains and it seems to be cutting it a bit fine.

EDIT It's not to Ely, it's Salisbury...

 

Touch wood Tornado. She seems to have a phobia of West Sussex as she was due to do the Lewes tour last year but the Sussex section was diesel hauled and she also failed to make it to the Bluebell 50th Anniversary Gala so hopefully a case of 3rd time lucky. I think she's been in East Sussex before though but not West.

I too would like to know timings as I will pop down to her. The ECS seems to stiop at Haywards Heath ofr a while and she's there again for 10 minutes on the way up

 

see Steam Dreams website timings page http://www.steamdreams.co.uk/executables/GT410WebContent.exe?ActionCode=Timings

Also http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U53205/2013/07/05/advanced

and ECShttp://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U53203/2013/07/05/advanced and http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U53204/2013/07/05/advanced.

 

Return times http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U53210/2013/07/05/advanced

ECS http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U53222/2013/07/05/advanced

 

So Tornado will be towed down to Hampden Park, arriving at 8:22am & departing 8:28am to use the cross-over to gain access to the up line and then run back up to Lewes just like Britannia did a couple of year's ago on this tour. I'm not complaining as this is steam down to the Eastbourne area which is a real rarity for my hometown but I do wonder why the tour organiser just doesn't start and the finish these tours at Eastbourne rather than Lewes as it would save all the faffing-about running down to Hampden Park to get on the up line and also I believe a number of passengers getting on at Lewes have all had to travel up from the Eastbourne area.

 

I quite agree - Eastbourne would be a good starting point. I can't think of any preservation-era steam tour that has ever picked up at Eastbourne. Maybe it's the lack of a platform at that time of the morning, given that trains have to spend several minutes in the station if they are reversing. It would have been a nice shot from the first road bridge out of Eastbourne. I took several pictures from there of the ECS from the newspaper train during the 1980s, which used to depart at about 8.45, and the sun was at just the right angle. At that time of the morning, especially given the cooler air near to the sea, one ought to get a decent exhaust, even on what is forecast to be a warm, sunny July day. By the time it gets past Basingstoke, I guess it'll be too warm for anything much to be coming out of the chimney, but I would still have gone out to see it, probably between Andover and Grateley. Unfortunately I completely forgot that it was running when booking an appointment for one of our guinea pigs to see the vet! Silly me. Still, I hope those that are travelling on it or photographing/videoing the train have a good day.

 

The Spitfires from Brighton to Faversham picked up at Eastbourne several times.

 

Would a 13 coach train plus Tornado plus Diesel fit in the platform and not go past the signals ?

Otherwise it could be platform capacity ( as suggested by john ) or pathing.

 

Yes- I suddenly remembered these trips about 3 hours after my previous post. I can't think of any others.

 

Eastbourne should be able to fit 13 plus loco and diesel. The Sussex Christmas Belle that visited last year had ten on plus diesel at rear and fitted into Platform 3 with space to spare. My best guess would be pathing problems as far as I know trains coming in and out of Eastbourne Station cannot pass each other. If one train wants to leave and another train is coming in, or vice versa, it has to wait for the other to clear as there's only one path. Also the first station from Eastbourne is Hampden Park, where I'm planning on photting Tornado tomorrow, is listed as Europe's most busiest level crossing and believe me it's a real pain in the bum trying to drive through that road without being delayed when the gates are down. It's actually one of those level crossings where the gates are more often down than there are up and during rush hours you can get stuck there for nearly 20 minutes before managed to drive past the crossing.

Having said all that though, surely it would be easier departing the tour from Eastbourne rather than Lewes to save all the time and hassle running it down to Hampden Park to use the cross over onto the up line and then running back up to Lewes. I remember two year's ago when Britannia did the same, it delayed a down service from arriving at Hampden Park and friend of mine who was on the station waiting to get the train said there was some very unhappy people as this had made them late for work and were going to complain to Southern.

 

Britannia crossing over at Hampden Park two year's ago which I guess Tornado will be doing the same tomorrow.

 

I seem to recall Tangers made it down to Eastbourne mid-way through a trip a few years back, helped out by the requisite box. Or have I just imagined that?

 

Yes I think it was around 2007 when Tangers came down to Eastbourne with a Spitfire tour.

 

That's right and 45231 did the honours in 2005 and 2006.

 

The ECS arrived and left Haywards Heath on time. Nice little chime whistle from Tornado when leaving. Again (like 70000 in 2011) both loco and support coach were clear of the platform making photos difficult so went to the car park instead with 2 or 3 others.

Did have someone after it left ask me if it was the Royal Train (probably because the Class 67 on the back was one of the Royal Train ones. Royal Soverign I think it was.)

 

Departed Lewes bang on time, with a spirited run towards Hamsey and Cooksbridge level crossings.

 

I see you had a decorator next to you!

 

Fortunately that wasn't me videoing it as I was up on the bridge by the level crossing My video of Tornado at Hampden Park will be uploaded to Youtube soon from today's excursion soon.

 

Departed Haywards Heath on time. Quite a few people must have boarded her as the platform she arrived on was quite busy then looked quite empty after she left.

Will put pictures up later and plan to catch her at Haywards Heath again this evening.

 

My video from Hampden Park Station this morning.