A ‘CASTLE’ VISITS SALISBURY
As a further tribute to the ‘Castles’, I thought it appropriate to include a recent run by the pride of Tyseley, No. 5043, when it invaded Southern territory on Vintage Trains’ ‘Moonraker’ excursion to Salisbury on April 8. I joined the train, which was operated by West Coast Railways, at Didcot Parkway on the outward run. The load was ten coaches, including three Pullmans plus the converted GUV water carrier, forming a substantial train weighing 382½ tons tare and 430 tons gross. This also includes a full load of passengers and 14 tons of water (following the Didcot water stop). I am indebted to my colleague Bill Long, who allowed me to share the details from his GPS as mine had become damaged. No. 5043 was in the capable hands of Driver Andy Taylor and Fireman Alastair Meanley. A schedule of 87 mins had been devised for the 67.15 miles nonstop to Salisbury, which proved remarkably accurate. The 60mph mark was reached at Cholsey after 4.65 miles, running on the Up relief line. There was a clearance restriction for No. 5043 at Pangbourne and another at Bramley. The train was heavily checked approaching Reading and over the new realignment of the Scours Lane to Oxford Road Jcn avoiding curve, but attaining 62½mph at Mortimer after the 1-in-247 rise to Milepost 42 was good work, as was the uphill recovery from the Bramley clearance slack.
CUT SOME SLACK
It seemed odd for a GWR engine to suffer clearance slacks on what was formerly a GWR line when, apart from Basingstoke, there were no clearance restrictions at all between there and Salisbury on former LSWR metals. At Basingstoke, the working notice made it clear that Platform 3 (nominally the Up Fast, though all the platforms are now reversible) must be used. Recovering from the 15mph slack, a steady climb up the 1-in-249 ensued to Worting Jcn, where the train was 5 mins late, having started 1¾ mins late from Didcot. No. 5043 accelerated smoothly down the slight gradient (1-in-550) to Overton. The steepening grade to Whitchurch (1-in-345) produced an acceleration to 75mph in the dip to the Bourne Valley, enabling the slight rise to the top of Enham Bank at Milepost 62½ to be cleared at 67½mph. The full 75mph was again reached on the descent to Andover, by which time the train was just within the point-to-point schedule. After attaining 71mph in the dip beyond the site of Red Post Jcn, speed began to fall gradually on the 1-in-264, which steepens to 1-in-165. Grateley was passed at 56mph and the minimum at the summit, Milepost 73¼, was a creditable 53½mph for a ‘Castle’ with a train of this size. With the train now running on time, Andy Taylor was content with a maximum of 73mph after Porton. Adverse signals and a heavy check beyond Fisherton Tunnel caused the last 5.45 miles to take 9 mins 15 secs, and we came to a stand 3 mins late after dropping 1¾ mins on schedule through no fault of the locomotive or crew, who had combined their skills to deliver an exemplary performance.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful to the following correspondents who have supplied comments, details of recent trips, or interesting runs from the past - Bill Long, Richard Peck, Sandy Smeaton, Alastair Wood, Doug Landau, David Pawson and Andrew James. I am always pleased to receive such details so they can be considered for future ‘Top Link’ columns. They can be emailed to mthedderly@btinternet.com
IT SEEMED ODD FOR A GWR ENGINE TO SUFFER CLEARANCE SLACKS ON WHAT WAS FORMERLY A GWR LINE