North Yorkshire Moors Railway General Discussion

Underlining Steve's summary, 75029 is currently out for its tyre replacement.

Where I get caught out is the assumption on occasions that a loco fresh from repairs ought to be OK for a few days, but those repairs often just cover the immediate urgency. 45428 for example was repaired, but not washed out. It was going to be taken out for that Friday, but that left nothing for diner, so stayed working and is out for washout from today. Of course that means a gap in the Whitby provision. 60007 going on holiday was not well timed!!

And yes, I'm told there are coaches hiding in the depths of the Grosmont sidings that should be added to the diner this morning.

I bet there's 100% steam availability from 3rd November!

David

 

Ignore that! 45428 just come off shed. Just when I thought the B1 would be on the long Whitby duty ...

Reminds me of 55A one summer Saturday in 1965-ish. Ambled down the shed around 02:00 and noted the duties for the day - lot's of extras. Of course, in the event just about every working was different to the plan as locos failed and everything moved up one.

David

 

Well, there is a reason that steam locos were dispensed with for use on the Big Railway...

Noel

 

Can't imagine what that can have been.......

 

Today 61264 was steamed for just 1230/1400 round trip

Eric did the 3 Whitby diagram (0915/1000/1200/1400/1610/1800)

25 did the long layover Whitby turns (1040/1245/1430/1640) & went through to Pickering on 1715

2807 also in Pickering tonight, having worked 0930/1130/1300/1540

44806 did 1100/1330/1500 today

 

Despite my uncertainty in advance, a good day. 61264 tender first on the return 8-coach diner was mind blowing. The diner food bit by the way was a private charter, a who's who of rail managers for a birthday lunch, faces such as Chris Green or Bob Breakwell etc.

2807 is quite a joy on the NYMR. It chugs along on the 1 in 49, a master of the grades and seems just right for the railway.

David

 

Something slightly different. I was cleaning out the garage today and came across some old NER paperwork which was part of a job lot I purchased many years ago.

Included is a 1915 goods clerk's ledger, which seems to have come from Hawksker on the Scarborough line; it includes many consignments from Grosmont, Ruswarp, Whitby and other nearby places, recorded traffic includes Whinstone, rubble, animal feed, drainpipes for Whitby Council, farm traffic. Is this of any interest at the NYMR?

Tim

 

It would be welcomed as a contribution to the Archive I am sure.
You will need to contact the Archivist Mark Sissons.

 

I have an unusual request. Can anyone point me to a copy of the NYMR timetable for April, May,June,July and August ?
Preferably electronic as I'm doing a comparison project on running day between various preserved railways.

 

If you can PM your e-mail address, I will see what I can find!

I would also be interested in the outcome of your project!

Steven

 

I'd be interested to know how the NYMR's level of service compares with the West Somerset's. In the ongoing debate over their internal divisions it is claimed that 2-6-2T 4561 is toom small for most of their services, which are comprised of 8 coach trains co,pared to our seven coach sets - so how come we carry around 50% more passengers? Do we run 50% more trains?

 

Well, a quick glance at the T/T's of both shows that, last week, the NYMR was generally running six return services on all days whilst the WSR generally ran four/five but none on Monday & Friday.
Train length isn't necessarily a good indicator, though. Trains are often kept in sets and shunting to add or remove coaches is not necessarily simple and is quite often something to be avoided. It is certainly so on the NYMR.

 

Well it is said that 8-coach trains are needed on the WSR, hence the reduced need for 4561. I'm sure that shorter trains would suffice at times on the NYMR and it's a pity that it doesn't have some more smaller locos for use at off-peak times.

 

Are there any gradient or curveature considerations to be aware of on the WSR?
Is it a fair comparison to use these 2 railways?
The NYMR has both and these do restrict the capacity of engines compared to the same engine working on a different line.
Steve will know the answer to this.
What is the capacity of, say the J27 on the NYMR and what is it when it visits say the GCR?

 

The Paignton line ran for some years with 4555 and 4588 hauling seven cars and often more. However their 2-8-0's, Manor and 75014 (briefly) took over their duties. 4555 has commenced a major overhaul programme so it will be out running in the future.

What isn't mentioned, so far, is the type and weight of coaches being hauled by the respective railways. Paignton prefers the suburban type trailer cars as they carry more people and also lighter in weight than some of the older compartment stock. Bear in mind the railway does not have a large support membership or the lottery to fall back upon, so maximum 'bums on seats' is the objective. It is not uncommon for the last train from Kingswear to Paignton (complete with a load of boat and ferry passengers, some standing ) to be 10 or more cars in length.

In any analysis it should be remembered that not every passenger on the line arrives back at their start point by train. Many arrive by bus having done a train/boat/road trip or caught one of the companies Ferry boats ( I do not refer to the companies Ferry across the Dart here) to start their day out.

 

On the NYMR, 6 coaches; on the GCR, probably infinite!

 

We had a thread about gradient profiles of heritage lines here:

https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/gradient-profiles-of-heritage-railways.95457/

I get the impression that GWR small prairies are under-boilered (or over-cylindered; take your pick). In other words, they'll shift a pretty big load, provided you don't expect them to keep doing it indefinitely. So it may well be possible to take a bigger load on a line that has, say, a mile of 1 in 60 than one that has 5 miles of unbroken 1 in 100. Water capacity would also come into that equation.

Tom

 

Not true either way, Tom. If you know what you are doing, you can keep a 45XX red - lining, regardless of what the driver does, or what is tied on the back. Like all GWR engines I have worked on they are fantastic steamers. As you say, with 1050 gallons water capacity, water can be an issue, particularly in the steam - heat season. We are normally rostered on the set 1/1/2 - 2 hours before departure for steam heating.

My normal practice is to do the biz, then hook off 20 mins before time, nip to the column, fill the boiler to the top nut, then top the tanks right up. Seems logical to me.

Reards,

jtx

 

The Filming for the Dad's Army movie has now taken place - 45428 now running as 5428 in wartime LMS livery for a while (before anyone points out Walmington-on-Sea was on the South Coast, the coaches were the teak set - there was a war on you know). The first filming to use Pickering since the overall roof was restored. (On a recent holiday, I met the Construction Manager who turned the clock at Pickering back to Victorian times before the roof returned for the film Possession - has a few "minor" motion pictures under his belt, like Titanic and a few James Bond films including the St Petersburg set for Goldeneye - a lovely man and he could teach any manager a thing or two about getting the best out of the workforce!)

After recent very unfortunate problems with Lambton No.29 which means the loco is out of service with a cracked cylinder block, Sapper has been hired at short notice from the ELR to cover No.29's role on the Santa Specials. 45428 and 76079, with 44806 as standby, will be the other Santa locos. All "traditional" trains are sold out, with a new format of "Santa Story Train" still available on 22nd December only - see the website.

75029 is currently being retyred. 44806 will be receiving mechanical work and major renewals to the tender this winter.

Non-loco news is that a concrete pad outside Pickering Carriage & Wagon has been cast using money received through an on-going bequest from a late member who helped in C & W in addition to providing a high standard of service in on-train catering. This has been topped up by donations, which would continue to be gratefully received as we cast the pad for the 2nd track outside C & W. The pads will mean jacking and lifting can be done without disturbing overhauls inside the shed.

Winter track work has started and is detailed on a separate topic.

Mulberries team room, alongside the buffer-stops at Pickering, is now run by the Railway's strengthened commercial department - open daily and now licenced, a wide range of refreshments are available - and doing no good to the waistlines of several senior employees and Trustees as various meetings seem to be preceded by lunch at Mulberries!

Steven

 

I hope you're not getting fat on expenses, Steven?