Main Line Events for 50th Anniversary of The End of SR Steam in 2017.

Martin

Please refer to my post 9:26pm yesterday above.

Paul

 

Paul, i have read your post, that will mean the engine arriving at exeter facing london, it will then have to be diesel hauled to kingswear, then if the loco is intended to be used for the following days trip to Penzance, it will need turning as the tour will need to be hauled with the steam loco on the back to Newton abbot before it can run on to Plymouth then onward, and again on the return will also need to have the diesel to return the tour back to Paignton for operational reasons, it makes more sence to route the outward via reading and newbury than via Salisbury andd honiton

 

The plan for the tour is 2 locos 35018 and 48151.
35018 London to Exeter, 48151 Exeter to Kingswear on the Thursday. Sunday 35018 Kingswear to Castle Cary, 48151 Castle Cary to Weymouth. Weymouth to London 35018 banked by 48151 out of Weymouth.

 

So actually that might not just be a dream if they can get a Waterloo slot or NR accepts British India Line can get up to Grosvenor bridge on its own.

I wonder if Castle Cary really means Westbury. Is there a loop at Castle Cary? I can't really imagine attaching 48151 on the main line.

 

Yes, there is - or at least, there was not so long ago. There's a loop platform and it has allowed loco run-round and loco changes in the recent past. Actually - when were the last Yeovil J - CC shuttles? IIRC they used the Eastleigh S15 and the M7, so maybe that's 20 years ago...

 

I have a Quail book for Western region from 2010. I will check this evening. Another option is that the 8f is attached at Taunton.

 

substitute a 47 for the 8f then its possible i still think my idea of the route is the one that works best less messing around , 35018 on front 47 either shaddowing or attached to tour at kingswear, drags stock to newton abbot, engine is then in right place for run to penzance steam off at par to turn on turntable, 47 takes tour onto penzance deisel stables stock, runs LE to par picks up benji and support coach drags both to penzance comes off engine and pob onto tour, deisel into platform, benji backs stock onto deisel, and then the deisel can provides assistance away from Penzance and is on the back ready to drag tour back to Paignton where TSR locos take over. and to get the tour to weymouth, you use the 47 to take the stock to exeter , benji on the back , runs via Salisbury laverstock to eastleigh tour reverses so deisel on front to weymouth , then 35018 takes tour with 47 assisting only on bank ,dropps off at bournmouth, then a fast run Bournmouth to waterloo

 

Route details are available at www.uksteam.info
35018 London-Salisbury-Honiton Exeter, then 48151 Exeter-Kingswear
35018 Kingswear-Taunton-Castle Cary, 48151 Castle Cary-Weymouth, 35018 Weymouth-Southampton-London

Edit: I expect that 48151 will probably be stabled at Bristol, Taunton or Yeovil Jn and will be attached at Castle Cary where there is a suitable loop line. It will tow the whole train plus 35018 down to Weymouth.

Just a reminder that the 2017 main line steam tour program as published to date is now available at www.uksteam.info

 

Pretty sure 48151 is badged for 50MPH, though I take your point that pathing something at less than 60 along there could prove tricky.

 

48151 will probably be attached at Castle Cary and then haul the train plus 35018 to Weymouth.

 

Looking at trackmaps it is not posssible to access platform 3 or the loop from the Western end of Castle Cary station. The train would have to go past the station before reversing onto the down main to access the line to Weymouth.There is a siding off the up main at the Western end of the station.

 

It certainly was back in 2011, IIRC the tour it did from the Mid Hants to Canterbury in June 2011 suffered delays partially because of 48151 not being able to keep up with a 60mph schedule

 

Maybe 35018 will continue a further 15 miles past Castle Cary to Frome station.
Frome might be a better location for 48151 to attach plus it would be suitable for watering and it's much easier to reverse tour direction there to reach Weymouth via Castle Cary. I mention this as I'm not sure current signalling at Castle Cary would allow 48151 to attach easily.
I suspect 48151 will not be on the back from Kingswear as that would mean 45 mph all the way. Perhaps it may turn at Churston then go to Yeovil for further servicing before hauling the train to Weymouth and then banking to wherever is decided.

 

if the 8f is attached to the rear, can a 50 mph path on a fast main line be accommodated? i think this is wishful thinking on behalf of the tour operator and by the time NR have chopped and changed either if its another steam loco it will have to be a 75 mph rated loco, such as either a Scot or Jub , in preference, to the 8f, or will be a box , the main sticking point for me is pathing a train from paignton, to Castle Cary and from Eastleigh to Weymouth , using a loco that is limited to 50 mph on what is in the case of Eastleigh to Weymouth a very heavy used main line

 

But pathing the 8F first thing in the morning LE to Castle Cary/Frome/Westbury as appropriate ought to be feasible?

with 35018 on the front from Weymouth and 48151 on the back, is there any reason the 8F couldn't be detached at Bournemouth ready for a service at 71B? A path from Weymouth to Bournemouth at 45/50 ought to be feasible.

If I could buy an insurance policy which gave me my money back if it wasn't pure steam to/from Exeter on days 1 and 4 I'd go for it. Obviously the Q1 out of the NRM would be better than the 8F but that would be fantasy rather than dream.

 

Instead of 48151 being attached at Castle Cary or Frome, why not go that little bit further to Westbury and attach the 8F there? Yes, the 50mph speed limit could be problematic, but on a Sunday, how busy is the B&H between Westbury and Taunton really? A quick look on RTT for this Sunday shows gaps of up to an hour between trains at Castle Cary through the middle of the day (between 1200 and 1600), and in that time, the train should be able to get between Westbury and Castle Cary (in the region of 20 miles) at a max of 50mph.

James

 

Steam bankers on the DCE's (2010 and 2011)were detached at Wareham.

 

And also at Dorchester South on some occasions. May not be possible now, of course.