RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9th

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Same reason 6201 did on our return to Victoria a few weeks ago Ralph! . It should have a "4" in front of the other four numbers. But someone had rubbed it out, (probably some southern vandal trying to replace it with a "3"). LOL!

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

After seeing Scots Guardsman today I can gladly report that there was no assistance from the 47 on the 1-80 climb away
from Templecombe on the outward run. Ay Upwey this evening the 47 was pushing quite hard but understandable on such
a busy stretch of railway. Nevertheless, a magnificent sight and sound to behold. <BJ>

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

some photos from yeovil today at http://keyhamtrain.fotopic.net

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

I've broken the golden rule and arranged a short holiday built around mainline steam. Hope to see the run on the 21st with 30777 and 60019.

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Well all I can say is what an awesome engine. I went on this trip ready to be fully disappoint but it didn't quite turn out like that. Things looked bad as we set off from Olympia, being pushed very hard from the back but then that finished time for some real action from the front. I'm not keen on the on the Stains route seems a complete waste of time when there is a perfectly good main line. Anyway we appeared to be following a stopper with lots of signal checks. This all added to the audio pleasure from the front, things were looking up, then we were soon on the main line. MP31 was the first point of note went over at about 55mph with a very noisy front end . Routed down the slow to Basingstoke we had a reasonable run. Nice run from Worting junction to Andover with a 76 mph through the station with the brakes on.Next came the wonderful noisy accent up trough Grately, when you can hear the loco working hard a 60mph it really is happy days. A nice speedy run into Salisbury followed. Some wonderful noisy action up through Dinton, Gillington and Templecome, if the 47 was doing any work it wasn't for the want of trying by SG, a magnificent machine. A 77mpf through Sherbourne with the brakes really hard on brought a big smile to my face, I wonder just how fast she could have gone. Unfortunately we didn't see the loco turned a Yeovil as this was done after we left. Due to a medical emergency we were late into Weymouth, mind you the 47 made hard work of the climb to Evershot Tunnel and we only ad 1 1/2 hrs to quench our thirst.
The run back I felt was a bit muted, although now at the back of the train you could still hear SG working hard. Diesel was pushing up Bincombe bank and at Christchurch appeared not on Parkstone though. Caught a glimpse of 30777 at Southampton GL, much waving between trains. A nice climb from Eastleigh with 54 into Litchfield Tunnel, I was looking back at the 47 and it didn't look like it was pushing. We were messed about with from Farnborough swapping fast to slow lines several times and really slowed progress into Waterloo. A great day out that exceeded all my expectation, well worth the £39. Not a trip for the speed kings but still a wonderful day


I spoke to the guy how schedules all of WCR's locos, he explained that the reason for little diesel assistance on our trip was due to the type of spark arrestor fitted. SG has a self cleaning smoke box. This has a large plate fitted so that cinders are smashed into very small pieces and then are blown out and are almost cold. The fire risk is much less with this design. They have it fitted to the 8f and Black 5. Ian Rileys black 5's also have the same design. 30777 on the other hand has a simple mesh arrestor and allows much larger pieces to come out thus increasing the risk in addition only being a class 5 it has to work much harder. All very interesting if true and I've no reason to doubt it.

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

My Video from Woking, 46115 is the first part (30777 the second)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asmPr0G3tRE

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Very interesting reading. Especially re the spark arrestor situation, which does explain why the box on this train seems to have been reported as pushing less than that behind the Arthur.

Re that dreadful plod around via Staines! I think it is because there just isn't a pathway down the main line. Apart from the one at 07.17 that 35028 has made very good use of a couple of times recently.

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Yep the staines path keeps it off the main line - and also gives those in dining a chance to finish their meals.

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Any idea who the crews were?

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Does anyone know when SG is going back up North and which route it will be taking?

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Evidently gone to carnforth today

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

The problem seems to be getting paths in the "down" direction in the mornings. There is more scope for a direct run to Waterloo in the up direction in the evenings. I believe all the Dorset Coast Expresses this year are travelling down via Staines and back via the main line (which actually is a pain for those of us who find Staines a convenient on/off point). On Sundays the situation is a bit different and there are more morning paths down the main line.

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Hello All,

A small collection of photographs I took at Yeovil Junction when "The Dorset Coast Express" hauled by Class 7P "Royal Scot" 4-6-0 46115 SCOTS GUARDSMAN arrived on Friday 9th. July 2010 have been added to my fotopic site.

Please click on the link below if you wish to view them.

Link; http://preservedrailwaylocomotivephotosbyrichardsmith.fotopic.net/c1870289.html


Best regards SteamHawk216.

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

A superb trip with 46115 and a complete contrast to last weeks disappointing Swanage Belle with 30777 + Class 37.

A few of my shots from the run here: http://steamtube.ning.com/photo/albums/dorset-coast-express-90710

Spindizzy covered much of what occured but I will add a little more. We had a great day which began with the unusual sound of two steam charters being announced over the tannoys at a packed Woking station and then the SD stewards telling people heading to Swange not to board 46115's train as she rolled in!
Some great running followed to Yeovil with a wonderful soundtrack from 46115 and very little assistance from the class 47 on the rear of the train. It was very evident 46115 was working hard on the outward run when we looked at our table after getting to Yeovil and it was covered in deposits from the exhaust. One of the other passengers commented on how much there was. It is certainly the most I have ever witnessed on a steam charter. One highlight of the outward run was the water stop at Salisbury. It was already very hot but things certainly got hotter when the RTC stewardesses posed with 46115!
The diesel section from Yeovil was delayed at Pen Mill as a lady had collapsed in the heat and we had to wait for an ambulance. I hope that she is okay now. We heard the heat was getting unbearable in the first class carriages. It was pretty uncomfortable in the standard class where we were. We got a little worried about whether the class 47 was going to make it over Evershot Bank as it certainly made hard work of the climb.
After a brief visit to Weymouth to get some Rossi ice creams we headed back to the station just in time to see 46115 return light engine from Yeovil Jct. We then had a very spirited run back up the ML with the 47 assisting only up the bank out of Weymouth and for a very short section through the New Forest. At Southampton UGL we passed 30777+ the 47 on the SD charter with cheers and waves coming from both trains as we headed on to a water stop at Eastleigh. Fast running followed again as we raced through Worting Jct. For the return run we stayed on to London. Sadly after Woking we encountered several signal checks but 46115 was allowed to stretch her legs nearer the capital. After some quick shots at Waterloo we had to dash for our service back to Aldershot but we were very happy after a superb day out with 46115. I hope this magnificent loco returns south again in the future.

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

46115 was awesome on Friday,had a brilliant trip,the climb to Buckhorn W was simply amazing.

My photos are now up at:
http://mark-walker.fotopic.net/c1870956_1.html

Cheers,
Mark

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Part 1 of the vid now up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGBOeMK5Q54

Cheers,
Mark

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

I enjoyed this trip quite a bit, although I'll add the customary British complaint about the weather- it was far too hot! I walked through First Class at Yeovil Junction, and it was absolutely baking! All that upholstery and carpet did its very best to retain the heat form the sun, and made feel that I was shrewd for going Standard Class! It was a shame about the woman at Pen Mill, and I too hope she has recovered. It can't be much fun being lumbered somewhere far from where you started from. The Kensington Olypia start was a nice surprise, and enabled me to pick up where Princess Elizabeth left off in March on the 'Doric Olympian' by taking the route all the way onto Southern territory, thus allowing me to genuinely say that I have now steamed in a continuous line from Penzance to Carlisle to Fishguard/Milford Haven and Folkestone over the course of three years, linked up by sections of track overlapped by several tours.

46115 was a fine performer, plenty of ash coming in through the window (I was in the second coach on the outward journey), and as she was a new locomotive for me, it was a nice treat to have what is essentially a 'modified Lord Nelson class' on Southern territory. The best bit was heading down the grade between Tisbury and Salisbury, where speed touched the high end of the 70s before the brakes were applied. She looked pretty immaculate at Salisbury, where I got a few photos (minus the rather fruity females posing around the nameplates, alas, but what'll the parents say?). It was interesting seeing the effects of Western Region 'rationalisation' on the West of England Main Line: there seemed to be a lot more double track in that section than I thought, but a fair bit of it evidently hasn't been used in years. I'm sure there's a fairly strong case for it all to be reinstated at some point in the not-so-distant future.

Two plumes of smoke from the '47 indicated that it was shoving away at the back up Upwey (understandably), although didn't notice it so much elsewhere (must have been done fairly subtly). It was good to see 30777 at Southampton, she was a 'cop' that has somehow evaded me over the last few years. I met someone on the 'Royal Oak' trip behind 6024 the next day who said that the '47 did a fair slice of work on the trip to Swanage, so I was glad that my £39 went towards producing a run that was more about steam than diesel-bashing. It would have been nice to have had the full time in Weymouth, but we can't have everything, and there's always the Weymouth Seaside thing RTC is doing from Bristol for that...

 

Re: RTC 30777/34067/70000 Dorset Coast Express, London - Southampton-Weymouth July 9t

Are you referring to this trip or Steams Dreams Cathedrals Express trip on the same day?

Dave B