was held outside haymarket. moving towards craiglockhart now
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.
"Forth/Fife Circle Steam Specials" (etc)
(464 posts)-
Posted 6 years ago #
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Waiting expectantly at Bruce Street. Just had my hopes raised and then dashed by the passage of a diesel with a long line of wagons full of ballast...
Posted 6 years ago # -
Currently on a 390 racing over Shap, so not all bad, but I think FS will have been and gone by the time we're back in Waverley.
Posted 6 years ago # -
chdot was right: stopped for water at Balcarres Street.
Posted 6 years ago # -
chdot was right:
It happens.
Seems to have taken longer than intended -
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54788/2018/05/20/advanced
Any photos?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Next trip (late)
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54784/2018/05/20/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54785/2018/05/20/advanced
Posted 6 years ago # -
Posted 6 years ago # -
This evening:
Leaves Edinburgh at 1839:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54786/2018/05/20/advancedReturns to Edinburgh by 2127:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54787/2018/05/20/advancedPosted 6 years ago # -
Micro-Greenroofer and I were heading back from the allotment along the canal this afternoon when we happened to notice that it was nearly the time that Flying Scotsman was due to pass underneath. We waited with a growing throng, and in due course it appeared and enveloped us in steam as it passed below us. It was well-received by the younger members of the crowd.
Is it too much information to say that I have just blown my nose and found that result appears heavily tinted by the 10 minutes I spent standing in Flying Scotsman smoke on Balcarres Street at lunchtime?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Is it too much information to say
If you can't talk about snot on a cycling forum where can you?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Tonight, positioning move to Portobello Jct:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54791/2018/05/20/advancedTuesday morning, back to Waverley:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54811/2018/05/22/advancedTuesday morning, Waverley to Carlisle:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U54804/2018/05/22/advancedPosted 6 years ago # -
The new six foot high fencing by the Astley Ainslie detracted from the experience a bit, but it's still a good spot.
Posted 6 years ago # -
We went down to Balgreen by the Jenners Depository and had an amazing view for about 10 mins while it waited for a green light to turn right onto the South suburban. Three year old was ecstatic (as was I, honestly).
https://twitter.com/livia1521/status/998576855891562497?s=19
https://twitter.com/livia1521/status/998576549602488320?s=19
Posted 6 years ago # -
I pondered the value of going down this morning to Morningside footbridge for trainphotographing purposes, since I've seen FS there at least twice before, and resolved to find an alternative vantage point where I might see the train going a bit faster.
There were only three people at Curriehill Station, and two of them didn't know FS was coming.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@Arellcat
That's the first picture I've seen where the steam loco is actually doing some work. Weel done!
It's very disappointing to see it being pushed by the rear diesel, or coasting.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Heads up for some Deltic action, with D9009 Alycidon coming up the WCML on Saturday, Aug 25th, back of lunchtime:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U68157/2018/08/25/advanced
D9009 heads away on the ECML in the late afternoon:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U68160/2018/08/25/advanced
The Northern Belle is also doing a tour to Arrochar & Tarbet (and back) on the 18th, topped and tailed with WCRC 47 and 57 diesels. I have a fondness for certain 47s anyway. The NB trip is only £360 per person.
Posted 6 years ago # -
'only'!
Posted 6 years ago # -
Posted 6 years ago #
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Quite a few of us turned out at Dalmeny station this evening to watch this:
60163 Tornado with The Aberdonian, with 37706 Conidae on the back. Tornado was obviously preoccupied with getting a long drink of water and perhaps some new coal at Portobello junction as she forgot to blow her whistle as she came through the station.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Saw by complete chance this morning.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Spotted it coming up from porty in the morning, heading west into Waverley. Many many carriages then the diesel giving at hand at the rear
Posted 5 years ago # -
The diesel doesn't "give a hand at the rear". It's there in case the steam loco fails. NR insists on this for mainline steam specials, primarily so that a failed steam loco doesn't disrupt the regular timetable too much. (It may also be there to provide train heating - I'm not 100% sure about that.) Tornado did 101mph on the ECML with eight on the back in 2017. It's more than capable of hauling a decent sized train plus a diesel engine on the back, without any help.
Good to see it back in mainline operation after its little mishap last year.
(Last summer a number of steam specials did run with the diesel providing most of the motive power. This was because of the risk that the exhaust from coal-fired locos, working hard, might start lineside fires during the long, hot dry spell.)
Posted 5 years ago # -
@ejstubbs,
Does the diesel not also provide power on some points on the mainline, eg through tunnels, past the airport where steam running is no longer permitted?
They also sadly have to push the trains back up the borders line if my understanding is correct.
Posted 5 years ago # -
They built the Borders railway without a facility to turn an loco, so rather than risk propelling the entire rake, a diesel (or any other loco that was attached) takes over for the return to Edinburgh.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Arellcat: If propelling is not allowed then it's not turning the loco that's the issue so much as running the loco round to the other end of the train. (Though there may be speed restrictions on tender-first running.) The Borders railway was designed for DMUs, which don't need to run round. It was also built mostly single track, to save money. If there had been two platforms at Tweedbank it could have been relatively straightforward to add a run-round facility. But the projected traffic volumes didn't justify providing that much track capacity (something which is causing pain for users of the railway now due to overcrowding on the services that can be accommodated, and the inability to work round failed trains at certain points on the route).
@acsimpson: The diesel is dragged to Tweedbank at the back of the train, so it hauls the train on the way back.
For shortish stretches where steam haulage is not allowed the train can coast with the loco effectively "in neutral". Heavy train+low rolling resistance from steel wheels on steel rails means that coasting can get you a fair way without too much loss of speed. Obviously things like adverse gradients, or pulling away from stations or red signals do require some motive power input.
Posted 5 years ago # -
There are two platforms at Tweedbank, aren't there?
Posted 5 years ago # -
Posted 5 years ago #
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Sorry, yes, you're right. But having them either side of an island platform makes a run-round much less easy to provide.
In theory they could draw the train out of one platform, leaving the steam loco at the blocks while the diesel propels it in to the other platform, then run the steam loco on to the front of the train. I doubt the signalling can accommodate moves like that, though, even if NR would countenance it.
I'm actually not sure that there are speed restrictions on running tender first. I can't find anything from a quick scan of the RSSB standards for steam locomotive operation, though again NR might have their own rules. Bear in mind that there is no turntable at Fort William or Mallaig, but the Jacobite happily trundles back and forth on that line, usually behind a Black 5.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Key issue is the derogation on the EU rules that prohibit having an open fire on a train going through a tunnel, but steam locos are excused.
But the other bit of route learning that had to be re-emphasised came after the Oliver Cromwell incident IIRC on ECML, to close the firebox doors before the train enters a tunnel at speed, especially with full regulator and minimal cut-off on forward gear Nice way to clear the tubes ...but
Posted 5 years ago # -
"I’d like the locos to be preserved here as part of a small railway museum allied to the farm.“
https://www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/5120/from-our-archives-scotlands-union-man
John Cameron is a gallus man alright.
I went to his talk for the IMechE in Glasgow a couple of years ago. I was the only woman there; the entire audience seemed to be male, white, and retired. After being walked in front of by David Shirres I realised where my place was, and it wasn't there. I b***ered off to the toilet somewhere upstairs, got changed, and everyone had left by the time I came back down again.
Posted 5 years ago #
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