With Full Regulator
Don Benn covers an unusual nonstop run from Carlisle to Carnforth, and record-breaking S&C runs.
In his latest column, Don Benn covers a recent unusual nonstop run from Carlisle to Carnforth with 5XP 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander, one with the same engine in 2006 compared with Class 7P Pacific No. 70031 Byron in 1966 – and then looks at the record-breaking run from Appleby to Ais Gill with No. 46229 Duchess of Hamilton in 1993, compared with challengers including the recent run with No. 60163 Tornado.
I SAID last time that I hoped to cover some current main line steam work after the resumption of operations following the easing of Covid restrictions. In fact, there has been a lot of action – most of it in the northern hills, including two on the same day, May 22, over the Settle and Carlisle, more of which later in this article.
A number of correspondents have sent details of various runs, most of which I have had to carry over for the future. The day before I put this article together, I chased around my local area to see the Saphos Trains Wolverhampton to Portsmouth charter hauled by Class 7P 4-6-0 No. 46100 Royal Scot, hauling 10 coaches plus Class 47 No. 47593 on the rear on a very hot day. On both occasions when you might expect the diesel to be working, it wasn't – and so there was plenty of noise from the Scot, especially as it climbed the 1-in-100/85 up from the Hamble River bridge to Bursledon and on up to Hamble Halt. A fine sight and sound for this steam-starved enthusiast!
However, I am going to start with a most unusual occurrence, at least in recent years, and that is a nonstop run up the West Coast Main Line from Carlisle to Carnforth which resulted from disruption to power supplies north of Carlisle on June 1, thus allowing the opportunity for the returning Dalesman to miss out its planned stops in loops on its way south. Fortunately Bill Long was on the train, and has sent me details of the performance.
The locomotive was 5XP 4-6-0 No. 45690 Leander, one of Carnforth's fine Jubilees, and the load 11 for 403 tons tare or 425 tons full as the train wasn't full due to Covid restrictions on capacity. In charge were David Blair and Craig Todd, who, it seemed, may not have known they were to run nonstop but were prepared to run into the loops at Plumpton and Eden Valley as planned. From departing Carlisle 10 minutes late, the train was 58 early into the loop at Carnforth, in 78 minutes 28 seconds from Carlisle. It might have been a good performance but I am not sure the passengers enjoyed surveying the not-too-enchanting scene for an hour and three quarters!
According to the Network Rail loading book, the maximum load to be taken over the southbound climb to Shap should be nine coaches with a Jubilee but, as we have seen in the recent past, Jubilees have taken 11 coaches regularly northbound over the 1-in-75 up Shap with distinction, so the long 1-in-125 southbound section presented no worries on this trip, speed tailing away gradually from 49½ at Eden Valley Junction to 38mph at the top of the main climb at milepost 42¼.
The slowing before Oxenholme may have been caused by the brief sight of adverse signals from the 4.27pm Windermere to Manchester Airport train in
“It might have been a good performance but I am not sure the passengers enjoyed surveying the not-too-enchanting scene for an hour and three quarters!”
front but otherwise a clear run was enjoyed for this good effort.
Comparisons
Table Two shows details of two more southbound climbs over Shap, both with nine coach loads, but 40 years apart and with different classes of locomotive.
In the first column is a run timed by Sandy Smeaton on the returning 3.37pm Carlisle to Tyseley charter – on a miserable, wet September 2, 2006. Leander was again in charge but running in its LMS guise as No. 5690, and the crew were Albert Seymour and Dean Morris from West Coast Railways. With a nine-coach load of 345 tons, the perfect load for a 5XP, the running was excellent throughout.
After a slow start, Leander settled down to a steady 52-53mph on the first climb at 1-in-131/228/172/164 to milepost 57½ after Calthwaite, before storming away to no less that 67mph at the foot of the long 1-in-125 at Eden Valley Junction, the absolute minimum on the climb to Shap being 47½mph. Good work, especially bearing in mind the late start of only four minutes on a very easy schedule. From Shap summit there was a lovely spell of fast running, mainly downhill but interspersed by a very good minimum of 73½ over Grayrigg. The overall time of 70 minutes 12 seconds for the 63.1 miles was nearly 19 minutes inside the easy schedule, giving an arrival 15 early.
In search of steam
The second run, 40 years earlier, was also with a nine-coach load but with the lighter stock used then, only weighing 315 tons full – an easy task for the BR Class 7 Pacific No. 70031 Byron. Apart from a few trips to Scotland for the A4 Pacifics on the Aberdeen to Glasgow three-hour trains, I didn't venture off the Southern much during the days of steam, but decided I had to cover some runs over Shap in the summer of 1966. So I went north on the evening of Friday, August 19 on the 9.20pm from St Pancras, hauled by Class 45 'Peaks' D38 to Nottingham and D50 from there to Leeds. The object was to get Jubilee haulage over the Settle & Carlisle and Glasgow & South Western routes to Glasgow, and find steam-hauled trains south from there. No. 45675 Hardy did the honours but it was in poor condition, so from 18 late at Leeds we were 33 late off Skipton, 45 late from Carlisle and 68 late into the Clydeside city, not helped by a number of out-of-course signal stops.
Plenty of Britannias
I had marked my copy of the BR London Midland Region timetable with what I believed to be the steam-hauled trains south to Carlisle and Preston, mainly summer dated extras all still operating on August 20. So I joined the 10.45am to Birmingham, which was on the list but turned out to be D313. At Carlisle I alighted and decided to wait for the 11.08am from Edinburgh, which duly produced a Britannia. This train ran from June 25 to August 20. Maybe I had got the list wrong, as the 10.55am from Glasgow via the South Western route was No. 70003 John Bunyan, arriving at 1.33pm and departing south at 1.38pm fast to Preston.
I decided to wait for the 1.55pm as this would give me more opportunities for runs over Shap. Soon after I arrived at Carlisle, No. 45593 Kolhapur arrived about 15 early on the 10.15am from Leeds via the S&C, and according to the train timers it had touched 88mph en route! Also seen at Carlisle were 'Black Five' 4-6-0s Nos. 44798 on the 11.30am Glasgow to Manchester (which I could have caught from Glasgow), and 45105 on the 10.45am Blackpool North to Dundee.
My 1.55pm departed 16 minutes late and produced a reasonable run, chopping off nicely at the start and when recovering from the two temporary slacks on the climb to Shap. We took water from the troughs at Dillicar and ran easily from there to recover 12 minutes by the time we stopped at Oxenholme. Here I spent a happy hour in the rain, tape-recording the passing
steam-hauled trains, including Britannia No. 70028 Royal Star working hard on the 1.27pm Liverpool to Glasgow before going north behind another Britannia, No. 70011 Hotspur, on the 11.40am Euston to Carlisle.
I concluded my day with runs behind 'Black Five' No. 45363 on the 13-coach 2pm from Glasgow, 45259 on the 5.25pm Preston to Carlisle, and yet another Britannia, 70008 Black Prince, on the 8.25pm Carlisle north, which I hoped would take me to Carstairs but was abandoned at Beattock as it was 52 late from Carlisle waiting for connections. All in all, not the best of days, with some very poor timekeeping, but objectives achieved.
Blue Riband on the S&C
Blue Riband refers to the time between milepost 275 and Ais Gill summit (milepost 259¾) on the southbound climb from the Appleby restart. It is generally accepted that the minimum qualification is 12 coaches, but 13 has been common and it was a 13-coach load which gave the fastest-known time to date – 16 minutes 14 seconds, the Blue Riband time.
This was on August 14, 1993, and was set by Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46229 Duchess of Hamilton in the capable hands of Brian Grierson with Paul Kane firing, as he did on so many of the fantastic runs behind the big Pacific. The detail of this run is shown in column three of Table Three, timed by Bill Long. This was a 12-coach load of 460 tons full.
On Saturday, May 22, new-build A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado took 13 coaches over this stretch on the 4.58pm Carlisle to Leicester charter, driven by Mick Kelly and with Danny Davin firing. While no detailed log of the performance has come to light, I have it on good authority from Graeme Bunker-James that the Blue Riband time was 16 minutes 28 seconds, just 14 seconds short of the record. However, the train didn't stop at Appleby but passed there at 57mph, increasing to 62 over the viaduct at Ormside and topping the climb at 55mph. In my view this run should not qualify, as the momentum gained from not stopping at Appleby would have been significant. Apparently the engine had something in hand as Danny kept the boiler pressure at 225-230psi, as compared with full pressure of 250 lbs. It was, though, a superlative effort from the West Coast men and Graeme commented to me: “From my perspective it was a good run. Not a record I don't believe, not an attempt at one – just a good loco, good crew, good coal and good conditions'.'
Superb performances
The other two runs in Table Three were with 13-coach loads starting from Appleby Mill Plant, and both were superb performances. The one timed by Paul Rowe had a clear run but a slow start; my run on February 11, 1984, being 29 seconds ahead at Griseburn and 35 seconds ahead at Kirkby Stephen, but suffering from the temporary speed restriction near Birkett tunnel and struggling to recover on the wet rails, slipping five times before the summit. I calculate the net time over the Blue Riband section as 17 minutes 43 seconds.
The unique BR Class 8 Pacific No. 71000 with 12 on returned a time of 17 minutes exactly on July 20, 1991, leading the other contenders with at least 12 coachloads. On November 4, 1983, I timed the Duchess with 14 on for 535 tons over the Blue Riband section in 20 minutes 27 seconds, sustaining 41-43mph over the final section of the climb. In terms of power outputs, I calculate that on this run the maximum was about 2300edbh compared with 2520 on the January 7 run and 2385 on my February 1984 run. The estimate for the record run on August 14, 1993, was also 2520, achieved with full regulator and 55% cut-off.
Hopefully main line steam can now continue in near-normal conditions, and I will be able to report on as much variety as possible. I am grateful to my correspondents David Bradbury, Graham Southey, Bill Long, Sandy Smeaton, Howard Routledge and Graeme Bunker-James for everything they have sent me, much of which I have carried over to a future issue.
“From Shap summit there was a lovely spell of fast running, mainly downhill but interspersed by a very good minimum of 73½ over Grayrigg.”