Britannia Banker 29th may - 70013 +9466

At least there should be no problem with lineside fires! Look forward to the vids on the Lickey later.
Brian

 

yes i am looking forward to the princess climb the lickey. it is going to be a tremedous sight with 9600 banking the train.

Am i right in thinking 9600 is going come from tyseley to bromsgrove via barnt green come half way down bank and use the points just north of bromsgrove station? and make use of the signal going into the goods yard. or will it go down to droitwich and come up behind the train?

 

Does anyone have any more information about 9600's LE move?

 

I saw this posted on RMWeb by 'TheSnapper':

Banker:

Train 660Z662 runs SO fr
Train category ZZ Loco-Haule
Train service code 22244008
Uid N/A Sector 50 Sub-sec

Location Booked C
66426 TYSELYSTM 16:33
66420 SMALL HTH PASS 16:40 2
66324 BORDSLYJN PASS 16:52 2
66323 STANDRWSJ 16:54 17:06 0
66324 BORDSLYJN PASS 17:08 2
66508 LIFFRD EJ PASS 17:15 2
66510 KINGSNRTN PASS 17:24 2
66519 LONGBRIDG PASS 17:28 2
66525 BARNT GRN PASS 17:32 2
67003 BROMSGROV 17:37

Usual caveats apply as regards accuracy.

Regards,

Dan

 

Thanks Dan much appreciated

 

[video=youtube;SiysDbO44_g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiysDbO44_g&feature=player_embedded[/video]

In wet conditions, 6201 attacks Sapperton Bank in style.

 

Through Shrivenham on the return trip slightly ahead of schedule.

 

Brilliant, confident ascent of the Lickey. The speed seemed to be constant at, a pure guess, around 20mph on a dry rail. I saw the train go over the summit from the access footpath for the cottages at Blackwell. The pannier on the back was going great guns, but the big noise was the perfectly even bark of the Princess. There were a lot of children there, I guess they were attending a party in one of the houses. After the train passed they were all smiling. The never ending attraction of steam. Fantastic!

 

A few phots from the Lickey at Pikes Pool:

9600 descending: http://david1984.fotopic.net/p65097792.html

6201 & 9600 thundering uphill: http://david1984.fotopic.net/p65097850.html

9600 on the rear shoving hand: http://david1984.fotopic.net/p65098115.html

 

Two more pictures:

http://www.upmain.fotopic.net/p65097793.html

http://www.upmain.fotopic.net/p65098469.html

 

Heres a video of the Lickey ascent - what a soundtrack! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcL9tnOP-wI

 

Very true. I took a quick photo but was more interested in just watching the fantastic spectacle. Let's hope we don't have to wait too long before the next one.

 

My efforts from the "gallery" at Pikes Pool http://railways.mjspencer.com/gallery/v/May2010/IMG_7760.jpg.html Certainly made a good sound climbing the Lickey

 

That is excellent

Well done to Vintage Trains, the 6201 team, WCRC and Network Rail - job done!

Regards,

Dan

 

If this works, here's my quick shot from the summit.

(Hope it's OK for me to put this photo here, rather than a link)

 

Great vids and pics posted from the lickey all, the shots from Pikes pool are superb and just captures mainline steam at its best!!!

 

Well it's not the Lickey, it's just Didcot :bored:, but here's my clip of Lizzie looking great today, plus footage of Tornado on The Bath and Bristol Explorer up train just down the road an hour later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqrhlnkY1Ns

 

Fantastic display well done vintage trains


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h1lORIIDwo

 

Many thanks for the lineside photos and videos - here's my story from the train.

It was a grey damp morning at Tyseley and 6201 at the head of nine coaches struggled to lift the train out of the Warwick Road station, continually losing its feet and taking ten minutes for the short journey to Small Heath South Junction. After that, things picked up and she moved smartly round Birmingham and on to Worcester, picking up passengers at various stations. A brisk run on to the Gloucester water stop followed, with many miles covered at around 70 mph. After heading into the Cotswolds, she got stuck into the climb, reaching 52 through Stroud and a maximum of 54 at Brownshill. Then speed dropped back on the steepest climb: 45 at Chalford, 40 at Frampton Mansell and 36 entering the tunnel - a very respectable performance on what was still a damp rail. Running down into Swindon she reached her maximum speed with ease, and more lively running ensued along the main line. Speed into the high seventies was brought to an abrupt halt at Wantage Road where two HSTs went ahead of us on the double track section.

On the return run, she did not have to go much above 70 to reach Swindon before time, then ran well on to Kemble and more quietly through the Cotswolds. Back on the main line after Gloucester, she again reached her maximum before slowing for the restriction through her old home of Ashchurch. After the Worcester stop we were on time approaching Stoke Works Junction, but had to await traffic on the main line before going into Bromsgrove yard, where the pannier tank 9600 coupled on the end. Another wait while two Voyagers passed, and then in full dull just before 7.45, we were away. The engines whistled up to each other then gave everything they had got, and we were already up to 17 mph at Bromsgrove station. The acceleration continued as we hit the climb, working slowly up to 23 at the A448 and still building up to 27 at Vigo, remaining at 26/27 all the way to the top at Blackwell. It was a thrilling climax to a wonderful day, and I will not dwell on the next 80 minutes moseying back to Tyseley!

All that, plus the excellent Didcot Railway Centre and two quick HST dashes to Swindon and back for my first visit to STEAM, the museum of the GWR. I found this excellent and will certainly go again when time permits. Good to see Caerphilly Castle and Evening Star well displayed in a fitting venue.

No photos this time. I would like to be able to say it was a camera malfunction, but in truth it was a memory malfunction - forgot to pack the camera! You can still see all my other pictures, though.

Peter, on a sunny Sunday morning in Manchester
http://pjhrailpics.fotopic.net