'The Royal Duchy' 2013

The final departure scene was from Yatton rather than Taunton. It sounds like it might have broken piston or valve rings. You can hear the steam escaping straight up the chimney on some strokes. 44932 lost quite a lot of time between Exeter and Bristol but it is sometimes surprising how ailing steam engines can sometimes struggle on in adverse circumstances.

 

At the end of a hectic Tuesday, what a joy to see this quality video. As steam fans we should all be very proud of the way 44932 and its crew, having shrugged off the failed diesel, managed the 90 odd miles to Bristol Temple Meads on its own. Can you imagine a diesel being able to do that. NO! One hopes that the "poorly patient" is restored to full health soon and we can hear a Black 5 sounding like it should.

 

Reflecting on Sunday, that was really sad and hard to take in to see the 5 struggle so much. In terms of main line steam, I have never seen anything like it.

 

Black '5' 44932 was hauled from Bristol to Southall on Tuesday evening. <BJ>

 

Popping back into this thread for the first time this week and wanted to congratulate Sidmouth for wise handling of some of Sunday's madness. Very well-worded posts earlier with a lot more maturity, common sense and dignity than what you were having to rein in. And I don't think maturity has anything to do with age when it comes to railway enthusiasts communicating on the internet.

 

Or a farmer losing a crop, I suspect?

Simon

 

Surprised it was allowed to carry on in that condition, especially as the insurance had broken down earlier.

 

70013 left Bristol on time lovely clag.

 

Any sign of a box?

 

No diesel

 

Just seen it at Dainton, storming up in the sunshine. Looked superb

 

Looked great through lostwithiel!

 

The very fact the insurance had broken down is most likely why the crew pushed on, who knows where the nearest rescue diesel would be.

 

Here's my video of the Royal Duchy on the 8th September 2013. Great sound from Ollie today, on the return she could be heard all the way up from Totnes to Dainton.

 

Interesting that the loop stop at Dawlish Warren was cut and the train stopped at Plymouth instead. This meant Ollie was about 30 early through Totnes. Thank Goodness for RTT! I got to Rattery in good time and while sitting in the car, waiting for a shower to abate, I checked my phone, then lept out of the car and hurried up the hill. I got everything set up just in time, though the camera wasn't balanced quite right, and the pan was not one of my best.

 

I've travelled behind locos sounding much worse than '932 but I agree it's a good example of how a steam loco can carry on even when all is not well.

 

Very nice filming there.

 

I can only ever remember hearing a loco sound like that once before.

I was a trainee at the time and was in the S&T stores at Wimbledon in March 1967 when the 10.30 ex Waterloo went past. The Merchant was working hard, (which was more than us trainees ever did), and going quite fast, but the exhaust beat was awful! One very loud and two much softer beats.

Good time that short spell with the S&T guys. Got a footplate ride later in the week on the 10.30 ex Waterloo, (35007, Southampton to Bournemouth and 80 down Hinton Admiral Bank), and one of the guys there then lent me the bearer footplate pass. Which I used with care until my training officer found out and retrieved it from me some time later, "trainee accountants should be at home studying at night, not riding around on steam locomotives". Or something like that.

Those were the days!

 

Yes, good stuff. With decent camera work. The lack of which totally ruins so much stuff posted here: so many zooms in and out and camera jerking this way and that: side to side and up and down. When I was making all my films in the dim distant past, (on tape of course!), I kept to a fixed camera unless I had time to properly set up my Vinten Vision 5 tripod and test I had the fluid head settings right for only gentle and steady movements. Lovely tripod that. Well over £1,000 over 20 years ago. I guess you could buy camera, tripod and editing software for less than that these days, even without adding the impact of inflation!

I particularly liked the last shot. Not easy to set up a fixed shot, it can easily end up with the loco in the wrong place as it goes out of shot. But you got that right IMHO. Nice amount of zoom, and you got the placing of the rails right too: the train went nicely from right to left and kept a sort of balance in doing that.