Peterborough North

[great northern]

A week passed between the taking of the images I posted last night and those you are about to see. Not idleness, lack of light. Unfortunately that meant that by the time I moved on with the sequence I had forgotten where I left off. Thus, 60110 was photographed twice more in almost the same position.

 

Never mind, it is one of Timara's later and best weathering jobs, and we can't get enough of single chimney/GN tender A3s, can we?

[Tony Wright]

On 10/08/2024 at 09:06, great northern said:

60867 is not stopping here, so we follow it past the spotters, who have seen it many times before....

and on towards Spital bridge and places further north.

Good afternoon Gilbert,

 

As you know, I look at your (very-interesting) thread a couple of times a week, though I rarely comment. However, the shot of a V2 on a train to Hull, with a Bradford portion at the front intrigues me. 

 

I know you have more of BR's C&W notices than I have access to, but I cannot find a train to Hull with a Bradford portion (you state it's the 1.28 pm - I must try to find that). Most Bradford portions seemed to be in Leeds trains, at the rear in both directions. 

 

The following shots of GANNET on a Ripon train also show a Mk.1 BCK with Bradford branding (is it the same carriage? The white board borders appear to be the same - there should be no white border to the boards; easily removed with a black felt-tip). Surely a train from Ripon (which, I assume would reverse at Leeds Central), if it had a Bradford portion, would pick these up at Wakefield, attached to the rear? Or were they attached (to the front) at Leeds? 

 

My sets with a Bradford portion, all have them at the rear, Up and Down. If I'm wrong in this interpretation, I'll have to do some rearranging.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

[great northern]

3 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Good afternoon Gilbert,

 

As you know, I look at your (very-interesting) thread a couple of times a week, though I rarely comment. However, the shot of a V2 on a train to Hull, with a Bradford portion at the front intrigues me. 

 

I know you have more of BR's C&W notices than I have access to, but I cannot find a train to Hull with a Bradford portion (you state it's the 1.28 pm - I must try to find that). Most Bradford portions seemed to be in Leeds trains, at the rear in both directions. 

 

The following shots of GANNET on a Ripon train also show a Mk.1 BCK with Bradford branding (is it the same carriage? The white board borders appear to be the same - there should be no white border to the boards; easily removed with a black felt-tip). Surely a train from Ripon (which, I assume would reverse at Leeds Central), if it had a Bradford portion, would pick these up at Wakefield, attached to the rear? Or were they attached (to the front) at Leeds? 

 

My sets with a Bradford portion, all have them at the rear, Up and Down. If I'm wrong in this interpretation, I'll have to do some rearranging.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Nothing you need to do Tony. Remember this is me you are dealing with. Notably unobservant, and often idle. The simple answer is that I misread the instructions on the screen, and used the wrong cassette. Then, of course, I either didn't notice, or couldn't be bothered to change it. The former is more likely, I usually only notice such things after the photograph has been taken. Then, of course, when it came to the next train to be made up, the Ripon, I was just pleased that I could use the same cassette again. You may mark me down severely.

[great northern]

Plenty of locos on view here, as 60110 runs on by.

 

anf further on still.

[great northern]

Positively the last shot of 60110, accelerating away under clear signals.

and when its coaches have passed, we have this view of our valanced Claud, and who could resist taking a picture of that?

[great northern]

We have a pre grouping flavour this evening. Our surprisingly long lived J3 has been down to Conington sidings, and now creeps along the slow, with stock returning to New England.

While we weren't looking, the Claud also made a move, down to number 1 bay where it is now coupled to stock for the East shuttle.

[great northern]

The J3 has reached the end of the slow, and will now have to be patient.

 

 

That is because the 1.52 KX-Leeds is now approaching, non stop, with Copley Hill A1 Kittiwake returning home.

[great northern]

More of Kittiwake, coming off the bend and passing the shuttle......

then passing the DMU, burbling away quietly in the bay, while emitting noxious fumes.

[great northern]

And yet another express approaches Spital Bridge before disappearing northbound.

While 62613 begins its very short trip down to East.

 

 

 

 

[great northern]

No need for our man by Cescent Junction box to move since he took the photo of the Claud, as very soon after that  B17 Champion Lodge reversed past him light engine.

It will be taking the 4.25 to Harwich. As it passed, a sound not heard until this summer could be heard to the south, heralding the arrival of D201 with the 2.00pm KX-Newcastle.

 

 

[great northern]

I have just discovered that Windoze has unilaterally decided to amalgamate folders of pictures taken on 11th and 13th, and not only that, arranged it so that the later one comes first. As a result, I have shopped all the pictures for the 13th, but now find I haven't done all of 11th. We are not amused. Where's the absolutely fuming emoji gone?

[great northern]

D201 is seen from up on the bridge, and is slowing for a six minute stop.

Only a few yards to go now, with eleven on it will not be far off the platform end when it stops.

[30368]

2 hours ago, great northern said:

Only a few yards to go now, with eleven on it will not be far off the platform end when it stops.

 

But will it make it Gilbert? Or more likely, be able to pull away again after the stop? A comment on the prototype, not your model.

 

Kind regards,

 

30368

[great northern]

1 hour ago, 30368 said:

 

But will it make it Gilbert? Or more likely, be able to pull away again after the stop? A comment on the prototype, not your model.

 

Kind regards,

 

30368

From what I saw and have read, the problem was not that they were unreliable, it was that they turned out to be no better than a Pacific in good nick. Not their fault at all, false expectations had been built up, and the Eastern had already realised that, so the Deltics were soon to be on their way.

[Stephen Freeman]

3 hours ago, great northern said:

From what I saw and have read, the problem was not that they were unreliable, it was that they turned out to be no better than a Pacific in good nick. Not their fault at all, false expectations had been built up, and the Eastern had already realised that, so the Deltics were soon to be on their way.

From personal experience I would say that they were relatively unreliable and wouldn't knock the skin off a rice pudding. I remember as a youngster going to Euston from Crewe a couple of times in the 60s, the second time was electric to Stafford and type 4 D200 sort the rest of the way (I have seen paint dry faster). The previous year was a Princess, I know which I preferred, though of course, electric all the  way would have been a different matter.

[great northern]

A tranquil scene. D201 whistles away as it waits to depart.

Edited August 17 by great northern
malfunction

[great northern]

For some reason, I was not allowed to enter the second image, let alone add any text. So, I posted the first one, as I thought, intending to do a second post. Then I found that the second image had been added, but I still couldn't add any more text. I haven't a clue why that happened.

 

Anyway, the arrival of 61073, the roughest of our B1s, soon changed all that. This is an arrival from Grimsby, a slow stopper, which is all this loco is capable of handling. The sequence told me this was 34E duty 27, and that seemed OK, even though this is my oldest B1, and not a great runner. However, when I scrolled down further, I was reminded that this train ran Q, as required. The B1 had not behaved well on the short run from the fiddle yard, and so was deemed totally unsuitable to go any further. Of course, I could not resist an executive decision that the train was to carry on to KX. The alarm and consternation caused will be developed further tomorrow. Nothing like a good cliff hanger, is there?  And don't say this is nothing like one.

[Clive Mortimore]

As a member of the "national society against cruelty to Type 4s", some of the above comments about their haulage capacity is a wee bit unfair. I would like to remind those negative thinkers that the Type 4s along with their cousins the Type 3s and Type 1s recorded the highest availabilities each year they were is service. They might not be super fast but they will not expire on route and they will get you to your destination.

Chassis made up from Bachmann spare bogies and motor for an extended Tri-ang class 37.

 

This one is sat on a borrowed lengthened Peak chassis.

 

 

 

Edited August 17 by Clive Mortimore

[New Haven Neil]

Clive's sliced bread adaptions never fail to amaze me, but that EE Type 4 is the best yet!

[great northern]

2 hours ago, Clive Mortimore said:

As a member of the "national society against cruelty to Type 4s", some of the above comments about their haulage capacity is a wee bit unfair. I would like to remind those negative thinkers that the Type 4s along with their cousins the Type 3s and Type 1s recorded the highest availabilities each year they were is service. They might not be super fast but they will not expire on route and they will get you to your destination.

Chassis made up from Bachmann spare bogies and motor for an extended Tri-ang class 37.

 

This one is sat on a borrowed lengthened Peak chassis.

 

 

 

It wasn't their haulage capacity Clive, it was how slowly they did it. And that Peak has got the wrong number. Even I know that.

[great northern]

So, here we are, our only Up platform occupied by a train with a failed loco. The driver of the B1 told Control at the Boston stop that his B1 couldn't possibly get to London, so New England has been looking for a replacement. A search of the depot revealed nothing suitable, true actually, as when I looked around there really wasn't anything. However, a message came through saying, "what about that A3 we have which is on trial from Doncaster". That's also true, as it doesn't live in the New England tray, and I had forgotten it for the Saturday sequence.

 

Can we send that to London? It is supposed to go back to the Plant light engine. Well, needs must, so it will have to go to London instead. No doubt our railwaymen will tell me if this is a load of rubbish. Anyway, there has at least been the time it took the B1 to get from Boston to here for a bit of preparation and steam raising, bu there is no sign of the A3 at PN yet. Which is a problem, as there is now a sullen growling at the North end.

Deltic stops here, and so could not be sent round the Up slow, even if that was available, which of course it isn't. All this because the number of holidaymakers escaping from Cleethorpes was greater than anyone expected. Relief in in sight though, as that A3 has now arrived from New England.

All this is not only implausible, it only now occurs to me that it would be impossible. A gold star for the first person to tell us why.

[Oldddudders]

Can the A3 get from NE to PN to take its place on the train with the Deltic on the up? 

 

Edit - And the J3 blocking the Up Slow?

Edited August 18 by Oldddudders

[great northern]

5 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Can the A3 get from NE to PN to take its place on the train with the Deltic on the up? 

 

Edit - And the J3 blocking the Up Slow?

It can I think, but with some difficulty, although it depends on what it was doing when the call to action came, and how much notice was given. Assuming the call was made at Boston, that would allow about an hour to get 60090 ready. Is that possible if it was in light steam at the time? If so, the only way I can see, given that the Up slow is out of action owing to a defective turnout, would be out onto the Up main from shed, along to the crossovers between ECML and Midland, reverse across onto the Midland, and forward down to the far end of the chord from East. From there, it would be possible to reverse up to Crescent Junction, and thence to continue to reverse to the station, and on to the train. How long would that take? Depends on other traffic, I suppose, but not more than about 15 minutes, I think.

[great northern]

Deltic is still waiting, but D201 can proceed without hindrance.

 

Onwards, past the J3, and away to the North.

[great northern]

And still Deltic waits......

But now, at last, 60090 is off on the way to London.

Wasn't that exciting? Well, not if you were a passenger on either of the trains, of course.