VSOE 17-01-09

Anyone out for this? Are the train services in the South in chaos after the nasty weather we had overnight and this morning? Very strong winds, Hail stones and heavy rain woke me up in the night although it seems to have calmed down now. Wondered if anyone had any news.

 

Drifted through Weybridge on the slow on time. Looked good.

 

Looked and sounded good in the sun at lunch time at Pott Bridge:[attachment=2:m7p8shtn]clan line1 vsoe 17109.JPG[/attachment:m7p8shtn][attachment=1:m7p8shtn]clan line2 vsoe 17109.JPG[/attachment:m7p8shtn][attachment=0:m7p8shtn]clan line3 vsoe 17109.JPG[/attachment:m7p8shtn]

 

She was looking well-shiny this morning. Has she had a repaint/revarnish recently? If not, the crew had done a brilliant cleaning job =D>

Richard

PS: Sorry about the extra chimneys on the tender. These are not part of the loco!!![attachment=0:qx23fdej]clanline20080117.jpg[/attachment:qx23fdej]

 

Standing at Basingstoke on the return:

 

Does sound rather off beat to me.

Reckon being driven in a non standard way for MNs. ie. long cut off and half regulator or less. The Steam drivers from the 1960s always said for both original WC&BBs as well as all the rebuilts the way to drive them was short cut off and lots of regulator. Once on the move of course.

Any one else think she sounded off beat?

As always though, she looked superb.

 

She sounded very off beat when she returned from her last overhaul but she has "settled in" now I think. Not as off beat as when she ran in the 80's though. She sounded pretty much on beat when she was accelerating away from the Winchfield water stop yesterday and she always looks stunning and as though she is "straight out of the box". A great credit to the support crew and to ML steam operations.

 

Through Woking :

http://simon71.fotopic.net/c1640146.html

unfortunately on the slow line so rather a head on shot.

 

What's with the headboard ? i've seen archive film of Waterloo with a Bulleid in the 60's wearing a similar if not the same headboard but know of no train with that name, any idea guys ?.

 

The Union-Castle Express was the regular service that ran between Waterloo and the Union-Castle terminal in Southampton Docks to connect with that line's sailings.

 

Off beat or not, 35028 looked superb on Saturday.

Just after Pirbight Junction on the climb to Milepost 31.



Passing Worting Junction.

 

So only ran as required ?, would explain why it's news to me, thanks for that info.

 

The Union-Castle liner service was, I believe, weekly from Southampton, so I assume that would mean one down and one up service a week. The Union-Castle Express was one of a number of ocean liner expresses that linked Southampton Docks with Waterloo. These services were not all named, but the more high profile trains were given appropriate names in BR days.

 

Lavender Ladies and Mechant Navies - what have we lost?????

 

Here is the real Union Castle, 35002. Photo from my brother Don and taken at exactly the same location, (I think, just after Pirbight Junction), that I photographed 35028 yesterday. Just a few years in between the photos! No name boards on the coaches, so it possibly wasn't the down A.C.E, but maybe the 1pm ex Waterloo.

 

My first comment to the others gathered opposite Battledown Flyover was " that sounded distinctly off-beat to me". However she was being driven very gently, and looked magnificent. Where other than Steam Excursions can one see such a trailing load? (ignore freight)

 

Lovely photo Harry. I'd hoped to get there but took a bit longer arriving from Pirbight Junction so had to be content with the shot from the road back down to Worting Junction. Your location is best this time of the year of course becasue the vegetation is low.

And re the load. Something over 600 tons trailing behind the tender, as I am almost certain the box on the back was only ticking over. It certainly wasn't giving any push to the train.

 

I'm afraid I can't find the image. Just shows a box with a red cross in it with the word "image".

 

I have no problem seeing it.
As far as the repaint question goes, I don't think so. She looked just as good in December when I saw her at Gillingham.
Although she would have had a very good clean after that graffiti attack a couple of months back.



At the time she sounded ever-so slightly off beat but only very slightly.