Contender for the best photo of a Western ... and some video!

Osgood

Western Thunderer
Amazing! Do you know the circumstances surrounding the use of the Western? Heritage Freight working for a photo shoot? A wealthy Western owner just having fun? (I'm not jealous at all :rant:).
 

ZiderHead

Western Thunderer
Apparently GBRf are a bit light on traction at the moment so theyve hired Champion, she went to Wellingborough on the 30th for driver training and trials for a few days with a 66 in tow. Trials must have gone well as she is on her own on that steel working. Rumours are that she will soon be working stone trains!
 

iploffy

OC Blue Brigade
it's about time, BR management really DID get it wrong didn't they. Where's all the so called modern traction now, 73 class 60's stopped awaiting overhaul to go back into traffic, class 58 and 56's scrapped because they were old and then they are upstaged by something that's even older, makes me weep:'(.
 

ZiderHead

Western Thunderer
According to beast66606 in the other place this working on RTT is D1015:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/R04081/2013/11/06/advanced

So she's on the way to Scunthorpe now (passed through Chesterfield 10mins ago) and returning to Wellingborough early morning, trailing load 715t (which I believe is the max rated gross weight for the consist.) RTT doesn't give details of the workings beyond Freight but you can usually make a guess from the destinations - Tata steel?

Railtours and heritage galas etc are great but I reckon seeing a Western earning its keep in 2013 doing real work is something rather special :thumbs:
 

Simon

Flying Squad
That is just utterly amazing, who could have imagined it forty odd years ago when BR threw them all in the bin?

Simon
 

Heather Kay

Western Thunderer
I believe at least one Class 58 is earmarked for the 10000 recreation project. They plan to use the frames, and some of the electrical and mechanical gear, apparently.
 

ZiderHead

Western Thunderer
Early yesterday morning cruising through Kettering on return trip with welded rail:


Stopping at Kettering last night on another outbound trip, with some nice shots of the engine(s) compartment lit up and a smiling driver :thumbs:


... then thundering through Althorpe

 

ZiderHead

Western Thunderer
Not easy to find out unless you know someone who works for GBRf.

However this steel working seems to be pretty regular, and runs close to Mansfield so you could have a play with RTT and look for freight workings between Wellingborough Up Tc Gbrf and Scunthorpe Anchor with that 715t trailing load.

eg. yesterday 480D looks like the one, and it was:
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sea...3/11/06/0000-2359?stp=WVSC&show=all&order=wtt

Just use that search and change the day and see what comes up :)



edit: A good way to find out what else GBRf have planned for her would be to use RTT as above and if theres a station on the route where its timetabled to stop for 10mins or so, chip over there and just ask the driver :thumbs:
 

ZiderHead

Western Thunderer
So it seems the rumours were true - D1015 has in fact been hired to work stone trains for at least a month between Mountsorrel and Wellingborough, the steel rail trains will be an as required working. RTT says 2020t trailing load, looks more like 1100t to me (11x PTA type box opens). Still a decent workout :)

First couple from this week, Mountsorell Gbrf to Wellingborough Up Tc Gbrf:


... and returning the empties:



And how about this - one of her trials from August for this hire, not towing anything as boring as a CL66 and some flats, oh no, they made a real event out of it and had her towing a green 47 and a bunch of Mk1s including a restaurant car.

Ladies and Gentlemen let me present ... The Fish and Chip Special!


:D
 
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