Here is my dad's video of 34046 'Braunton' banking 34067 'Tangmere' from Exeter St Davids to Central whilst working "The Atlantic Coast Express" on 8th September 2014.
Only just seen this. Phew!! Much enjoyed. I believe back in steam days they would not have sent a 12 coach train espec mk1s etc with just two locos even light pacifics. They'd have used three locos. On the day of the last steam hauled up ACE, 14 Aug 1964, original 34084 stalled with 5 coach Padstow section just below station. Ivatt no. 41321 was sent down to help. NB someone said about chain valve gear re 34046; but doesn't 34046 as a rebuilt have Walshaerts and no chains?
(tedgoater) Yes, no chains or other dodgy components but three sets of Walschaerts. The valve setting on one cylinder must have been way out for the exhaust to sound the way it did. You'd expect that sort of thing with one of those scatty originals but not with a rebuilt, surely. But 5 out of 6 seemed enough and there was a noticeable acceleration after the tunnel. Well-judged piece of driving, I'd say. The heaviest load I know of taken up the bank unassisted was eight by a GWR Grange as a test in steam days. This leaves very little to spare and I don't think it became routine.
I keep running this video over and over. Sounds like Braunton had a cylinder or valve packing problem, 1-2-3-4-5-whoosh. Surprising that they never eased this wicked short grade, suppose it would have required a new tunnel on a different alignment. Wonderful video.
Yes, 34046 had a beat missing and I think the problem is the valve gear being seriously out of adjustment. For that to be apparent in full gear (presumably) the error must have been huge. It means that one end of one cylinder is doing almost no work at all. The Bulleid valve gear is susceptible to that sort of thing and a look at an engineering diagram of it will show you why. For instance, the final motion is amplified in the ratio 8:3 by a rocking lever, a very unsound feature as it amplifies any backlash as well as adding its own. Then there's the weird and wonderful chain drive. A Disorderly Locomotive but great fun. Thanks for a well shot vid.
Just watched this! 34046 sounded like an exhaust edge had gone on one valve. They never do sound good in back gear. The valve gear is 3 independent sets driven off return cranks & inside eccentric. As modified by Ron Jarvis, so in essence a 3cyl Britannia, not Bulleid. There was nothing wrong with the original design, if kept up, a superb valve gear in my experience. Exmouth junction did wonders with them. Incidentally, a load like this would have been banked by two engines in steam days & certainly not tender or bunker first with the inherent risk of priming on such a steep gradient. If it happened it was the exception rather than the rule.
Excuse the pun, but that was an ace video....v good to get shots from the train. Both those drivers judged to perfection and really held their nerve. One little slip at the top of that climb by either engine and it would have been curtains……Hᴜɢʜ….Lɪᴋᴇᴅ…..ツ
I remember being on a steam trip hauled by Oliver Cromwell 70013 out of kings cross well we got going and when entered the tunnel we stopped it was ok at first but the carriages started filling with smoke it was unpleasant but we got going and out in the fresh air
Lovely Video of Steam working at its best. Does anyone know the Gradient of this location? Must be bloody steep for 2 pacifics to find the going tough. Looks like were talking Lickey Incline sort of gradient. Also how many coaches were on it?
The bank is 1:37, same as Lickey, and there were 12 coaches. I should think Tangmere emptied her sand-boxes on the climb, pumping sand as hard as she could.
