The Bristol Railway Archive

Details of the run behind 70000 Britannia from Bishops Lydeard to Portsmouth via Taunton, Weston Super Mare, Bristol, Bath, and Bradford Upon Avon.

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/t11/t0530a.htm[b][/b]

70000 and support coach ran from Southall to B.Lydeard today. Tonight's QB diner will be hauled by Britannia from BL to Minehead and return. At Minehead the loco will be turned ready for it's railtour on Monday morning. <BJ>

When I was a teenager in Portsmouth in the late 1950s, the largest steam locomotives we saw were "West Country" class and "Halls" on the through trains from Bristol and the midlands. We certainly never saw Merchant Navy class locomotives. I have also read that a "Castle" once reached Portsmouth, but it was impounded on arrival because it was illegal on the grounds of route availability. The implication must be that route availability was a problem on any of the routes out of Portsmouth, although some acceptable arrangements were eventually made.

The problem might have been weight, but I thought it was the width of the locomotive that was a problem.

Is a "Britannia" less of a problem than a "Castle" would be? Could some changes have been made to things like bridges and platform edges?

Pompey Lad wrote: I have also read that a "Castle" once reached Portsmouth, but it was impounded on arrival because it was illegal on the grounds of route availability.

The implication must be that route availability was a problem on any of the routes out of Portsmouth, although some acceptable arrangements were eventually made.

The Castle was 5078, working through on a schools special from Bristol in 1963. It was held at Fratton for some time whilst an investigation took place into the manner of its arrival, and there was some talk at the time of sending it home by road, but this never actually happened.

As I understand it, the problem was the nature of the line between Southampton and Fareham, with many curved platforms - the concern was for those platforms and what the cylinders on a Castle might do to them or what they might do to the cylinders on a Castle!

A roster clerk that I knew at Bath Road in the 70s was at SPM at the time and told me that he was responsible for it - "they should have taken it off at Salisbury!" was his explanation. I of course have no idea if he was really responsible or if I was being spun a yarn - Arthur Perrett was a good yarn spinner as I recall

This tour is now cancelled.

As seen on UK Steam.

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs11.htm#twk

Hot box /motion. Next Saturday's trip from BTM to Plymouth and return with Britannia must also be in doubt. They may have to call on the King or the Duke if Britannia has not been repaired. <BJ>

Well it will save me getting up I just don't belive it I hope the Plymouth run is still on ?

Details of the Pompey Pacific on Saturday with Britannia 70000 via UK Steam.

http://www.uksteam.info/tours/trs11.htm#twk

Other shots.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16582147@N ... 512023043/

It was good to see 7000 this morning as she coasted to a stop as she had to wait on the weston loop to join the main line. no photos though as they just were not good enough.

antnee wrote:It was good to see 7000 this morning as she coasted to a stop as she had to wait on the weston loop to join the main line. no photos though as they just were not good enough.

I thought "Viscount Portal" was scrapped over 40 years ago

This evening at Temple Meads.

mow wrote:This evening at Temple Meads.

Why didn't they simply run the train into platform 4 and water it there? It would save taking the loco off the train.

Does anyone else agree that apart from the 2-10-0 wheel arrangement, Britannia looks very similar to a 9F? <BJ>

I was surprised to see the engine and train at Platform 10 last night, just before Britannia moved over to Platform 4, a X Country HST set came up from Devon, and was sitting under the train shed at Platform 3.