CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Events, rides etc.

"Forth/Fife Circle Steam Specials" (etc)

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  1. urchaidh
    Member

    Happened across a West Coast class 47 hauling dining coaches around the sidings at Joppa today, sadly no sign of steam at either end.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  2. gembo
    Member

    Coming back from Ayr late Wednesday night stopped at Kirknewton level crossing, though I will give it the original title East Calder Halt. for a steam train towing one maroon carriage only

    Posted 2 years ago #
  3. Cyclops
    Member

    a steam train towing one maroon carriage only

    That would be its support coach. Modern railways aren't exactly geared up for steam trains so they take their own support staff, equipment and workshop along with them.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  4. urchaidh
    Member

    Would it travel without a diesel 'in tow' in case of problems? Or do they only do that as an assist when hauling a train?

    That said, the old WCR diesels look more likely to break down than the steamers.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  5. chdot
    Admin

    Tornado is of course a lot newer than the diesels and is even allowed to haul full trains without one.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  6. ejstubbs
    Member

    Tornado has run at 100mph on the mainline network, as part of testing towards certification for 90mph timetabled running. (There was a lot of fuss made about the 100mph run at the time but I've not found confirmation that it is certified for 90mph running yet.)

    Posted 2 years ago #
  7. chdot
    Admin

    Today

    Bypassing (central) Edinburgh

    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U13561/2021-08-15/detailed

    Posted 2 years ago #
  8. Tulyar
    Member

    Tornado 'dropped' a motion link (?) and was subject to some scrutiny a while back - @arellcat might be more up to speed, but I do know the chief engineer from my University days, and a few of the support team so if detail, not immediately to hand ....

    DB Schenker provide the shed link with dual-trained drivers, who are signed for almost all routes in an area

    Posted 2 years ago #
  9. Arellcat
    Moderator

    We have The Great Britain XIV rail tour over the next few days, so lots of photographical opportunities. Not often we get a Merchant Navy class loco up here, but 35018 is bringing the tour to Edinburgh Waverley on Friday evening (having rendezvoused with 6233 Duchess of Sutherland that brought passengers up from London to York):

    22/04/22 York to Edinburgh Waverley, then Joppa
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91177/2022-04-22/detailed
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91179/2022-04-22/detailed

    At the same time, 46115 Scots Guardsman comes up the WCML with empty coaching stock:

    22/04/22 Carnforth to Joppa, via Curriehill and South Sub
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91182/2022-04-22/detailed

    For Saturday and Sunday 46115 takes over:

    23/04/22 Joppa to Edinburgh
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91181/2022-04-23/detailed

    23/04/22 Edinburgh to Inverness via Cowdenbeath and Glenrothes
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91182/2022-04-23/detailed

    On Sunday the tour is Inverness to Stirling.

    On Monday, 35018 heads north very early:

    25/04/22 Joppa to Stirling, via South Sub, Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and Alloa
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91189/2022-04-25/detailed

    46115 then takes over for two trips from Stirling:

    25/04/22 Stirling to Edinburgh, via Coatbridge, Carstairs and the South Sub
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91213/2022-04-25/detailed

    25/04/22 Edinburgh to Stirling via Fife Circle (Kirkcaldy, Glenrothes, Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline, and Alloa
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91214/2022-04-25/detailed

    At teatime on Monday 46115 heads back to Joppa:

    25/04/22 Stirling to Joppa, via Linlithgow and South Sub
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91215/2022-04-25/detailed

    On Tuesday, 46115 heads back up to Stirling very early in the morning with empty coaching stock:

    26/04/22 Joppa/Edinburgh to Stirling
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91254/2022-04-26/detailed

    35018 takes the tour south to Carlisle:

    26/04/22 Stirling to Carlisle via Carstairs
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91217/2022-04-26/detailed

    and 46115 goes south light engine, back to Carnforth on the WCML:

    26/04/22 Stirling to Carnforth
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U91222/2022-04-26/detailed

    Posted 2 years ago #
  10. jonty
    Member

    Much appreciated - thanks!

    Posted 2 years ago #
  11. urchaidh
    Member

    Scots Guardsman was sitting under the bridge at Joppa having turned up early. Bit of a shame as couldn't really see it.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  12. urchaidh
    Member

    British India Line (Twitter)

    Posted 2 years ago #
  13. SRD
    Moderator

    in my FB 'memories' from this weekend in 2012 are both pics of my kids at POP and watching steam trains.

    alongside this discourse:

    "mummy's going to take you on a bike to see a steam train"

    toddler "bike yay"

    Posted 2 years ago #
  14. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I went to Drem for it:

    Let off some steam, Bennett

    and then nipped along to Longniddry for the action:

    Incoming

    Posted 2 years ago #
  15. chdot
    Admin

    He quickly jumped on his bike, and managed to intercept it at a bridge as it passed through the town.

    https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/people/edinburgh-local-spots-95-year-old-scots-guardsman-steam-train-passing-through-portobello-3667899

    Posted 2 years ago #
  16. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Headed out rather early today to watch 46115 Scots Guardsman tackling making short work of Beattock Bank:

    Guarding Scotland

    Posted 2 years ago #
  17. Tulyar
    Member

    Overcooking that boiler at Drem, & blowing off steam at that rate..... Coal is expensive you know

    Posted 2 years ago #
  18. chdot
    Admin

    “Overcooking that boiler at Drem“

    I think that’s the fireman’s responsibility, but as the driver got the train there 12 minutes early, there was obviously some emphasis on performance rather than economy!

    Posted 2 years ago #
  19. Arellcat
    Moderator

    The Merchant Navy class have very good boilers.

    There were quite a few people watching at Drem, and I did wonder if the pressure valve display wasn't entirely unintentional. But coal is not just expensive but rather harder to come by now. It's the main story in this month's The Railway Magazine.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  20. jss
    Member

    Briquettes made by compressing sawdust waste from furniture factories and sawmills at high presssure would be a good and cheap and perhaps more eco friendly substitute
    I run my solid fuel Rayburn on them Instead of coal
    Two tons a year for about £280 a ton
    If well compressed they have long lasting embers and zero moisture content so a very good heat output and low ash and do not wreck boilers / chimneys with hot corrosive sulphuric acid like coal produces
    Seem to remember reading some of the steam yachts on Windermere are using them instead of coal successfully

    Posted 2 years ago #
  21. Arellcat
    Moderator

    Are your briquettes similar to the Hotmax fuel logs? I use those in my woodburner in tandem with seasoned bits of trees.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  22. urchaidh
    Member

    Custom Presto logs? They come in green, yellow and red versions, the red will get a train up above 88mph.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  23. acsimpson
    Member

    How very 19th Century.

    Posted 2 years ago #
  24. jss
    Member

    @arellcat. No , i get mine from a guy in Helensburgh- Biohot
    They are rectangular and much more tightly compressed - no loose sawdust at all
    They burn much longer than the hotmax ones
    I get them as a full pallet load and they work out much cheaper
    Only downside from a green perspective is they come into Grangemouth by sea from Lithuania - and you need a dry shed to store them in as they are so dry they will suck in any ambient moisture and deteriorate
    The guy who imports them tells me no one in the uk seems to have a powerful enough press to make them like these ones - I have had terrible uk ones that expand alarmingly and immediately turn back to sawdust

    Posted 2 years ago #
  25. chdot
    Admin

    Don’t think it will be crossing the Forth, but Flying Scotsman is on a ‘secret’ mission to Edinburgh.

    Posted 1 year ago #
  26. acsimpson
    Member

    Do you have a source/link on RTT?

    Posted 1 year ago #
  27. chdot
    Admin

    All a bit mysterious

    Arrived at Joppa Straight yesterday

    https://twitter.com/1701astarship/status/1628490159460155392

    Was there this morning

    No apparent RTT info

    No idea if ‘leaves Waverley 12:52’ (info below tweet above) is accurate

    Posted 1 year ago #
  28. Cyclops
    Member

    24th February 2023 marks 100 years since the Flying Scotsman entered service so I suspect they've got something planned for tomorrow.

    The Flying Scotsman is "officially" at the East Lancashire Railway at the moment where from this very interesting train ran to Edinburgh yesterday:
    https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U66023/2023-02-22/detailed

    Posted 1 year ago #
  29. gembo
    Member

    Came in through Currie

    Sorry to miss that.

    Simon Armitage has written a poem about it

    Posted 1 year ago #
  30. chdot
    Admin


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