5043: Tyseley Warwick Rd-Kidderminster-Gloucester and return

I have just uploaded my video to the tube .... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d_-h4rnKLg

 

Ha ha - very good! Should have said 'sounded good echoing across the rooftops - I could hear it clearly from my attic'!

 

Lovely Video, suprised how loud she is on only load 5.

 

Ken is a gentleman who celebrated his birthday ( it's not my business to say which one) by inviting some 70+ family members friends and colleagues for a day out on a steam hauled train. and from what I heard of the three cheers and applause they gave him on our return to TYS this evening, they all enjoyed the day out.
As for passing through Mikes attic at 16.59....if it was a bit tidier maybe we wouldn't have been slowed by double and single yellows.
So Mike if you want more steam tours through your attic just tidy it up a bit....those two week old takeaway cartons......yuk!!!!!

 

just hope barbie,s choice of loco is the same as kens for next month.

 

Two shots in picture postcard conditions at Besford now on my fotopic site. Well worth the drive from Yorkshire!
http://richard5490.fotopic.net/p62869094.html
http://richard5490.fotopic.net/p62869093.html

 

a lovely loco ruined though by on every run it does by the furious 'blowing off'!in my young days as a railwayman i was often invited onto the footplate by the western crews especially from cardiff canton depot.if their engine started 'blowing off' they took immediate steps to correct it.they told me as i remember blowing off was frowned upon.the only engines i remember blowing off furiosly like 5043 were the bullieds and small standards.as they stood at salisbury.knight of the black eagle

 

Conversely I used to do the same at Leamington Spa General and the engines Kings & Castles were nearly always blowing off on arrival and would be blowing off harder just prior to departure. I too regularly got invited onto the footplate and was amazed at the amount of fire the fireman could get in.

You should not compare GW safety valves to others most used ross pop safety valves which would blow off suddenly and close just as sharply, the GW used ramsbottom safety valves which would start sizzling as boiler pressure was reached and get louder to let off excess steam then gradually get quieter as the pressure dropped. GW engine with a white feather at the safety valve shows that the fireman was on top of the job

 

i'm not into the technicalies of great western locos all can say whilst working inthe station master's office 1955/58 i rode on many engines and in every case when the engine 'blew off' the fireman took took steps to stop it,via the injectors i think.of i concede it did happen and i happen to think all 5043's runs have spoilt by persisting 'blowing off'every picture and video i've seen of this loco there's masses of steam from the safety valves.spoiling the appearence of the loco which obviously is performing fantastically!i look forward the 'bristolian' have lovely memories of 7018!

 

Have you thought that maybe it's necesary to have the power to tap as much as possible on the Mainline in the 21st century ?, a busy mainline with a frequent service, you could easily have units in the sections infront AND behind, and if your running on single/double yellows, as soon you a green you want to be up to speed ASAP to avoud delay to the train in the section behind.

Not saying that's the reason (im guessing tbh) but i doubt the Fireman would have her blowing off without good reason.

 

As a kid, I used to love the sound of engines blowing off in stations. It all added to the magnifcent spectacle that was steam! At Taunton it was normal for the Castle, Hall or King off a down train from London or Bristol not to blow off on arrival. With 3 mintues allowed for the stop, I clearly remember the safety valves slowly reaching the point of blowing off around one minute before departure. Constantly blowing off during the trains journey was unusual and boiler management prevented this in steam days. I too am baffled why WR engines do this now. Having said that, better blowing off that running short of steam and having to stop for a blow off as happened on a few occasions with Nunney Castle in the 90's. I would have given anything to see the safety valves lifting.
In mainline preservation, I recall 60009 standing in Temple Meads in the 90's adjacent to the station entrance, having just achieved almost 100mph down Whiteball. A derailment on Filton Bank meant that despite being ready to go, the train was held for a long time. Loco owner, John Cameron was on the footplate and he shrugged his shoulders as the needle reached the red mark and he said to me, the boiler is full so cover your ears. The noise from the A4 safety valves was deafening and seemed to go on for ever. Brilliant. Not that the Temple Meads platform staff were impressed. You simply could not hear any annoucements on the station tannoy. In fact is was difficult to hear yourself thinK! Magic

 

Looking through various photo's on various sites i can find very few photo's of the loco where it could be described as furiously blowing off...... There is however a heavy feather of steam coming off the safety valves, which is when a western engine Would be at its most efficient, and referred to as the fireman 'Firing to the road' in the little red pocket book 'fuel efficiencey on the footplate' issued to all fireman by the great western railway, Who undoubtedly knew a little bit about this subject..... I doubt station office staff were ever issued with one of these????
As for putting the injector on this would always be the case while standing in a station to keep an engine quiet, but when your working hard at 70 + mph one or even both injectors would almost certainly be in operation.... And when working hard for continuous periods keeping the fire up is a necessity, not only for the good of the performance but more importantly the loco's firebox!

 

I have travelled behind this loco on a number of occasions since it was returned to service and it has always appeared to be a very free steaming loco. Wherever it goes it always seems to display the traditional GW feather at the safety valves, but it is rare to hear it "blowing off furiously" as claimed by our correspondant. Unlike the loco's that Knight of the Black eagle would have encountered, it is highly likely that 5043's boiler will be far cleaner internally and the coal of a better quality than much of what was by then being supplied to BR (remember this was the reason why many of the Castles were fitted with double chimneys), and this will add to the engines steaming capacity. Additionally the double chimney Castles have a ferocious blast, and unless there is a good depth of fire in the middle of the grate, the fire can be very quickly ripped to pieces by the blast. Because of the depth of fire required, I would imagine that it cna be quite difficult to keep them quiet on occasions when slacks and other speed restrictions are encountered.

However our Welsh Star admirer should not confuse GW safety valves feathering with furious blowing off. Way back in GW days running with a "feather of steam" as it was called, at the safety valve was considered to be an indication of optimum steaming conditions and as such gave the maximum content of thermal energy per pound of steam produced. This efficiency was considered by the GW to outweigh any losses due to the slight quantity of water wasted. There is a vast difference in the noise produced by GW safety valves when they are actually blowing off fully when compared to when they are feathering as intended. That is why the GWR persisted with this design of safety valve rather than the pop type.

Knight of the Black Eagle should not confuse his limited experience of such matters from occasional visits to footplates and his office desk in Cardiff, with the reality of a GW loco running around apparently at the top end of its game.

 

Which anyone can read & digest to their heart's content here...
http://www.martynbane.co.uk/extras/gwr-firing/index.html

 

many people can read and talk about it, many people listining will think they know the job, they do till it comes to doing it.

 

your looking forward to the bristolian, why? are you making yourself available to be the fireman so it doesn,t blow off, not even once!

 

If 5043 doesn't blow off on the Bristolian, I will eat my hat!

Now we are complaining that there is too much steam? How about we just tow her behind a 47!

Honestly!

 

This run was a few weeks ago now, but I've just managed to load videos on to Youtube again. It's not great quality and hand held, but I thought you might like to see 5043 barking through Worcester Shrub Hill station.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVJ0t4KmrRM&feature=channel

 

I apolgise on behalf of all the footplate crew for the excessive steam blowing off and spoiling your shots of 5043 on her mainline outings.
Maybe those that criticize would like to come to Tyseley and show the 'amateurs' how it should be done.
With apologies to Penricecastle I didn't mean this to be a critisism of you, just using your post to emphasise a point.

 

No need to apologise to me saltydog. I don't care about the safety valves blowing strongly. Over the years I've heard many sarcastic (and light hearted) comments about Western locos running short of steam. 5043 is a magnificent loco that always looks on top of whatever task it is given. Far better to see it always on the red line than down the nick. My video was just a rush job on my way home from work. I happened to just get onto Shrub Hill station in time, rushed over the footbridge, pointed the video camera and pressed the record button.