9466 on the Looe branch 19th/26th Sept

One to get the GWR enthusiasts salivating! Latest Heritage Railway announces that Vintage trains have plans to top and tail 9466 on four round trips on both the above days in September. 9466 towards Looe, diesel return. Loco and stock will be based at Laira in between weekends. Discussions are ongoing between Network Rail and First Great Western but are 'positive'. I wonder if VT plan to have a loaded light engine & stock move for this one?!!

 

Poor old 9600 will be feeling a bit left out then.out:

 

That's uncanny!! Just had a week in Looe (ok - no "in lieu of what" jokes plse) and I was saying to Mrs S what an ideal job it would be for a summer top n tail job for a pair of panniers. Any idea why the pair aren't on together - would be a tremendous thrash up the connecting spur to Liskeard? Still, will be 9466 facing uphill on the spur I guess? High fire risk though, branch is mostly tree and bracken lined.

 

Fantastic idea running to Looe! - one of the few lengths of the national network which has not seen steam since the 1960's.

Not wishing to put a dampener on it though I am surprised that Panniers are considered suitable for this line with its continuous sharp 270 degree curve between Likeard & Coombe Junction (where reversal is necessary).
It will be particularly punishing on the loco tyres if a Pannier is used on that part of the route.

In steam days this would have been a 45xx job with their much shorter coupled wheelbase & I think that Mk1 coaches are only allowed here with the gangways disconnected because of the curvature. Hopefully these issues are already resolved.

 

A quick trip to the "railway room" reveals the following from the BR(W) Engine Loads Book of June 1963 for the Looe Branch:

Locos of type 82xxx, 55xx, 36xx, 94xx all permitted to take 240t Liskeard - Looe & Looe to Coombe Junction; & 170t Coombe Jct - Liskeard.

Locos of type 16xx, 74xx permitted 220/144t as above.

(240t approx equal to 7 coaches; 170t approx equal to 5 coaches).

It would be interesting to know if any type other than a 45xx/55xx was ever used on the line.

 

Nothing Mainline approved is more suitable so Panniers or nothing it seems, i don't think tyre wear will be much of an issue on a few one off specials compared to say a season on the Jacobite.

Well done VT on an imaginative and seemingly popular idea, i know people wanted steam on the Cornish branches, but didn't expect it from Tyseley given how far from base the Duchy is.

 

Wonder why its not top and tailed with 9600 rather than a diesel?

 

Lets just be thank full steam is running on this delightful line.

Im sure the orgainsers have thought of the pros and cons of using 2 steam locos.

Jim S

 

I'm tempted to pop down to say I've done the branch. It looks like its replacing the ordinary rail service on the branch, so I wonder if it will be reasonably priced?

 

Price-wise we went from Sandplace (nr Looe) to Plymouth last week for £5.50 return ea. The Sandplace-Liskeard bit worked out at 50p ! Got to be one of the few rail bargains around? Noted lots of flange lubes all along the branch - could make for an interesting climb up to Liskeard.

 

I'm not exactly a GWR man, but there's no way I'm going to miss this one. GW steam on the Cornish branches is one of those things that has to be done!

 

Now on the Vintage Train website : - Taken from the page for the 19th September

The Looe Valley Explorer

Commemorating 150 years of the Looe Branch as well as the 175th Anniversary of the Great Western Railway, the two consecutive Sunday's of Looe Valley Explorer trains mark the return of steam to the Looe branch for the first time in nearly 50 years!

Travel from Liskeard to Looe and back, on board Vintage Trains historic 1960s coaches, top and tailed by steam locomotive GWR designed Pannier Tank No 9466 and a classic 1960's English Electric Type 3 (Class 37) diesel. Thrill to the sound of 9466 banking the train up to Liskeard from Coombe Junction!

All tickets are Standard Class only and entitle the bearer to travel on any normal timetabled First Great Western service west of Newton Abbot (inclusive) on Sunday 19th September 2010 in order to access the special workings (sleeper service excepted).

Trains will only stop at Looe for about 10 minutes with limited opportunity for passengers to alight.

Steam hauled one way by 9466. Diesel hauled the other way by a Class 37.
Fares
Standard Class: £25* (return tickets only)

* Valid only on your booked Train (A,B,C or D) indicated on the ticket



Trains / Times
Train A - Depart Liskeard at 1050, returning at 1210

Train B - Depart Liskeard at 1255, returning at 1415

Train C - Depart Liskeard at 1455, returning at 1640

Train D - Depart Liskeard at 1710, returning at 1830

Details of Diesel hauled trip one way from Solihull on the 18th and the return on the 27th, as well as morning train from Plymouth and evening return on both Sundays

 

Looking at the VT website, it would appear that the Pannier will be working from Looe to Coome Jnc with the 37 leading up to Liskeard. The Pannier will also head the evening run from Liskeard to Plymouth.

 

It says 9466 will be banking the train up from Coombe Junc to Liskeard. I would've thought it would be chimney first out of Looe on the front of the stock, but that would then mean bunker first up the bank.

 

If its banking from Coombe Jct to Liskeard it will be chimney first from Looe - 9600 will presumably lead from Looe, then when the train reverses the 37 will lead up to Liskeard with the pannier at the back.

 

As an extra bonus 5029 is booked to stop at Liskeard on the 19th. So anybody travelling from Bristol can travel steam hauled Bristol to Looe and return. When is the last time that was possible?

 

Looe branch has so often been left out for specials - I think it is the only Cornish branch to have not had steam in March 2007, except Bere Alston - Gunnislake. Also left out by diesel specials except a 37 both ends in 1998. And the connecting line at Liskeard going from the main line through the goods yard is very rare track. Once, many years ago, on the last train from Looe I was the only passenger and the conductor asked if I minded being dropped off on the main line up platform instead of the branch platform, to save the bother of running in and out of the branch platform - mind?? Some enthusiasts at the main line platform looked green with envy as I got off!

 

This is one trip I'd love to do, although there's a fair bit of logistical manipulation involved, particularly as I'm unable to book the Monday off work. I might end up doing a dawn patrol car-run from Pembrokeshire to Taunton, park there and catch a train down to Liskeard (providing there is no engineering getting in the way). May even book the last trip of the day so that I can return to Plymouth steam-hauled (I wish a few more positioning runs were done like this). September-October is looking like a vintage period for some very interesting railtours (no pun intended!)...