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The Atlantic Coast Express 5th-8th September 2014

Discussion in 'What's Going On' started by steamvideosnet, Jun 2, 2013.

  1. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    I wonder what impact Tangy's latest episode will have on the motive power plans for the ACE.
     
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  2. Steamage

    Steamage Part of the furniture

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    So long as she's not been damaged by any slipping, she should still be OK for the London-Exeter leg. However, even before this weekend, I was expecting a DL on the back. She hasn't been allowed to take a train up Honiton unassisted for a year or more.
     
  3. ROGace

    ROGace Member

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    the 2011 ACE which i went on ended being pretty miserable - 34046 was not ready, lost sir Lamiel the day before

    on this tour Honiton Bank was not even on the route !
    when we lost Tangmere at Taunton everyone was saying why cant Tornado or the Duke 71000 help out? (71000 was sitting warm at Bath after a TE and IIRC tornado was in London but of course both loco's were DBS contracts and 35028 was under routine maintenance end of august)
    Graeme Bunker was pulling his hair out and impressively tried his best to tirelessly get this tour back on track.

    it wasn't all totally hapless - the D/H as far as Taunton before Tangmere broke was impressive, Britannia performed well (but we had a diesel too) and the highlight for me was of the T9 waiting for us at Bodmin London Rd to take us to Bodmin General for our coaches to Padstow hotels - very very tired

    On the way home we found out that morning we would lose Britannia at Exeter and then have all diesel back to London BUT with the original steam timings which was hellish slow something like 7+ hours from EXT - arrived in London ratty and very tired.

    the 2 words as i thought about the 2014 ACE again when it was advertised were ''never again''

    its too top heavy of a ''delivery'' to perform this tour even under perfect circumstances
    one nut falls off then its a loser -
    very sorry to see that the 2014 ACE is in difficulties too
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2014
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  4. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    As I said earlier (post 50) I am still hoping that this year's will be better than the 2011 one. I've just tried to visit the Steam Dreams website to see what they're saying about motive power, but it's giving me
    "Internal Server Error 500".
     
  5. steamvideosnet

    steamvideosnet Well-Known Member

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  6. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Surprise surprise. Another seven hour crawl to Exeter. I strongly suggest that Steam Dreams and West Coast give up all attempts to make this an anniversary trip. It looks more like a funeral procession to me. Three hours to Salisbury? Leaving from Victoria? This is pathetic. And there we were hoping to be in Exeter by lunchtime. I can't wait for the onward timings to Penzance. Arriving that late at Exeter may well mean we are denied a decent stopover to sightsee...and eat. That will go down really well with my other half.

    Anyway, we are told that these timings are often for the TOC to first approve. Let's hope that they are rejected and NR is asked to do something better. If nothing else I think everyone should stop pretending that this is anything other than yet another bog standard trundle from pathing stop to water stop. Why not request a pick up at Staines and Woking? At least it will give many people the opportunity to avoid fighting their way to London in the rush hour. Even I can see that Network Rail has gone for the standard Victoria/ Dorset Coast Express path so the fact that it is non stop (LOL) to Winchfield doesn't mean there isn't time to stop at Staines and Woking.

    Beam me up Scotty.

    (Edit. Have just spotted the outline times for Tornado's trip to Exeter on August 25th that I'm also on. Leaves Paddington early but with multiple pick ups at Slough, Reading and Newbury plus Westbury. Despite all these stops the journey time to Exeter is a decent six and a quarter hours. Perhaps that's the answer. Stop messing around with the ACE out of Waterloo/Victoria. Start it from Paddington and run non stop to Newbury for water!)
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2014
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  7. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    A rather unfortunate term. I hope you weren't thinking of any particular locomotive. ;) <BJ>
     
  8. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Steam Dreams website now working again, but clearly hasn't been updated for some time, as it still says this for day 3: "We will be working with as many branch lines as is practicable during the day. We are hopeful that some of the major routes such as the Newquay branch and the Falmouth branch will be included in the itinerary."

    I am booked on this, and have even paid for the better-then-nothing DMU trip on day 3, but I am seriously considering cancelling.
     
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  9. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Just called SD's office. They say they have Tangmere, Braunton and Britannia all available, and back up locos as well.

    Edit: I think that statement becomes part of the contract: any comment from our legal experts?
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2014
  10. 5944

    5944 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Did they mean this Britannia?

    [​IMG]

    It's got more chance of working the tour than 70000!
     
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  11. Steamage

    Steamage Part of the furniture

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    RTT also shows ECS moves to/from Exeter Riverside Yard. The "return" is 16:30, so looks like almost exactly an hour in Exeter. Just about enough time for a pie and a pint in the nearest pub to the station, but only the most rapid city tour!
    http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U55134/2014/09/05/advanced
     
  12. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    Mark

    Now that's just rubbing salt in the wound. :mad:

    Alan
     
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  13. Steamage

    Steamage Part of the furniture

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    Let's hope that SD have objected to NR's first attempt and are pushing for something swifter. If that can't be done, then they should at least arrange suburban pick-ups, such as Staines and/or Woking. We need to be a little careful what we wish for, though - imagine if they do switch to a Waterloo via Surbiton route but add a pick-up at West Byfleet (handy for the M25)...?!
     
  14. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    That's the irony of it all. This is a trip from London only so there was the opportunity of something really lively down to Salisbury provided that everyone was on top of what Network Rail would be minded to do. Three hours is not what I suspect SD was expecting. But to NR this is just any old charter, they have their standard path. Simples...... Over a year in the planning and NR knock up a path that even I could have worked out on the back of an envelope. For goodness sake, what about the HR+55 path from Waterloo that UKRT uses with a 95 min timing to Salisbury? But I suspect that as this is a Friday, all bets are off. And it may well be that even if the 95 min path were possible, West Coast won't run to Salisbury without watering their locomotive en route.
     
    Last edited: Aug 19, 2014
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  15. steamvideosnet

    steamvideosnet Well-Known Member

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    IIRC, the GB6 had a 4:52 departure from Exeter but had a clear run down to Par. I suspect the Exeter - Par timings will be the same.

    EDIT: http://uksteam.info/tours/t13/t0420a.htm

    James
     
  16. alastair

    alastair Well-Known Member

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    Sadly,looks like it was GB who sorted out good things out for SD. Now he's gone its all going down the pan like this farce....
     
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  17. ADB968008

    ADB968008 Guest

    45690 ?
     
  18. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    From the Britannia thread
     
  19. Spamcan81

    Spamcan81 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Yes. The BBMF is very prompt and thorough with it's updates regarding displays.
     
  20. KentYeti

    KentYeti Guest

    Still more than 2 weeks to go guys.

    So time for much to happen. Good or bad. In this case it's hard to see how it could now be bad, so I'm hoping for some good news.
     

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