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"Great Ideas and Initiatives for the Borders Railway"
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Posted 8 years ago #
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Daft question time - why two engines for such a short train? Is it to increase the acceleration available? In case one breaks down?
I'm presuming it doesn't impact the top speed significantly, but perhaps I'm wrong there.
Robert
Posted 8 years ago # -
I am the Queen.
If I want two steam engines, I shall have two steam engines. Now pass me the cucumber sandwiches.
Posted 8 years ago # -
One isn't really an engine. It's a space-capable escape capsule. I presume there'll also be an helicopter or two within rush-in distance in case of the need for monarchish evacuation, unless this fancy royal carriage thing has been retrofitted with some steampunky mechanical legs so that it can stalk across fields to the nearest road in the event of a breakdown.
Posted 8 years ago # -
On Reporting Scotland last night they interviewed someone involved (sorry, can't remember his exact role) and it was implied that it was in case the Union of South Africa breaks down. I imagine that Tornado is seen as a relatively reliable backup.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I must say I was chuffed to check my Network Rail app to get times for rail travel between Dunbar and Galashiels. We used to have friends living in Stow so have driven down the A7 many a time and wondered what it would be like to travel down the disused rail line.
Looking forward to going down one weekend and doing some walking in the hills thereabouts: http://www.scotborders.gov.uk/downloads/file/401/paths_around_galashiels
Posted 8 years ago # -
Daft question time - why two engines for such a short train? Is it to increase the acceleration available? In case one breaks down?
I'm presuming it doesn't impact the top speed significantly, but perhaps I'm wrong there.
There's 2 questions here.
Why 2 engines? One is a backup. Ordinarilly they attach a classic diesel at the back incase anything goes wrong. But the royals and punters were promised steam, the royals and punters will get steam!
The second question is why such a short train? With the exception of the royal saloon, the other 2 coaches will be support coaches for the locomotive crews and engineering staff. The majority of the carriages forming the consist on the day will arrive by alternative means to be coupled together as a train.
Both locomotives are (I think) certified to a maximum of 75mph on the mainline, but were built for 90-100mph regular top-speed running and both have a drawbar horsepower (measured power output) in the region of ~2,000hp, so there's ample power available in each and plenty left in reserve; with 3 carriages or 9.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I knew someone would have asked that and someone would have answered that. I wondered the exact same thing.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Queen running 40 minutes late apparently...
Posted 8 years ago # -
Surely they brought a back-up Queen too, incase the Queen booked for the day had trouble raising steam and needed replaced?
Or do they still just couple Phil to the back in case she suffers a catastrophic big-end failure and needs hauled out of trouble?
Posted 8 years ago # -
why two engines
The fact there is no train turntable at Tweedbank may have had a bearing on this as well. It's not a good look to reverse all the way back down to Waverley.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Posted 8 years ago #
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What happened to Tornado?
Posted 8 years ago # -
I don't know. It's scheduled for several tours in Englandshire later this month, but so far no-one seems to have questioned why it wasn't part of this train, unless that was always the plan.
60009 is going to be doing the Wednesday-Thursday-Sunday specials to Tweedbank until mid-October, according to Scotrail.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Looks like they managed to ruin the lines and spectacle of an A4 pulling a long rake by tagging a Class 67 done out in silver spray-paint on the back.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Posted 8 years ago #
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"
Thursday 10 September 2015
LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 no 60009 Union of South Africa
"
Posted 8 years ago # -
It is coming back to Waverley today? I might take a swing past the station although I don't have my grown ups camera.
Posted 8 years ago # -
To maintain reliability the train will be assembled and tested well before it gets used.
I suspect that even the steam specials will not uncouple and run-round for a variety of reasons (is there a regular use run-round facility at Tweedbank even?). Required for running round - shunter, run round facility, split brake system recouple and retest brake. All this detail makes for a potential of something not working as planned.
As in one famous visit planning meeting "The royal party WILL take 12 minutes to travel this route by car" " But what about the traffic at that time of day?" "We are the Police, we've checked the timings, and will make it thus so happen"
Amusingly the CME for Tornado will be reprising the jobs he had back in 1975 when he had to spend nights keeping The Queen warm in her train at night using the highly (un) reliable Stones and Spanner boilers.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"We are the Police, we've checked the timings"
I once had to photograph P Anne opening a charity shop.
The police motorcyclist had the timings on his tank in minutes and SECONDS.
Posted 8 years ago # -
is there a regular use run-round facility at Tweedbank even?
According to Open Transport Map, there are two terminus platforms and nothing else.
http://osm.org/go/ev0Bk7c2x-?layers=T&m=
There was a turntable at Galashiels once upon a time but it's buried under the car park of Our Lady and St Andrew Galashiels church.
Posted 8 years ago # -
took the train down to tweedbank on tuesday, then cycled along to Kelso for the tour finish. Nice wee run on the train
Quietish on the way down. Very busy back at tea time
train staff had no problem with me and the bike almost blocking the corridor on the return
apparently they've been briefed to use a bit of common sense with the number of bikes they allow on.
Posted 8 years ago # -
When my parents were in Tanzania in the run up to a royal visit, I went with them on the recce of the route the Queen would take up country. Everything was timed and there was apparently an algorithm allowing for the fact that the potholes would be fixed before she arrived.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Watched the Union of South Africa from office window yesterday, train might have had ten carriages including buffet. Diesel on the back. Saw it again after it had returned by reversing.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I looked at the Union of south africa on wednessday I was on the train next to it so could see in the window when parked. I think its fully booked for sunday, plan to take the diesel down tomorrow.
I am hoping if get to the station early then will get on, on the way back will get the train from tweedbank so hopefully get on. Last week I got the train from
Dunbane after cycling to Callander from Dunblane, there was 5 bikes on the train. I hope the borders train allows a few extra too as imagine on saturday will be busy , would be a long cycle back from the borders.Posted 8 years ago # -
"Great ideas and initiatives for the Borders Railway".
How about opening the footbridge at Eskbank station? We went to see friends in Bonnyrigg this afternoon and thought we'd take the train, as it is an 18 minute journey instead of 42 minutes on the 31 bus. It should have been a relatively quick 1 mile walk from the station.
Because the footbridge is closed, it actually takes a full mile detour through the centre of Eskbank and back out again to get to the opposite side of the footbridge. So if you're unfortunate enough to live on the north side of the tracks, walking to your new train station aint for you, even if you can see the line and hear the trains going by...
The station also had completely no information or direction signs, and there were no walking signs to it from anywhere in the neighbourhood and only a single solitary road sign on the road just outside the station. There's also no continuous pavement with dropped kerbs from the Dalhousie Road, past the college, to the station. You are sent all over the place through the college and its bus stops and diverted around the side of the expansive car park which has prime position for access to the station.
We walked back along the Bonnyrigg Distributor Road which is less than pleasant with 50mph traffic thumping by next to you and the A7 to cross with no lights, but cut out the 1 mile detour.
Posted 8 years ago # -
There's a more pleasant route past Hardengreen Cottages over a replacement bridge and onto the NCN path along the old railway to Bonnyrigg. Bit bumpy in parts though - and something again they should do better for pedestrians (and cyclists)
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
DELAYS and overcrowding have plagued the Borders Railway’s first week, deterring passengers from using the new service, campaigners have claimed.
Many trains have operated with just two carriages, despite operator ScotRail’s pledge to run longer services to meet demand after the line’s high-profile official opening by the Queen.
"
http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/borders-railway-row-over-delays-and-crowded-trains-1-3885713
Posted 8 years ago # -
@Amir the path I think you are referring to (which emerges at the south corner of K&I coach works appeared to be blocked and fenced off when we passed. There's also the appearance of a path (perhaps informal) along the south side of the railway in this general direction from the station that's also well fenced off.
We wanted to walk along the old railway path into Bonnyrigg and avoid the Distributor Road, hence the Cook's tour of Eskbank on the way there.
Posted 8 years ago #
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