VT - 5043 & The Cotswold Explorer - Revised Date 19 Oct

My Great Grandfather used to work at Oxford station in the nineteen noughties and there was a circular that went round advising the staff of the proposals to expand Oxford. The date ? 1907!! The mills of the gods..

 

I was up at the footpath just close to the tunnel and I thought the conditions were magical. The Earl was audible for a long time, something I think fog helps with, and then loomed round the corner out of the gloom. I always feel if the conditions are going to be poor I want them very bad rather than just dull. Each to his own.
And I've just booked so I no longer care what the conditions are lineside!!!!!
If we get a run as good as the Cheltenham I will be well pleased.

 

So it's nearly passed the planning stages then.

 

So ben, what can we expect from the 2012 uk railtour of the year trip?

 

Well last year, we had delays due to trespassers in the morning and 45mins delays in the afternoon due to the unit in front of us hitting a badger.

BUT we arrived onetime in Oxford and back at Tyseley....so some spirited running to catch up.

This year, after pickups at Tyseleey, Snow Hill etc, we have Worcester to Gloucester Yard without stopping. We are in Gloucester Yard for minutes to let a XC pass us (no water) then its non-stop up the Golden Valley and Sapperton Bank, a quick sprint along the Western Main from Swindon to Didcot followed by a few hours in Oxford.

The return in non-stop from Oxford to Worcester through Evesham, then back to Tyseley.

So, we have high-speed non-stop running, 2 climbs (Sapperton and Old Hill), a great destination with lots to do, and all with very manageable start (7:30) and stop (18:20) times.

I have to ask everyone.....why aren't you on it!

What have me missed out? Lol

 

Is the freight train derailment at Gloucester going to adversely affect the running of the Cotswold Explorer?

 

Not that I'm aware of - the derailment is the other side of Gloucester station.

 

I'm not on it because it clashes with the East Lancs gala. Also, as it usual with VT tours, no provisional times are shown on the VT website, so, unless it's a tour I really want to do and am willing to pay for accommodation in Brum if necessary, I don't book until the actual times appear.

 

The challenge with listing approx times on the website and in the brochure (which is printed up to 8 months before the tour) is that the actual times received can vary considerably from the times requested.

Do we let people make plans (book transportation, hotels, etc) only to find that 3 days before the tour we are leaving 1 hour earlier than anticipated? This is the extreme situation and not a regular occurrence, but in our experience, it causes a lot more grief than good.

If you ring the office, we will tell you what we have asked NetRail for and what we have received in the past, but that is the best we can do.

In this instance, we have exactly the departure time we asked for - 07:30 from Tyseley.

And before anyone asks why our tours start so early, it is make use of as much daylight as possible!

 

Been looking forward to this for months, cant wait, I did enjoy the spooky fog last year as I was lower down and it didn't affect my filming as much, cloudy with showers so far for Saturday morning.

 

Ben has advised approx times when asked for on here.

 

I was at the footpath too - great vid conditions if you like the sound of a Castle!.
Wish I had the time to ride this one - sounds like a really good day.

 

For those venturing out to see the train in the Stroud / Frampton Mansell areas, be aware that the line will be very busy today due to additional traffic on the line between Swindon and Gloucester. The Severn tunnel is closed this weekend. <BJ>

 

Thanks for the heads up - if the frt has been cleared w of Glos

 

The Earl stormed up Sapperton in fine style pretty much on time. Vid to follow soon.

 

Thats great news 'iswise'. Being starved of steam in Reading now, so will be good to see your vid....Pete

 

Here is the video:

 

A still (which has been given some HDR treatment) from my video of The Earl passing Frampton Mansell as she storms up to Sapperton Tunnel. Absolutely terrific sound!

Hopefully going to catch up with her near Broad Campden later.

 

5043 Thunders up Sapperton (footage)

 

More Sapperton Footage. Its not the noise that gets you, its the sudden silence as it enters the tunnel!