If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

RTC 2022

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by 1020 Shireman, Nov 12, 2021.

  1. 6026 King John

    6026 King John Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2006
    Messages:
    1,592
    Likes Received:
    882
    Location:
    Hampton Court, Surrey
    Class 33 gala at the West Somerset this Saturday then!!!
     
  2. 6026 King John

    6026 King John Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2006
    Messages:
    1,592
    Likes Received:
    882
    Location:
    Hampton Court, Surrey
    Yes there is - the train has been retimed and now arrives in Minehead at 1135

    Return trip leaves at the same time but is routed via Bridgewater, Weston Super Mare, Bristol and Bradford on Avon
     
    LittleRedTrain likes this.
  3. LittleRedTrain

    LittleRedTrain Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2015
    Messages:
    307
    Likes Received:
    377
    Location:
    Oxfordshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Thanks, at least we'll get a decent amount of time in Minehead then.
    Looks like all the water/pathing stops have been removed from the schedule, and a much earlier arrival back at the drop-off points as well.
     
  4. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    21,967
    Likes Received:
    22,001
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66430/2022-08-13/detailed
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66431/2022-08-13/detailed

    Two hours from Taunton to Newbury via Bristol feels to me like a way of spinning out the time. Outward it was an hour and a half. I wonder whether it is all down to the meal service?
     
    banana patch likes this.
  5. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2006
    Messages:
    8,519
    Likes Received:
    8,485
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Train Maintainer for GTR at Hornsey
    Location:
    Letchworth
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Exactly that - dinner takes longer than breakfast.

    Edit - WSR timetable for the day.

    https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/timetables/view/180

    Charter due Minehead 12.15 - 15.45.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2022
  6. Sam 60103

    Sam 60103 Member

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2019
    Messages:
    953
    Likes Received:
    367
    Location:
    Kirkcaldy
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    RTC website has been updated to confirm that subject to sufficient rainfall that Bahamas will haul the 27th August Cotswold Venturer instead of Clan Line.
     
  7. 6026 King John

    6026 King John Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2006
    Messages:
    1,592
    Likes Received:
    882
    Location:
    Hampton Court, Surrey
    Time to start the rain dance then!!!
     
    green five likes this.
  8. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2014
    Messages:
    15,055
    Likes Received:
    17,537
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired, best job I've ever had
    Location:
    Buckinghamshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    The repairs to Clan Line’s thermic siphons will commence this weekend.
     
    green five, John Petley and horace like this.
  9. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    21,967
    Likes Received:
    22,001
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    It seems that the WSR charter went off ok yesterday with the Class 33s. And for some I suspect that was quite a novelty.
    It got me thinking.

    Main line loco owners and steam TOCs set aside a block of time for loco maintenance. Quite often this is in the closed season after Christmas and before the spring. It makes you wonder whether the summer could increasingly also be a good time for maintenance as possibly show pony or 'no pony' becomes a reality. You could still run your seaside trips but plan to do it with a heritage diesel. No water stops, shorter journey time; what's not to like?
     
    steamvideosnet and green five like this.
  10. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    15,517
    Likes Received:
    11,875
    Location:
    Wnxx
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Some of 55022’s first lot of railtours were advertised as such, first couple of coaches were for the cranks, middle bit was for the normals, last bit was for those wining and dining, throw in some interesting destinations and some reasonable start and finish times… I think VT are trying to do something like this.
     
    green five and 26D_M like this.
  11. 6026 King John

    6026 King John Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2006
    Messages:
    1,592
    Likes Received:
    882
    Location:
    Hampton Court, Surrey
    All very well but the pattern of weather is so unpredictable in this country that you could set aside such a period in August and yet end up with a steam ban, or partial ban in early Summer instead. I once went on a tour in April which was heavily diesel assisted due to fire risk and on the other hand I have been on tours in August that have been pure steam.

    So how do you decide when your closed season is?
     
    banana patch and acorb like this.
  12. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Dec 3, 2014
    Messages:
    15,055
    Likes Received:
    17,537
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired, best job I've ever had
    Location:
    Buckinghamshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    It should also be remembered that loco maintenance is hot and heavy work!
     
    RalphW likes this.
  13. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    21,967
    Likes Received:
    22,001
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Of course, but neither is it all that easy when your fingers are too numb with cold to feel what you are holding!
     
    andalfi1 and Greenway like this.
  14. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Mar 16, 2008
    Messages:
    3,966
    Likes Received:
    3,765
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    South Hams
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    ..........said the actress to the Archbishop.
    (sorry I could not resist it - put it down to the heat)
     
    Romsey and banana patch like this.
  15. Butler Henderson

    Butler Henderson New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2014
    Messages:
    29
    Likes Received:
    11
    Gender:
    Male
    Now there's a comment that I have not heard in years, except from my own lips. Who was the comedian who used that?
     
  16. 46223

    46223 Resident of Nat Pres Friend

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2011
    Messages:
    6,538
    Likes Received:
    6,099
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Lancs
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Sounds a bit like Ken Dodd.
     
  17. 30567

    30567 Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2012
    Messages:
    5,869
    Likes Received:
    3,791
    Greenway likes this.
  18. LittleRedTrain

    LittleRedTrain Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2015
    Messages:
    307
    Likes Received:
    377
    Location:
    Oxfordshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    All things considered, it was a good day. Had it been sold at as a diesel hauled tour originally, I think pretty much everyone would have been happy (except maybe the unfortunate couple who just missed the train at Reading, with no service trains to catch it up!).

    We had some good fast running with the 33s and the lack of anything else around meant we ran early for most of the trip. I think we may even have caught a couple of signallers out, as a couple of times we stopped at a red in the middle of nowhere with nothing else to be seen on Traksy.

    We did arrive at Minehead a bit late, after being stopped outside for 20mins for a platform to become available. Not quite sure what was going on, when we pulled in the service train was in Platform 2, some unexpected shunting perhaps?
    Either way, after being sat still in the heat, we were gasping for an ice cream upon arrival and the stall by the WSR entrance did good business!

    Although the longer return run was ostensibly to allow extra time for the dinner service, they brought out the starters pretty much as soon as we left the platform at Minehead and dessert was done by Cogload Jn! Still, the different return route at least provided some variety and the section through Bradford-on-Avon is particularly scenic.

    No mention on-train of the promised discount/credit, so I'll have to follow up with the office tomorrow. - Now offered by e-mail.

    I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly next time I try to book a steam tour with my partner and in-laws. (First time we had to cancel as dog got kennel cough, second time cancelled completely due to Crossrail testing preventing a suitable path being found, and this time no steam due to fire risk!)

    Class 33s at Bishops Lydeard.jpg class 33s at minehead.jpg
    Just a couple of phone camera record shots of the 33s, didn't bother with the big camera as with no water stops, there'd be limited opportunity to use it.
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2022
    banana patch and Oswald T Wistle like this.
  19. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2006
    Messages:
    8,519
    Likes Received:
    8,485
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Train Maintainer for GTR at Hornsey
    Location:
    Letchworth
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Apparently the ground frame at the end of P2 wouldn't unlock, so the service train had to propel out, run round in P1, then propel back into P2.
     
    LittleRedTrain likes this.
  20. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2005
    Messages:
    5,522
    Likes Received:
    3,208
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Retired Rolls-Royce engineer
    Location:
    Bath Green Park / Mangotsfield
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    It was interesting to watch the train at Keynsham as the tour ran wrong line from Bristol East depot to Bathampton Jn.
    The section is normally very busy. Thank goodness that it was a strike day :)
     

Share This Page