Less haste...

2nd June 2010.

I'm changing the title from 'Uphill Struggle'... from the comments everyone assumes the train is going slowly because the engine is not up to it. In fact it's a skilled bit of driving, see below.

Preserved steam engine No.4 crosses Bleach Green viaduct
and climbs towards Ballyclare Junction with a charter train to
Coleraine. The train has passed a yellow distant signal, and the crew
proceed slowly up the bank, hoping that the home will be at green by
the time they reach it. They could have gone blasting up the hill only to have to grind to a halt at a red signal and have to restart from rest. Part of the bank is 1 in 89 and the train is 8 coaches - so this way avoids a lot of stress for everyone.

A CAF 3000 railcar passes in the opposite direction, and the engine can be heard picking up speed again, as the section ahead should now be clear and the crew expect the signal ahead to be green, and indeed it was.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• NCC
• RPSI
• No.4
• WT
• Ireland
• Steam
• Train
• LMS

[papoocanada]

seems to be a heavy load for such a small 2-6-4T

[MachaFilmStudios]

@papoocanada Upper end of what she can do but not unreasonable. I think they took trains of 9 wooden bodied carriages to Portrush on occassion, I imagine 8 steel ones are roughly equivalent.

[nickwithtrains]

I thought number 4 was in Dublin on the 2nd June

[MachaFilmStudios]

She must have a double then.

[lokoiutfftty]

@MachaFilmStudios to continue with what i was saying on my other youtube about no. 4 being in dublin, isn't she supposed to be taking the Sea Breeze to wexford tomorrow?

[MachaFilmStudios]

@lokoiutfftty Yes, yes, she is but she moved from Whitehead to Dublin light engine on Thursday 3rd, the day after this :-)

[MrStu2582]

@papoocanada That line becomes a single line just round the corner. It was slowing down to let the belfast train pass.

[Cellars1978]

great engine :))

[colliecandle]

Nice loco and she did a good job lifting that train around a fairly sharp curve on a rising gradient

[Voxac100b]

I remember a friend of mine who was a railway fireman telling me about this section of track between Bleach Green and and Monkstown and the hard job it was keeping the steam pressure up. Today the modern trains run down this section at very fast speeds.

[Enterprise207]

Nice, not often you see a steam train that long in Northern Ireland, do you guys think that 58 will be able to be built?

[97cian]

nice video man !

[HughFromAlice]

Nice vid - No. 4 is certainly a fine looking engine. Wonder how she would have gone at full power up that bank with that heavy load. :-) TU