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The Great Britain VII

Discuție în 'What's Going On' creată de steam_mad, 29 Iul 2013.

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  1. Larry S

    Larry S New Member

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    I'll be sure to keep bugging the stewards (but not too much) then to make sure I don't lose any opportunities. We're signed up to do the Stranraer trip as well - I chase here in the US occasionally, but I don't think I'd want to try it in unfamiliar territory and not being used to left-hand driving. But being able to get good photos or not, no matter - it's been a longtime dream for me to visit England, and to be able to do it on an excursion like this - well, I just couldn't pass it up. I'm just hoping the storm damage you've been getting doesn't muck things up!

    The photo you posted doesn't appear in any of my 3 browsers (Firefox, Explorer, Chrome) - not sure if it's a problem on my end or not. Do you have another way for me to link to it?

    As a sidebar, I found an earlier post here about having to "seal the windows" if the trip went up the Cumbrian Coast rather intriguing. From a brief bit of research, this is a clearance issue? As in - somebody might get their head chopped off if they stuck it out the window at the wrong time?
     
    Larry S, 18 Feb 2014
    #61
  2. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    That's always a risk especially with one or two people who nearly climb out rather than lean out! The bit of line that's the problem is where clearances are very tight and Network Rail would prefer nothing with opening windows to go up there. So GB VII is one of only a few trips going that way this year. The wider issue with clearances across the network is more to do with avoiding getting swiped by a branch or twig. Vegetation management is not a strength in the UK especially once you get off the main routes.

    Enjoy your visit and trip. Be prepared for a few long days.
     
    Big Al, 18 Feb 2014
    #62
  3. Larry S

    Larry S New Member

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    And even if everything doesn't go as planned - your Moody Blues quote says it quite well!

    I notice that on day 1, we detrain at Truro and get bussed into Falmouth, but on day 2, it appears the train leaves directly from Falmouth. If that's actually the case, anyone know why? Servicing facilities? Availability of a wye to turn the engines/train?
     
    Larry S, 18 Feb 2014
    #63
  4. 6:05 special

    6:05 special Well-Known Member Loco Owner

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    Yes, there is no path for GB VII available on the saturday evening to fit it in between service trains on the Falmouth branch. However things are much quieter on the sunday morning and GB VII can be timetabled in amongst the service trains. The train and locomotives will go to St Blazey depot at Par for servicing and turning overnight. There is still an operational turntable there.
     
    6:05 special, 18 Feb 2014
    #64
  5. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    Just a point Al, Compass Tours regularly use the Cumbrian Coast route and we have to man all the vestibules as it's usually air con stock, the problem is not vegetation but bridge clearances and also in some cases the distance from traffic on the opposing line.
     
    RalphW, 18 Feb 2014
    #65
  6. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    Larry, I'm sure the steward in your coach will be very happy to keep you informed of what is going on once he/she knows that it's your dream trip, coming to the UK to do the tour, as a steward myself, but not with RTC, it's part of the pleasure we get from the job.
     
    RalphW, 18 Feb 2014
    #66
  7. david1984

    david1984 Resident of Nat Pres

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    The Cumbrian Coast route on the northern bit uses a narrower loading gauge than the conventional one, plenty of modern stock is barred from this section due to width or length (overhang on curves), for example, 142' and 156's are fine, but 150's are banned.
     
    david1984, 18 Feb 2014
    #67
  8. Larry S

    Larry S New Member

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    I notice from looking at some of the excursion videos posted online that people are frequently seen hanging out of open vestibule (and even seating) windows while the trains are under way, taking photos or just enjoying the sights and sounds. Can I assume this is pretty standard and acceptable as long as there are no immediate safety concerns with clearances, etc?
     
    Larry S, 19 Feb 2014
    #68
  9. RalphW

    RalphW Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Administrator Friend

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    Yes it is pretty normal, there are those who will spend the whole journey at a vestibule window, some with their head out, just watching, listening and smelling the trip, the coutryside and generally appreciating the whole thing. Even in the winter, equipped with scarves, goggles and sometimes ski masks.
     
    RalphW, 19 Feb 2014
    #69
  10. Steamage

    Steamage Part of the furniture

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    It's actually a link to a YouTube video, which this Forum's software seems to embed into the body of the posting. Try clicking on this link which ought to take you to the film on YouTube.
     
    Steamage, 19 Feb 2014
    #70
  11. camraman

    camraman Member

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    I think we should not hold our communal breaths over this. Let's face it, we all know only too well how repairs to locos and infrastructure tend to overrun. It will be a damn shame if we don't get to Cornwall but let's think we won't rather than the other way.
     
    camraman, 19 Feb 2014
    #71
  12. Larry S

    Larry S New Member

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    I particularly appreciate your comment about googles - I remember riding steam excursions back in the '60's when I'd spend practically the whole day in the gondola car (the safety departments would have a fit nowadays if one proposed allowing people to ride in an OPEN FREIGHT CAR at speeds of up to 90mph) which would usually be attached to the rear of the train outbound, and often right next to the engine inbound - and googles were an absolute necessity. I thought I might be seen as a little too crazy to get a pair for the trip, but since you mention it... :-0)

    View from the gon: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ApwU8XpFZwq-RAAXDSZrbdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
     
    Larry S, 19 Feb 2014
    #72
  13. Larry S

    Larry S New Member

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    Wow, fantastic! I am so looking forward to this!
     
    Larry S, 19 Feb 2014
    #73
  14. LMarsh1987

    LMarsh1987 Part of the furniture Friend

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    Will be interesting to see what replaces 70013 on Day 3 !
     
    LMarsh1987, 19 Feb 2014
    #74
  15. MellishR

    MellishR Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Apologies for thread drift, but Larry has raised an issue that has bugged me for some time, so this thread is perhaps as good as anywhere to pursue it.
    Sometimes I see an actual picture or a still from a video embedded in the page, and sometimes there is a clickable link, but sometimes there is just a large white space. I've found a workaround, which is to pretend that I am going to reply to the message, as the quoted text includes the YouTube identification string, which I can then copy and paste into YouTube's search box. But that surely ought not to be necessary. I'm normally using Firefox with the NoScript add-on, but even if I temporarily use Internet Explorer instead I still get the blank space. Does anyone else have this problem? Is there a cleaner solution?
     
    MellishR, 19 Feb 2014
    #75
  16. Bifur01

    Bifur01 Member

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    Always been fine for me in safari...
     
    Bifur01, 20 Feb 2014
    #76
  17. BillR

    BillR Well-Known Member

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    Always fine for me in Firefox - try turning "No Script" off.
     
    BillR, 20 Feb 2014
    #77
  18. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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    free2grice, 20 Feb 2014
    #78
  19. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    For "may not reopen" in the headline I suspect we should read "will not reopen". Whether NR uses the previous (Easter) weekend to GB VII as a deadline for reopening is hard to say. Although they like to use weekends and holidays to shut down the network, it's not as if the line is currently open, is it? Clearly the SD and RTC trips on April 10/19 are now unlikely to run on those dates.
     
    Big Al, 20 Feb 2014
    #79
  20. Larry S

    Larry S New Member

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    Some further encouraging news for GB VII from Network Rail: "The company is poised to inform train operators First Great Western, owned by FirstGroup Plc (FGP), and CrossCountry, run by Deutsche Bahn AG’s Arriva unit, that they can start selling tickets for travel over the damaged section of line from Maundy Thursday on April 17 before the Easter holiday, Hallgate said."
    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-...-map-as-storm-cuts-off-southwest-england.html
     
    Larry S, 21 Feb 2014
    #80
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