28th March 2007

Past Time Rail
Severn Valley Wanderer

Route:
1Z52 : Bridgnorth to Bristol Temple Meads
1Z53 : Bristol Temple Meads to Bridgnorth

Notes :
(1) 7802 on rear.

Sources : Tony Neath & Mike Harries (both on the train throughout)

Tour Review
(by Mike Harries)

The outward run was “businesslike”. For some reason we were late arriving at and leaving Birmingham New Street, but we had regained eight of the ten minutes by Kings Norton (in spite of the climb of Camp Hill), we were on time by Longbridge, and were early by Droitwich and at Shrub Hill. Here we waited time, of course, and then got ahead of ourselves again; we had to wait at Westerleigh Junction for conflicting traffic, and then were on time at Bristol Parkway. We then lost time on the descent to Temple Meads – we actually had a check at Narroways Hill junction, so I wonder if a train off the branch was late?

As usual, the timing for the climb up Filton Bank was optimistic – it was as for modern traction – and then we stood for a few minutes at Patchway Junction, so we were ten minutes late through Patchway Station – but only four late at Severn Tunnel Junction. After leaving the water stop at Magor early, we had to wait at Maindee – first for a London train before we could cross from the down to the up side, then on the curve for a Manchester train to run ahead of us. Again, we lost a little time against an optimistic schedule on the climb up through Abergavenny, but at the end of the water stop – and we were platformed at Hereford – we had to wait a couple of minutes for a service train. On the line to Worcester, it seemed that there were slacks at each bridge, which had not been taken into account in the scheduling – presumably they were specific to the locomotive – so we were eleven minutes late when we reached double track again. Nevertheless, we were only three minutes adrift when we reached Kidderminster. It then took eighteen minutes, instead of the ten allowed, to attach the diesel at the rear – it seemed that one of the mobile phones being used was not working, so that someone first had to realise that this was the case, then walk from one place to another to pass messages.

This was an interesting day; of course the reason for reversing onto the Severn Valley was to leave the steam locomotive facing in the required direction.

Mike Harries

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Mike Harries)

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