Rising stars of the Whiteball ascent
Lest we should think that, good as they are, these runs are the last word in steam performance between Exeter and Taunton, Table 4 shows some stupendous runs from the recent past. In column 1, ‘A4’ No. 60009, starting from St David’s on wet rail following drizzle in February 1995, achieved the extraordinary feat of ‘even time’ by Whiteball Summit, with 440 tons behind the tender. In view of the high speed on the descent of Wellington Bank in particular, despite the passage of time since the run, I will withhold the names of the crew responsible for this outstanding performance. Suffice it to say, it was the driver’s last run before retirement and he was determined to put on a show. He had 100mph on the clock before braking for the permanent 80mph speed restriction through Wellington and was mortified afterwards to learn he had ‘only’ done 95! With stricter controls on today’s railway, such speeds are no longer possible (except where special dispensation is given, as for Bittern’s 90mph runs). so Duke of Gloucester’s performance in column 2, timed by Leslie McAllister, is highly commendable. Passing Exeter gave No. 71000 a 100-second advantage over No. 60009, which started from rest with a slightly heavier train. Between Stoke Canon and Tiverton Junction, the ‘Duke’ took 7 secs less, but with higher speeds at the top of the bank, No. 60009 was 8 secs quicker between Tiverton Junction and the summit. Honours pretty even! (The ‘A4’ run was, of course, made in the pre-GPS era with successive quarter miles timed to an accuracy of a hundredth of a second. In those days, mileposts were actually visible, not mostly hidden by encroaching vegetation). The run in column 3 is a remarkable performance with a heavy train by Clan Line. The occasion was a ‘Cathedrals Express’ which was routed back to London via Castle Cary and Yeovil Junction, entailing diesel haulage between these points due to the reversals involved, with No. 35028 attached tender-first at the rear. The diesel, pioneer Class ‘66’ No. 66001, was attached at Exeter but, as I recall, its driver rode in the train to Castle Cary, so No. 35028 was entirely unassisted. Dragging the Class ‘66’ plus 13 coaches, the ‘Merchant Navy’ was hauling some 630 tons gross. To top Whiteball at a minimum of 46mph was a superb achievement with such a load, for which Driver Wayne Thompson and Fireman Rob Binsted deserve much credit.