AN EPIC CLIMB TO WHITEBALL
Two weeks earlier, on June 3, Clan Line worked the ‘Torbay Express’ and fortunately my colleague Bill Long was on the train to witness a record climb to Whiteball with a 12-coach load grossing 455 tons.
With DB Cargo men Driver Graham Ward, Fireman Dave Proctor and Traction Inspector Tom Rees on the footplate, No. 35028 achieved a time of 28 mins 18 secs from passing St Davids at 45mph to the Taunton stop (30.75 miles) – an average of 65.19mph. Speeds were 75mph at Hele & Bradninch, 77 at Cullompton, 72 (minimum) up the 2 miles at 1-in-155 to Tiverton Junction, 76½ at Tiverton Parkway and 68mph minimum at Whiteball summit.
My colleague David Pawson has kindly provided some power output details of this performance. He calculates that the ‘Merchant Navy’ was putting out some 2,370ihp/1,840edbhp for 15 mins between Milepost 192 and Whiteball summit (Milepost 174) while over the 4 mins from Milepost 179 to the summit the power output was 2,600ihp/2,040edbhp. A sterling effort indeed, fit to go alongside the exceptional performances between Exeter and Taunton which I compared in SR459, Table 4 (‘Outstanding performances of Modern Times’).