That wonderful, masterful GWR exhaust beat is a joy to my heart, especially at starting off. It's as if Clun was saying "look out, Folks, here I come !!"
As someone who photographed Pacifics, V2s, etc. at the Cross in the very early sixties, I wouldn't have recognised the place until the sequence beneath the roof!
It certainly has changed a lot in many aspects over the years, it's hardly recognisable as you say haha. At least the front of the station looks great and isn't hidden by the old BR metal roofs and such! Anyway, thanks for watching!
It's just the RHTT (Rail Head Treatment Train). It squirts high pressure water onto the tracks to clear any leaves which cause trains to slip! Thanks for watching! :)
What was that train at the start doing? Because by an amazing coincidence there was a similar train buzzing around the Lincoln end of things on the same day before Clun Castle arrived
That's what is called the RHTT (Rail Head Treatment Train). They run in Autumn times when leaves are falling onto the tracks, it's job is to take those tankers which blast water down onto the tracks to shift any leaves off the line. Hope that helps :) Thanks for watching!
THE DANGERS & ECONOMICS OF TWO LOCOMOTIVES ???? So an ex GWR Castle is now incapable of hauling a derisory 9 vehicles out of Kings X and up the bank to Finsbury Park without being banked by a 118 ton Class 47. Combined power available roughly 3,800hp !!! And yet back in 1925 in the GWR/LNER locomotive exchange a GWR Castle happily took 14 coaches unassisted, passing Finsbury Park in under 6 minutes, when the Gresley A1's usually took over 8 minutes. The fact that you have a "Swinger" (a very heavy vehicle of 118 tones) on the rear of a train nominally allowed to run at a maximum 75mph (limit for steam), would have been banned in BR days on safety grounds. Because such a heavy vehicle (when not actually powering) on the rear, has a dangerous tendency to try & straighten the lightweight vehicles (coaches) in between it & the leading loco, when passing through curves at speed, leading to derailments !!! But of course when BR was replaced by the Ministry of Transport & Network Rail, these idiots tore up the BR rule book (which had been written in 150 years of blood) & replaced it with a totally incompetent Politicised new rule book. Which has led to more than a dozen accidents and MANY deaths, that would not have happened if BR had continued in existence !!! Worse much of the route to Lincoln is now electrified, so if a second loco is needed (simply as insurance against the steam loco breaking down) an electric loco coupled behind the steam loco would have created virtually no pollution, & of course it is far more efficient than any diesel or steam loco, so cheaper to operate. It would have been available for the important mainline line section of this trains route to Lincoln, beyond which the necessity for the "insurance" becomes itself wasteful. Remember NOT ALL steam specials have a 2nd loco, so that excuse is itself wafer thin !!!! Personally I do not see preserved steam locos breaking down with any more regularity than diesel loco's/multiple units on the mainline. Further I would not buy a ticket for a mainline steam special for two reasons. The first being the safety issue as explained above. But also if two locos are included in the formation, how can you record the steam loco's performance or even speed by technical train timing as used to be common in steam days by train fans. As you have no idea of when & by how much the assisting loco is aiding the steam loco. Further the steam loco has, for at least part of the journey, to haul an extra 118 tons of dead weight. A further waste in coal & water, which creates further needless pollution & adds more cost to the trains operation, and means at least one less carriage for train fans !!! NOTE: Because ex GWR four cylinder locos (Stars; Castles & Kings) were slightly wider over their outside cylinders than any other railway, they were banned from operation in many other parts of Britain until much more recently. The GWR had, thanks to its original Broad Gauge lines, a bigger LOADING GAUGE than virtually all other companies. The most common problem being these four cylinder types hit platform edges !!!
I think it makes more sense to have the rescue engine attached to the set as its instantly able to provide support which reduces train delay minutes and then the associated costs to the TOC. I think West Coast have a loco following the stream service however that's a few mins delay plus 2 paths are required not just one, i'm not an exprt on those maters but i'd assume that costs more to the operator. With steam something like a water injector not working is enough to fail the loco even if the loco is still capable of working the train it would soon become dangerous to operate with out 2 functioning injectors. Also bear in mind that the loco worked from Tyseley in the morning, not all the lines it used are electrified so the leccy was not an option for the entire trip. and don't forget that the Castle is using vacuum brakes rather than air so most electrics won't be compatible running with a vacuum braked set. the 47 also gave the consist a bit more operational flexibility having a loco at each end allows it to use dead end platforms like those at Kings Cross without having to attach or detach any vehicles. Safety on the UK's railways is better than ever despite some recent tragic events which were not down to the rule book. GE/RT 8000 is not a network rail publication, its owned by the RSSB and used by NR. as someone who works on the national network and works at a heritage railway i can tell you that the ne modular rule book is easier to follow than the old school BR rule book (yes i have read both several times) as its written in plain English so any idiot (like me) can follow it. your concerns about having a "swinger" are justified. but the term swinger refers to an un-braked vehicle in the train not a dead loco. I was not there but i'd assume the 47 took its own weight so it was not dragging the set back and it would provide a decent amount of brake force through the vacuum system. Its not all doom and gloom you know. the staff at TYS are a great bunch and would not put anyone in danger just to provide a thrill to a few.
That wonderful, masterful GWR exhaust beat is a joy to my heart, especially at starting off. It's as if Clun was saying "look out, Folks, here I come !!"
I 100% agree ! That double chimney certainly creates a great noise!
Thanks for watching! :)
Well done on such a superb video with Clun castle regards kevin😊
Thank you Kevin! I appreciate your kind words :)
Thanks for watching!
E xcellent sight of 7o29 clun castle leaving the cross Tony Simpson thanks
Thanks for your kind words! I really appreciate it!
Wow that was a grand departure from Kings Cross😊
I couldn't agree more! It was spectacular!
Thanks for watching! :)
Magn. Thank you.
Very nice. I’ve got a cine film of her at KX in 1967 on a train to Leeds.
That must be a real archive treasure that! Sounds amazing!
Thanks for the feedback and thanks for watching! :)
The poor fireman is already hard at work shoveling!! Great vid 🙂
Yes I saw that when I was editing and was cheering him on despite the fact it was a recording 😂
I appreciate the kind feedback thank you!
Great captures. Regards, John
Thank you John, I appreciate the feedback!
As someone who photographed Pacifics, V2s, etc. at the Cross in the very early sixties, I wouldn't have recognised the place until the sequence beneath the roof!
It certainly has changed a lot in many aspects over the years, it's hardly recognisable as you say haha. At least the front of the station looks great and isn't hidden by the old BR metal roofs and such!
Anyway, thanks for watching!
Met bijzonder fraaie rijtuigen ! What happens at 0:15 ?
It's just the RHTT (Rail Head Treatment Train). It squirts high pressure water onto the tracks to clear any leaves which cause trains to slip!
Thanks for watching! :)
I do understand. Thank you. @@photographerjamie
You're very welcome :)
Always good to see a Class 47 at Kings Cross.
Couldn't agree more! 😁
Thanks for watching!
What was that train at the start doing? Because by an amazing coincidence there was a similar train buzzing around the Lincoln end of things on the same day before Clun Castle arrived
That's what is called the RHTT (Rail Head Treatment Train). They run in Autumn times when leaves are falling onto the tracks, it's job is to take those tankers which blast water down onto the tracks to shift any leaves off the line.
Hope that helps :)
Thanks for watching!
I would rather have seen it leave Paddington.
That's where it's meant to be but I'll take what I can get :)
Thanks for watching!
THE DANGERS & ECONOMICS OF TWO LOCOMOTIVES ????
So an ex GWR Castle is now incapable of hauling a derisory 9 vehicles out of Kings X and up the bank to Finsbury Park without being banked by a 118 ton Class 47. Combined power available roughly 3,800hp !!! And yet back in 1925 in the GWR/LNER locomotive exchange a GWR Castle happily took 14 coaches unassisted, passing Finsbury Park in under 6 minutes, when the Gresley A1's usually took over 8 minutes.
The fact that you have a "Swinger" (a very heavy vehicle of 118 tones) on the rear of a train nominally allowed to run at a maximum 75mph (limit for steam), would have been banned in BR days on safety grounds. Because such a heavy vehicle (when not actually powering) on the rear, has a dangerous tendency to try & straighten the lightweight vehicles (coaches) in between it & the leading loco, when passing through curves at speed, leading to derailments !!!
But of course when BR was replaced by the Ministry of Transport & Network Rail, these idiots tore up the BR rule book (which had been written in 150 years of blood) & replaced it with a totally incompetent Politicised new rule book. Which has led to more than a dozen accidents and MANY deaths, that would not have happened if BR had continued in existence !!!
Worse much of the route to Lincoln is now electrified, so if a second loco is needed (simply as insurance against the steam loco breaking down) an electric loco coupled behind the steam loco would have created virtually no pollution, & of course it is far more efficient than any diesel or steam loco, so cheaper to operate. It would have been available for the important mainline line section of this trains route to Lincoln, beyond which the necessity for the "insurance" becomes itself wasteful. Remember NOT ALL steam specials have a 2nd loco, so that excuse is itself wafer thin !!!!
Personally I do not see preserved steam locos breaking down with any more regularity than diesel loco's/multiple units on the mainline. Further I would not buy a ticket for a mainline steam special for two reasons. The first being the safety issue as explained above. But also if two locos are included in the formation, how can you record the steam loco's performance or even speed by technical train timing as used to be common in steam days by train fans. As you have no idea of when & by how much the assisting loco is aiding the steam loco. Further the steam loco has, for at least part of the journey, to haul an extra 118 tons of dead weight. A further waste in coal & water, which creates further needless pollution & adds more cost to the trains operation, and means at least one less carriage for train fans !!!
NOTE: Because ex GWR four cylinder locos (Stars; Castles & Kings) were slightly wider over their outside cylinders than any other railway, they were banned from operation in many other parts of Britain until much more recently. The GWR had, thanks to its original Broad Gauge lines, a bigger LOADING GAUGE than virtually all other companies. The most common problem being these four cylinder types hit platform edges !!!
I think it makes more sense to have the rescue engine attached to the set as its instantly able to provide support which reduces train delay minutes and then the associated costs to the TOC. I think West Coast have a loco following the stream service however that's a few mins delay plus 2 paths are required not just one, i'm not an exprt on those maters but i'd assume that costs more to the operator. With steam something like a water injector not working is enough to fail the loco even if the loco is still capable of working the train it would soon become dangerous to operate with out 2 functioning injectors. Also bear in mind that the loco worked from Tyseley in the morning, not all the lines it used are electrified so the leccy was not an option for the entire trip. and don't forget that the Castle is using vacuum brakes rather than air so most electrics won't be compatible running with a vacuum braked set. the 47 also gave the consist a bit more operational flexibility having a loco at each end allows it to use dead end platforms like those at Kings Cross without having to attach or detach any vehicles.
Safety on the UK's railways is better than ever despite some recent tragic events which were not down to the rule book. GE/RT 8000 is not a network rail publication, its owned by the RSSB and used by NR. as someone who works on the national network and works at a heritage railway i can tell you that the ne modular rule book is easier to follow than the old school BR rule book (yes i have read both several times) as its written in plain English so any idiot (like me) can follow it.
your concerns about having a "swinger" are justified. but the term swinger refers to an un-braked vehicle in the train not a dead loco. I was not there but i'd assume the 47 took its own weight so it was not dragging the set back and it would provide a decent amount of brake force through the vacuum system. Its not all doom and gloom you know. the staff at TYS are a great bunch and would not put anyone in danger just to provide a thrill to a few.
As an ex Westinghouse brake specialist, chill out and just enjoy the best designed steam locomotive ever created. Even if this one was BR built