Cathedrals Express - 4th Aug Bristol from Cambridge

Very much looking forward to this as its a rare chance to catch a tour from my home town without the need for a long drive to the pick up point.

Got my ticket today. Confused to discover that the ticket has a different departure time on it to that written on the letter that came with it. Just looked up the A1 Pres. trust website and now see a third (earlier still) departure time ;-)

Oh well, I will just turn up at the station at 8:30 and see what arrives.........

 

The times on the A1 site are the outline times. The Steam Dreams website has a departure from Cambridge at 7:48.

 

thats going to be fun as theirs a nxea departure to liverpool street at that time and another at 07:51 theirs not alot of gaps in platform allocations at that time

thanks al

 

Network rail aren't going to say they haven't got a path again for this run are they after the Kings Cross to York incident recently?

 

Apparently its not stopping at cambridge. Starts ely and picks up at waterbeach and whittlesford.

 

where did they Ely bit come from? the times on the a1 trusts website can be done if they alter two of the trains platform allocations about

 

Apparently according to the letter we got the train is too long for Cambridge at that time (presumably the whole of the long platform is not available) and they cannot get a suitable path. That explains the Ely start with Passengers from Cambridge being ferried on a normal service train to Whittlesford Parkway where the train will now stop. I just hope all the Cambridge passengers read their letters properly.

Could the major works to build the new island platform at Cambridge have been a factor in this ? The current platforms do have some building works going on to build the footbridge, but I think the full normal platform length is still available.

 

shame

but i cant see how the building work has affected this theres plenty of gaps in the ecs coming in but many do sit on the platform way to long, theirs only 2 12 car train leave in the morning from platform one at 07:15 and 45 it could be fitted in after that

 

Times now available on UKsteam website . Tornado departing Ely at 07.36 , picking up Waterbeach, Whittlesford, etc .

Wonder if Tornado will travel to Ely the night before ?

 

I have now added the ECS moves at www.uksteam.info/tours/t11/t0804a.htm
The ECS from Eastleigh moves overnight via Reading, Southall where 60163 is attached, Finsbury Park, Peterborough (reverse) and March.
This is the first DBS rail tour movement for a long time to use Southall.

David

 

I assume the ECS is dragged by a diesel? There are turning moves at March each way, so 60163 will be tender first between Peterborough and March and vice versa, but not a great amount of time allowed for water stops.

 

Yes.
http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t11/t0804a.htm
Bottom of page.

 

0759 passing Cambridge if you are waiting for your commuter train!

Incidentally 60163 must be fairly long-legged water-wise, Looking at the times on David's site I can only see a brief stop at Challow which might be for water, but it is only for a few minutes. Surely Tornado cannot run Ely-London-Bristol on one tank?

Edit: Looking at the timings again there could be a water stop at Bishops Stortford outbound.

 

The forecast RAIN=don't bother with water stops.
Shame.

 

28 minutes at Broxbourne on the outward, and 11 on the return it seems for water stops.

 

Can they get water to the platform at Broxbourne Southbound, as I don't think there is access on that side, Stortford the same ? All recent Southbound waterings in the area have been done at Harlow Town in the side platform where they throw the pipe over the fence. Its scheduled to stop there for 15 minutes so maybe a quick splash and go until Hampstead ?

 

Surprised my daughter sitting on a commuter train waiting to depart Cambridge for London. Travelling at a decent speed she said, but it was about 08-15, so about 15 minutes down on schedule.

 

1 minute early at Reading.

 

Well I did venture out in the rain for this earlier, but the car needed a first time ever push start from the builders next door, then a rush to the fields near Twyford when I could see her in the distance ( obviously caught up time from earlier post) ' bit of a run myself, fell over in the long wet grass, stood up to see her coast by ! Camera....no time or indeed will power by then ! What we do in search of steam. BUT SHE DID LOOK GOOD

 

I was unable to see Tornado on the outward run so chose a quiet location to video the return working. The position I chose is on the outskirts of Bristol next to the River Avon. Normally the only sounds heard are of horses being ridden along the towpath or birds chirping whilst flying around the beautiful setting next to St. Annes tunnel ......but not today!! Just before Tornado was due to pass, a group of workers near to the River Avon decided to use a chain saw to fell a series of trees. I could hardly hear the train approach the exit of the tunnel as the noise was so loud. A few minutes later Tornado appeared. I attempted to film the train despite the noise but there was no clag from Tornado's chimney and then to my horror I noticed the stock. Fourteen coaches and fourteen different liveries !! Time to abandon the filming and simply watch the train hurtle by. Some days you win (yesterday) and some you lose (today).
The only good news about today was the fact that because of the earlier rain, the likelyhood of a lineside fire is rather remote. Now let's check uksteam to see what's running in the next few days.

Good evening. <BJ>