Steam engine 60163 'Tornado' - merged posts

[whole diary]

[inspector_blakey]

I've never seen an Aga attract a crowd of thousands  (except possibly in some of the more fiercely upper-middle-class areas of the country!)

http://railwayeye.blogspot.com/2009/02/kings-cross-catering-scandal.html

[MarkRanger]

I was staggered by the public interest in this run.

It just shows what huge appetite the Brits have for trains.

I just wish some of the TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) could understand this

Mark

[moonrakerz]

Just in case anyone is not aware, Tornado will be in Salisbury on Saturday 14th. Well -almost ! She will come down from Andover then branch off onto the Laverstock loop towards Romsey.

See:    http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t09/t0214b.htm

[RichardB]

Thanks Inspector.  I envy you for being on the train - I can just imagine the atmosphere.  I was on the Past Time Rail "Pocket Rocket" to Barnstaple three or so years ago and the sight of people waving at the train from every platform and crossing (and the back of the Portsmouth Arms pub in this instance) was lovely.  You will have had that with knobs on.

Thanks to YouTube, we can all see almost the entire trip.  I have to say, I don't think the Station Manager Kings Cross will be happy with how things turned out!  I suspect a few backsides were kicked on Monday.  But all in a good cause.

Now, we must see Tornado on the Sea Wall and over the Devon banks - what are the chances?  We'll give the loco a great welcome in Plymouth!

[inspector_blakey]

I've been on a couple of steam charters in the past and you're right, the atmosphere is always pleasant. People seem to wave automatically at steam engines. Once I went up to Holyhead and the entire hard shoulder of the A5 was packed with cars with their bonnets up. Once the train had passed, the "photters" put their bonnets down again and drove off in their perfectly healthy cars!

I've never experienced anything like the public interest we had on Saturday's tour though. The stewards at King's X were giving the families on the platform tours of the carriages so they could see what an old-fashioned train was like!

Although KGX was very very busy it never seemed unsafe to me, everyone was patient and good-natured so I hope there haven't been too many recriminations. In fact, some of the station staff had got into the spirit of the thing and were wearing floral buttonholes for the occasion!

[MarkRanger]

If the thought that the KX station manager might have been unhappy is true, then - to my way of thinking - that shows how out of touch the operators are.

2,500 people at KX - what about the catering takings on a winter saturday? How many came in and out by rail? How many children have now wanted to travel somewhere by train?

Let along the people who went to stations en route.

If anything, I would have thought A1 Steam ought to be on a revenue share!

It cannot just be about operational issues - why do you think they want us at airports anything up to 3 hours before departure? What do we do while we wait? We spend, which presumably helps to offset the lower access charges that low cost airlines pay.

Or am I being hopelessly naive?

Mark

[RichardB]

Although KGX was very very busy it never seemed unsafe to me, everyone was patient and good-natured so I hope there haven't been too many recriminations. In fact, some of the station staff had got into the spirit of the thing and were wearing floral buttonholes for the occasion!

That's great, Inspector.  Good to hear of the staff getting involved too - it must have been a terrific atmosphere.   My reason for mentioning the Station Manager Kings Cross was that seeing this video (the tail end)  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7876333.stm and this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SimfvWz0U7g&feature=related , I was surprised that people were right up to the platform edge.

This one put my mind at ease more - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X97eyRFfpao - and, of course, everything passed off fine and everybody had a great time, which is the key thing.

I'm looking forward to reports of the day in the mags.

As Mark says, there will have been lots of other great spin-offs too.

[stebbo]

As an unrepentant GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) man, the King wins every day. I believe I am correct in saying that Kings had far more tractive effort than A4s and the rest which is why they fared so well on the climbs out of Kings Cross in the Exchange Trials.

4-6-0 and a the weight of the firebox over the driving wheels = excellence. How about a new Grange?

[Electric train]

4-6-0 and a the weight of the firebox over the driving wheels = excellence. How about a new Grange?

Find ^3,000,000 or so and I am sure someone would build one

[Andy]

Three GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) new/re-builds/conversions are currently under way, the first being nearer to completion than the other two. With the necessary support, our patch may have it's own new steam loco as well.

2999 Lady of Legend - GWR Saint
6880 Betton Grange -GWR Grange
1014 County of Glamorgan -GWR County

[eightf48544]

When we moved to Slough in 1947 my mother used to take me after school to Slough staion and we'd sit on the Down Relief platform by the water column. One of the stoppers was often one of the last Saints. I don't think they were the most elegant of the GW^▸ (Great Western) 4-6-0s, but it will be interesting to see how the rebuilt one (larger wheels on a Hall frames/boiler) fares. I will leave you guess which I think is the most elegant GW 4-6-0.

Granges are  just a smaller wheeled Hall.

However the County rebuild is interesting as I'm not sure that using an 8F boiler they will achieve the very chunky smokebox/boiler of the originals.

I would suggest that a 47XX 2-8-0 would be a far more interesting project. We would see them trundeling through Slough on Summer Saturdays on West of England reliefs and empty stock trains. We rarely saw them in daylight otherwise as they were  mostly used on overnight fast fitted freights. 

[autotank]

I will leave you guess which I think is the most elegant GW^▸ (Great Western) 4-6-0.

Castles without a doubt. Most attractive British steam engine ever full stop! I hope Nunney or Earl of Edgcumbe get a chance to show up some of the Pacifics during their current mainline stints. There is definately unfinished business on the S&C^▸ (Settle and Carlisle ). Pretty sure 5043 will flatten Shap with the right crew in June.

[eightf48544]

Castles definitely for GW^▸ (Great Western), but strangely I also like the standard fives.

I think it's to do with the proportions, the Star's boiler is too small whilst the King's is too large.

[stebbo]

Castles definitely for GW^▸ (Great Western), but strangely I also like the standard fives.

I think it's to do with the proportions, the Star's boiler is too small whilst the King's is too large. 
 
 
 
But to a five year old going on holiday from Paddington in the late 50s, the sight of the larger tender of a King backing onto the train was a real thrill

[Chris from Nailsea]

Now, we must see Tornado on the Sea Wall and over the Devon banks - what are the chances?  We'll give the loco a great welcome in Plymouth!

Your wish shall be granted, RichardB! 

Locomotive A1 Tornado 60163 will be operating Golden Hind, between Bristol Temple Meads - Taunton - Exeter St Davids - Plymouth on Saturday 11 July 2009.  Ticket prices and details are at http://www.past-timerail.co.uk/index.php/the-golden-hind

A Summer excursion through Great Western territory to the naval City of Plymouth is the appeal of the Golden Hind. Steam haulage will be provided by A1 No. 60163 ^Tornado^ running from Bristol Temple Meads to Plymouth and return.

Leaving Basingstoke station early in the morning we make our way towards Bristol behind a modern diesel locomotive, making further passengers calls en-route. 

On arrival at Bristol ^Tornado^ will be waiting to take the train on to Plymouth. After leaving Taunton 60163 will face her first real test powering the train over Whiteball summit, as we leave Somerset and enter glorious Devon. Leaving Exeter, we steam along the exciting sea wall, as we race through tunnels and cuttings of red rock, with the sea keeping company with the train all the way to Newton Abbot. From Newton Abbot ^Tornado^ will have to show her true power, as we start to climb the first of the Devon banks ^ Dainton. We steam on through Totnes, then almost immediately face the climb of Rattery bank.  We then skirt the edge of Dartmoor and descend Hemerdon to arrive at the historic City of Plymouth.

After a break whilst ^Tornado^ is serviced and watered we retrace our steps, with the steep climb of Hemerdon bank as the first major test for ^Tornado^ as we power our way up the 1 in 42 bank. Again a stop at Exeter will be required to water the loco, before we continue our homeward journey back to Bristol Temple Meads. At Bristol we bid farewell to ^Tornado^ and return to Basingstoke, setting down as outward with more modern traction.

(Just for information, some of the admin team from this forum will be travelling - just in case anyone wants to look out for / avoid us! )