GCR steam gala

[37415]

Went here today good day everything run and was well attended

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63611615@N06/

 

[Kinghambranch]

Went here today good day everything run and was well attended

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63611615@N06/

Thanks for sharing the photos. I'm off sick with a real man-flu cold at the moment so I'm gutted that I couldn't go and experience a grand day out on the GCR for myself!

 

[ElectronicaL33]

Thanks for sharing those pics! bad time of the month for me (pay day on Tuesday) otherwise this Diesel fan would of gone, hope they got a few through the door!

 

[Mike Williams]

Don't know who was driving the Standard 2 on Sunday - never seen such a poor effort. Trying to drag four coaches out of Loughborough Station with the brakes on, then coming to a halt blocking the cross-over and delaying an incoming train. Could have been some idiot photographer who thought it funny to wind the brakes on just to get their mater shot of clag, but driver should have spotted that he was in trouble when the loco slipped violently whilst still in the station platform. Somebody is now going to have to pay for the flats to be turned off the tyres.

 

[Tomnick]

The Driver would appear to have "spotted that he was in trouble" - when he brought the movement to a stand just outside the station. Whether that was in the platform with the signal 'off' or halfway across the crossover makes no difference to the Down train, as long as it wasn't there for too long. I won't comment further on this specific incident, as I wasn't there and I don't know what happened - but remember that the chap who's in the best position to leave the handbrake on is the Guard...!

 

[AlexS]

Don't know who was driving the Standard 2 on Sunday - never seen such a poor effort. Trying to drag four coaches out of Loughborough Station with the brakes on, then coming to a halt blocking the cross-over and delaying an incoming train. Could have been some idiot photographer who thought it funny to wind the brakes on just to get their mater shot of clag, but driver should have spotted that he was in trouble when the loco slipped violently whilst still in the station platform. Somebody is now going to have to pay for the flats to be turned off the tyres.

I was there. The train brakes were dragging. Nothing to do with the handbrake, photographer, or anything else. As it was extremely cold and the railhead conditions in Loughborough station are rarely brilliant anyway for a variety of reasons, slipping is entirely normal there and the locomotive is only a class 2 so roughly equivalent to a higher geared version of an 08 shunter (not a great deal of pulling power). The train had to be brought to a stand to allow the train brake cylinders to be drained and recharged to get it on the move. This sometimes happens when you swap from one loco to another - they all generate slightly different levels of vacuum and on this occasion evidently the 8F had more puff than the standard 2. In theory swapping from an 8F to a BR standard shouldn't cause any problems but on this occasion it did.

He would have stopped the job anyway wherever he stopped and I see no problem in attempting to set sail to see if it's just a) your railhead or b) the train brakes being a bit slow to release before stopping again when you can't see the problem in action.

Driver has over 60 years experience on the railway/footplate and had LNER on his pay cheques to begin with, I'm sure he's quite capable of operating his locomotive.

 

[ElectronicaL33]

Im sure a great time was had by many! you know 99% of things go well & mistake free yet its an unreported world, but a little incident happens & the world ends tomorrow :roll: Ive made 4 visits to the GCR since May 2011 & every time ive been i have found the staff/drivers/guards (who i presume are mainly volunteers) very approachable & helpful & i for one salute the fact that they get their arses out of bed early on a weekend to do a good job for us!

 

[cksteam]

I must admit that i think this was one of the best gala's i have been to in recent years. Definately the biggest for the amount of train movements.

Photos can be found here: ChrisKempster Photography- GCR 'The Big One' Winter Steam Gala

 

[Swr28]

Excellent shots there..