‘FIVE’ STAR SHOW
The workaday ‘Black Five’ is seldom celebrated, but No. 45212 shows why they’re so highly rated.
THERE FOLLOWED AN EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE ON THE CLIMB OF PORTON BANK WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE DISGRACED A BULLEID ‘LIGHT PACIFIC’
Ihave not included many ‘Black Five’ runs in ‘Top Link’ since I took over from the late Mike Notley in October 2014. The reason is the stymying 60mph limit applied to locomotives of less than 6ft 2in driving wheel diameter, which nullifies performance interest unless either heavy gradients or especially heavy loads are involved.
On May 3, however, I was fortunate to witness one of the best ever ‘Black Five’ performances on record. The occasion was the return run from Bristol to Victoria of a Steam Dreams ‘Cathedrals Express’ headed by No. 45212 – currently believed to be the best of the main line-certified ‘Black Fives’. The ten-coach train weighed 348½ tons tare and 380 tons gross from Bath to Salisbury, where the gross load was reduced to an estimated 370 tons. With a 60mph locomotive, the principal interest for the timer on this route is concentrated on two uphill sections – the short but steep Upton Scudamore bank and the longer Porton bank.
The train was slowed to walking pace through Westbury by signals but accelerated to 22mph by Dilton Marsh Halt on the 1-in-75 and attained 23½ on the subsequent 1-in-70 before topping the bank, at Milepost 112½, at 22½mph. The power output was in the order of 1,120ihp/1,050edbhp. The footplate crew for this fine effort were West Coast Railways’ Driver Bill Monteith and Fireman Phil Akester. At Salisbury, Bill Monteith was relieved by Bob Baines, but Phil Akester worked through. There followed an exceptional performance on the climb of Porton bank which would not have disgraced a Bulleid ‘Light Pacific’.
After a slow start, No. 45212 was opened up to pass Tunnel Junction at 37½mph. In Table 2 I have shown my GPS readings alongside the times, together with the gradients.
By the top of the 1-in-169 at Milepost 79½ No. 45212 had reached 50mph, then speed hardly dropped at all on the mile at 1-in-140 through Porton, the minimum recorded being 48.9mph. David Pawson calculates that No. 45212 was developing about 1,480ihp/1,260edbhp for seven minutes. For five minutes of this the figure was around 1,510ihp. David has analysed ‘Black Five’ performances starting from LMS days and this run certainly comes in the top 20 ever recorded. Considering that the locomotive was probably burning inferior coal compared with that provided in the past, the performance was remarkable indeed and much to the credit of Messrs Baines and Akester.