76079 + 34067 Exeter Bank

[mrsoouter]

if i remember correctly... the stretch between Exeter st Davids and Exeter Central is one worse hill's to climb on the UK railway

[skeleion]

Okay wasn't there, can't see how many were on the hook. With approx 60,000lb of tractive effort and close on 3,000 hp at the draw bar available that should have been a walk in the park, even from a standing start. As stated else where could have been very nasty. In fairness 34067 has a steam reverser and even when working well will catch out even the most experianced driver. Great sounds great vid thanks.

[pjd7325]

Unless you there its hard to tell what happened. I think its a case of an over loaded train and it just became too much for both loco's to handle on such a steep gradient and without being able to have a run up to the incline. Bad planning by all concerned. The driver of 76079 didn't help matters by not using sand, the loco went into bad slip which is difficult to control with all that pressure in the steam chest. Tangmere driver was using sand hence why it didn't slip!

[7P46115]

Well sorry to disapoint you but my hearing is perfectly ok, and I work with steam, and I know that Bullieds have a particular knack of slipping, with their light axle loading and light box-pox wheels they are verl light-footed. Yes 76079 slipped first, but ive had 1st hand experiance, whilst firing, that 76079 is a very sure footed loco. 7 up the 1in49 in leaf fall and drizzle and not a single slip. If you'd took a Bullied up there, you will have for definate slipped. Just a point.

[broomboi]

Does anyboday remeber what ahppend after this :) ??

broomobi

[LondonMuckShifters]

Ian Rileys comments afterwards, the stuff of legends.....

[Paraffinmeister]

That could have goe the same way as Blue Peter so easily!:/

[Mikal2475]

What a place to start slipping.Right under the footbridge!

[moonraker185]

would't have happened in BR days the crews knew what to do,thats why sand was available

[sheep21]

or they would've used the banker which I believe wasn't available here. An extra coach, no banker, extremely steep gradient. Disaster.

[dieselmanmike]

Wouldnt have wanted to be the one making the decisions that day, a great vid showing how wrong it can all go !

[Firrboxfryup]

Hell, I was on that train!!!

[Firrboxfryup]

Sure is painful to watch, Even worse being on that trip, like I was!

[SteffanLlwyd]

I can't bear to look!

[7P46115]

christ i didnt realise that they slipped that bad, i mean they would of done it if that bloody Tangmere hadnt slipped.

[mostlyrailways]

@7P46115 Get your facts right before you start slagging off the wrong locomotive; Tangmere didn't slip once on that climb.

[7P46115]

@mostlyrailways My facts are correct, you can blatently here that 34067 is slipping, and slipping badly from the sounds of it. Yes 76079 goes first but soon after so does Tangmere, so get your facts right before you start slagging off members of the youtube community!

[mostlyrailways]

@7P46115 Ok, so you're deaf as well as an idiot, glad we established that. Were you even in Exeter on this day, or does your expertise come from watching (distant) YouTube videos all day? Tangmere stalled, it did not slip. All the slipping is from 76079. Anything else you'd like me to here (sic)?

[dynamicz108]

What happened?

[dvdhttn]

Your just watching £35.000 worth of damage happening - that was the cost to the owners after this little episode with the 2 loco`s - train overloaded drivers said nothing - instead of having a "run" at the bank the other end - they never got the train really moving - and then straight into the bank - to late they were never going to get into Central Station - those drivers never "drove for the owners" again.

[IH6848]

Not bad planning or anything to do with the load or engines just cr*p driving by Kaptain Kirk!!

and yes the loco owner was rather less than happy!!

[Firrboxfryup]

I should say, I was on that trip, and the so called "best" driver they have, did not even use sand!

[omnibus360]

@Firrboxfryup the word epic fail comes to mind :P you have to remember i think this was the time of the discussions about using sand as Network Rail doesnt want to get the rails damaged or something rubbish like that so they can put more money in there own pockets! just 2 let you know i saw oliver cromwell (with you in it) on saturday it went past my dads house in cornwall sadly i had no camera at hand :( but i shall make up for it with a trip to the Bodmin and Wenford

[Firrboxfryup]

@omnibus360 Well, there you go, Stuck on Exeter St. Davids platform for two hours, over 500 people! It was mad.

And cool you saw Cromwell, you accutlly saw me?

Jamie

[omnibus360]

@Firrboxfryup i didnt see you but i saw oliver cromwell the house stank of train afterwards :P

[Femmenition]

@omnibus360

Except that "epic fail" is two words.

Epic Fail

See?

[bineees78xx]

lmfao

wach them strugle to get up that 1in37 they took it up the rong track thats the steeper one lol stupid signal man

great vid 5*****

[XTREMEGEEZER]

only comment i can make is: BLOODY BRILLIANT !

[12gt345]

just a bit!!!mut she maneged to roll home

[12gt345]

ian riley the owner of 45407/[pocket rocket]went f-ing crazy when he saw this

it just came out of an overhall

[SPINNER673]

I think I would have done too! Was she damaged after this?

[martyn111]

wow. OH MY GOD!!!

[taffy402]

Thank you Steam 1989, it all sounds like bad planning by someone,to send an overloaded train up one of the steepest banks in the UK with no backup, was asking for trouble. Still lots of lessons leaned the hard way. Not so many years ago there would have been no problems to get a banker from Exeter yard. How times have changed.

[taffy402]

Every one agrees the train was overloaded, so lessons will be learned on this bank. Next time I hope a banker will be provided.

[Steam1989]

interestingly, there was a diesel banker avaliable, but it was left at Minehead because apprantly there was no crew avaliable.

[GwrSvrLms]

not the drivers fault really, its the stupid persons fault that thought it could pull that weight up a incline like that !!, sorry but ALL locos on the mainline have to come to the same standards, so no one is better than the other, the all have to comply to the same regualtions and requirements.

[jayredeye]

Whats the best website for trainspotting?

[steamtrains3]

blooody hell wtf were the drivers doing ian rielys locos are always stalling failing and slipping i think that they need better maintinance and also i think that the drivers and crew should be trained properly because they are just trashing there locomotives but gr8t vid 5*

[givemefuck]

im sorry , but i got to dissagre

if every loco owner was to work to ian rileys standards , then the standard of steam on the mainline would have to rise but alot !!!

the drivers and firemen on the day , are not relatted to ian riley or any surport crew member and so what you say is complete bullshit about ian riley and maintinace

[steamtrains3]

mabyso but they could have treated the locos with a little more respect

[limeyfox]

I think you'll find the train was about 3 coaches overweight due to bad planning by the tour operator. Think before you speak please.

[thegoldenarrow1995]

@limeyfox I know it was a long time ago but I love this comment! :D I noticed he never had a comeback planned :P

[starrymarkb]

IIRC This tour was disaster thoughout, the FM diesel on the back had been declined as it would spoil the look of the train. So this also meant no heating in the coaches...

Tour was canceled after this as by the time they'd gone back down the hill and had another go they'd have lost their slot on the West of England line (mostly single track and would have destroyed SWT's timetable)

[Mikeacdc]

Gotta agree Ebbystone why didnt he use the effin sanders like any competant engineman would.

[eddystone28]

Peter kirk is a prat, simple. What sort of idiot just wont give up?! A support crew member on 76079 had to step in and shut the regulator because he wouldnt give up. Tangmeres driver didnt let her slip and after kirk wrestled with 76079, 34067s driver simply gave up and shut the regulator. A good professional move

[herbgarratt]

I strongly suspect the stall was because the driver of the pilot engine NEVER gave it time to fully recover, till it was too late.

[awnorris]

In the days when steam reigned supreme at Exeter, TWO bankers would have been used on such a heavy train.

Inexcusable on the part of the operating authorities - don't they ever do thier homework??

[AC9NH]

The problem is that all the power was at one end.  Had 76079 been at the back and able to bank on the flat to start with then there shouldn't have been much of a problem and it would also have been less likely to slip

[scc970]

My first reaction is put the loco out of it's misery, take the driver round the back of the shed and shoot him! As my dad, an ex-steam loco man, said - 'What a prat'. There's no excuse for letting a loco slip like that other than total incompetence.

[ryskinner]

i found it baffeling that 76079 was slipping and Tangmere didnt. im wondering did Tangmere give any support wen 76079 slipped?? probally cus the train the train was too heavy for them partically up a 1 in 37 bank! 13 coaches..500 tonnes.. thats an awfull lot to carry up a bank like that! has that ever been attempted before???!

[rivieraross]

there was only supposed to be 11 coaches plus the driver on tangmere was using the sanders whilst the driver on 76079 wasn't. didn't the two engines start from stand at exeter st davids, if they had a bit of a run up then they may have got up the bank. a banker was needed even if it was a class 67 they needed one

[trainmadmatt23]

that wheel slipping sounds rather scary and im suprised it didnt role back down the bank

[ryskinner]

what i noticed was the train was on the wrong line, it was on the down side which is pretty rare for services to go on that line, only bout 15% of services go on that section of line, did network rail made a signal or points error? did the train service hav a particular reason to be on the down section? 13 coaches is an awfull lot and thats alot of weight to carry up a 1 in 37 gradient

[PhilipGriffin1234]

They put it on the wrong line so the train had a better chance climbing on the sharp curves.

[jiffyman]

Plus, if there were any problems then they could reverse down the bank. there are catch points on the 'up' side which would have meant the couldnt reverse back down

[ryskinner]

i waz a wirness to that! i waz in in da college building nearby da line all the students were impressed by the locos but didnt know why it stoped. i went down to see what waz goin on, it kept slipping 76079 waz struggling but Tangmere waz behind it did it try to give 76079 some support??

[metadyneman]

anyone got a spare Z class banker to give it a shove ??? those were the days!

[Bigaid]

does anyone have different video footage of this?

[Steam1989]

Its not on youtube, but if you look at PSOV's Mainline 2006 Vol 1, one of there camera men is right by the bridge where 76079 is.

[ummodiscs]

"doc! we'll never make the 80km mark, to make the jump into hyperspace!" "don't worry Marty, there's enough hot air in here, to give us the extra boost!" :-))))

[Spinner5711]

Bulleids have a very quiet exhaust note, don't they? I can see why they have a problem with drifting smoke - there appears to be no exhaust pressure.

At teh 1;23 mark, you can hear 76079 start to slip. About three quarters of a revolution later, it loses its feet. At the initial slip, the regulator should have been closed then re-opened smartly whilst simultaneously opening the sands. A pity, because up to that point, they seem to be making a very competent assult on the bank.

[cray1996]

Over all the train was overloaded at around 50 tonnes for the bank, the limit for the bank for a Battle of Britain and the 4MT together was 400 tonnes

[cray1996]

The driver of 34067 did well to control the train from further slipping it was at 75% cut off and full regualator, but was hinded as the 4MT slipped again, also the climb started with a 15 mph speed restriction, and it was going up the down line which is slightly steeper, Also it was over loaded as 2 coaches where added, and FM did not have a banker on stand bye, as they didn't think it was needed, the class 47 being based at Minehead.

[adiboy429]

Malcolm says Derek would have sorted it

[BlackSkyuk]

I was on that train :-) www.trainz2006.com

[custard31]

Is 34067 doing anything except make smoke? Lifting the valves won't have helped the slipping - too much steam makes the loco less controllable: a hindrance not a help on a steep gradient. Also wastes water from the boiler. Were the sanders working? If so i'm surprised they couldn't keep moving, if necessary in a slow-speed controlled slip. Tis easy to be wise after the event though, I wonder what the official reason will be?

[crompton6566]

It is apparent that you are ignorant of the fact that Bulleid Pacifics have a multiple jet blastpipe ,and as such do not BARK although working hard. As an ex Southern Region fireman I have first hand knowledge of

this. Also 34067's driver is personal friend

[custard31]

Hi Crompton6566. I don't remember saying anything about the Bulleid barking.. though they certainly do make a noise when working hard. Given that a). running with a longer cut off reduces slipping, and b). Bulleid has been quoted as saying that his locomotives shouldn't be "notched up" under 30 mph (food for thought for preserved railways!), I would expect to hear SOMETHING in the background.

[custard31]

The rolling smoke says a lot about the steam chest pressure, surely? Not being personal - discussing how it happened to learn for the future. It looks like the 4MT is doing a disproportionate amount of the work. It's also blowing off &, by the speed of the slip, appears to be pulled up too tight: would throttle itself with a longer cut off.

[custard31]

There's nowt wrong with 34067 except it doesn't appear to be doing much IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, i.e. an overloaded train on a notorious climb. But that's a personal impression rather than a known fact, true enough :o)

[crompton6566]

It would appear that you are another armchair expert .

I fired these engines for 6 years mainline also full load fo wc/bb up the bank was 6 coaches & 4 coaches for

class4 loco 6+4=10 train was 13 OVERLOADED A banking engine was available but refused

Suggest you read Ian Riley's comments as to handling of leading loco HE WAS ON FOOTPLATE

[custard31]

Ok, so you've agreed with what I'm saying. The train was 3 coaches overloaded yet the smoke from 34067 is barely clearing the chimney & the 4MT Driver isn't using sand, just in case it might be needed later... Christ knows what for! I have given an opinion based on the evidence available: that the 4MT seems to be driven heavy-handedly & the Bulleid doesn't appear to be doing its full share IN THE EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES THAT YOU HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED.

[custard31]

It's no good saying that everything was perfect, because it blatantly wasn't. It's also no good taking everything so personally, especially when there are undoubtedly numerous factors & people involved. If the crews turned down the offer of assistance, they made a rod for their own backs - it was necessary to be absolutely spot-on from that moment forth, but it wasn't, was it? As an experienced engineman you must understand this.. bending the rules is always strictly at one's own risk.

[cray1996]

no a banking engine was not refused. But thought of being needed by FM as it was still at minehead!!

Most proberly if their was one stationed their they would have wanted the help

[cray1996]

And also before u say im not an armchair railway fan, i do a lot of voluntry work at the SVR

[loco539]

Dang, close that throttle.