Valenta memories...

[Techniquest]

I've been saying for the last couple of days I'd post it, so it's high time I did. I'll say now this thread is not for the discussion of MTU vs Valenta vs Mirlees vs VP185, or whether a HST is still a HST with MTUs, or whether HST power cars are locos...

I've been pondering and reliving memories of days spent bashing Valentas recently, mostly due to urgently requiring a Valenta fix I guess. But it's fun to trip down Memory Lane occasionally.

So let's see if we can have an open thread where we discuss our fond memories of trips with Valentas. I'll kick it off:

The day is mid-August 2005. Having trekked up from Swansea to Newport with a pair of Valentas (oh, how I didn't take advantage of bashing these GW ones more and wish I had done...) and endured the boredom of 158850 from Newport to Manchester Piccadilly, it was time for some proper bashing!

I'm up here for 1V29 back down to Bristol and off back to Swansea for work. Tired, as usual, but I do get the treat of 43089 and 069. Naturally, it's a First Class upgrade at £15, so I make the most of it and get my coffees and snack box. I decide to take advantage of a seat between Crewe and Stafford for the purposes of delighting in these, then it's back to the droplight. Highlight by this point being of course having done the line avoiding Manchester Airport, which had been required until today.

Sadly, it's a reversal at Birmingham NS due to the TGS being at the wrong end, so First Class at the rear, but hey, I was still right by a Valenta so couldn't complain. By the time I had got off at Bristol Parkway I had enjoyed over 3 hours of Valenta thrash and loved it. Having to get off at Bristol Parkway was a disappointment, but then I had to be at work at 1200, so not much in the way of choice!

So does anyone else have any memories of trips with Valentas they treasure? The above story is still one of my all-time favourite trips on HSTs, topped only by the Valenta Farewell on FGW metals, the final two days of Valentas proper on GW metals and the York - Newquay - Plymouth run with 43054 and 058.

 

[Respite]

Not so much a travel story with proper HST's but more just a memory.

Summer 1996, sunday working at Stourbridge Jcn PSB. I've got all the windows open as it's a lovely warm early evening. Diversion's as usual due to the lickey being shut under T3's. Plenty of HST's (& 47 IC service's), the trains for brum all pass the box under braking for the approach controlled signal at Stourbridge North Jcn with it's 15mph speed restriction. However the trains from brum creep around the Jcn before opening it up full with clear green signals ahead, no doulbt the drivers enthusiastic throttle control is helped on by the fact the signalman (i.e. Me) is leaning out the box nedding:roll: . The evening(& signal box) is filled with the sound of screaming HST's as they race south. Even better is the way the sound reverbarate's off the houses & set's car alarms off in the station car park & on the street below.

This happened many sundays during my 7 years at Stourbridge PSB, but that day was special as it was such a lovely evening & all the trains were still in proper railway livery's. IC swallow's everywhere. Plus some hellfire 56 hauled steel trains later in the day.

 

[Techniquest]

Now that's exactly the sort of thing I'm interested in seeing in this thread! Sounds like it would have been awesome, the sound of a pair of Valentas going into full throttle as they pass through Stourbridge, mmm...

 

[5872]

Haulage from 180 and partner :cry:.

I wonder if we will ever get hellfire back again?

 

[me123]

I still remember (well, as it was only a few weeks ago, I'd be surprised if I didn't) 43107 starting up in Aberdeen. Hellfire!!! The clag was suffocating, the whole station filling up, the noide deafening... Even the businessmen seemed amazed at the power! Sadly, 'twas MTU up front, and I imagine the days of Valenta up north are limited

 

[Jord]

http://jordstrainpics.fotopic.net/p48025221.html

43051 starting up in Aberdeen ^

Just Friday i had 43056 + MTU, 43056 being up FC, i explained to the guard between Aberdeen - Edinburgh what i wanted to do and why and he said it would be fine as he's know got to know me anyway, but i stood in FC from Aberdeen - Peterborough behind 43056.

After '056 had been lying all night in Clayhills depot and with how cold and rainy it was, the clag as we left Aberdeen was immense and i was too stupid to get the camera out and video/phot it, for a good 2 mile it was chucking out thick clag but then eventually it liked sort of cleaned itself out and got the clag as it was accelerating away from stations.

As we departed Edinburgh there is always a local service to Edinburgh from North Berwick and so about 4 or 5 local stations was packed with passengers and so i was flailing to them all doing around 90 - 100mph as the Valenta was screaming - t'was brilliant!

Just i hate to think one day it will be all MTUs except for the GC sets but they will be gone eventually

 

[Dennis]

The most stirring trip I've ever done was way back in the summer of 94, returning from a conference in London on a mid afternoon departure in glorious hot sunshine.

No idea what the powercars were, but I do remember that we left a good 15mins late. I noticed the ride seemed quite lively at times and that we had made up a few minutes at both Reading and Didcot.

After Didcot, my colleague remarked on the lively ride and I thought we seemed to be going somewhat faster than normal. At this point, I got the watch out and noted we were doing sub 7 second quarter miles. We did well over 125 several times on that journey; if I remember correctly, the fastest speed I calculated was 135mph.

I guess the days of runs like that are gone now, what with the amount of slack in the timetable and OTMR.

 

[me123]

^107 makes 051 look like an MTU! (Although 051 has a great scream

BTW, Jord, do you know the lady on this site?

http://www.firstscotrailrecruitment.com/fsr/vacancies.asp

I think she's based in Aberdeen and that I know her (not personally, obviously), but I'm not sure and it's kinda bugging me!

 

[Mintona]

Best memory of a valenta...only one that really stands out as truely hellfire for me...

43125 leading, me in the droplight just behind her, Gloucester - Cardiff on a day when the Severn Tunnel was shut...
Kept getting slowed coz of the all shacks ATW unit in front...much thrasho each time we opened up again...my last trek behind 43125 with a valenta too, sometime in summer 2006.
Good times

 

[Jordy]

'166 from St Pan to Doncaster via Sheffield in the last month of MML has to be one of my best Valenta outings

http://southtpe.co.uk/hst/166.wmv

 

[Jord]

I think she's based in Aberdeen and that I know her (not personally, obviously), but I'm not sure and it's kinda bugging me!

Can't say i've seen her before there mate.

Also another memory was when i was on a HST just East of Severn Tunnel Junction and the set failed with a CDL fault and my coach was told to go to FC and so i was right behind 43143, by the time we got moving again we must have been delayed about 45 minutes at least and so as the driver was accelerating most if not all the way through Severn Tunnel, it was fantastic!

I was at Peterborough on Friday and 43105 was heading north and the driver was either making her slip or just playing with the power handle, i'll post the video once i got it online probably tomorrow or Tuesday.

 

[Techniquest]

Some top quality stuff there lads, I'll document my other ones at some point in the next week. Most likely tomorrow.

I must remember to put together my videos of 43002 though, not to mention last March's trip to Inverness...

 

[TheSlash]

When i was a boy {well, i have to make it sound like an old tale}, i had relatives that lived in Plymouth. My Grandparents used to take me on a return journey from Portsmouth to Plymouth several times each summer, shame i never paid more attention to the HSTs really.
The highlight of the day would be changing trains at Westbury and seeing if the local DMMU service would breakdown while changing crews
I'd always be alter after leaving Exeter St Davids, as i knew Dawlish was coming up! That has to rate as one of the special railway journeys in the world! Being at one end of the the HST and watching the rest of the train snake along the bends

 

[AlexS]

43092 failing in the platform at Wolverhampton and buggering up everything, then to add insult to injury refusing to couple to the 57 trying to haul it dead to Oxley. End result was a 47 appearing eventually to pick it up. This was before the 4th through platform was put in.

 

[37412]

Erm, Saturday 4th of September 2004, a pair of Valentas are in trouble on the 1M25 Newquay - Manchester service, 37425 comes out to rescue and a top run is enjoyed all the way back to Birmingham with one of the PC's providing ETH 8)

Sorry couldn't resist.....Best run probably the pair I had on the last day of VWC HST operation on the Euston - Holyhead out and back working, can't be bothered to check what the PC's were at the moment (never wrote them down at the time but the good people of WNXX have told me what they were) but it was still a stonking run down the trent valley, also a superb departure out of Nuneaton, what of the best HST departures i've seen, handle back and full power, dreadful! 8)

 

[me123]

Can't say i've seen her before there mate.

had her before somewhere, but I'm not sure where :?

 

[Jord]

That video i was talking about of the driver giving a good thrashin' to 43105 at Peterborough:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=D4yN3_eHvmQ