Wonderful video. It takes me right back to my boyhood. I used to stand on a local footbridge waiting for locomotives to pass under me and and wave to the drivers. They always waved back. One time when I got home my mother said, 'I see you've been watching the trains again.' 'How did you know Mam?' She just smiled and told me to look in the mirror. My face was covered in smuts.

This is one of those rare clips that I come back to, time and time again. Simply wonderful!

This is why we LOVE steam locomotives. No translator needed.

Amazing footage Mark, the sound of a single chimney Castle flat out is breath taking....Thanks...Bob

Crikey that's impressive Mark - both 5029 and the filming. Loved the subtle upward pan at the end to show more of the exhaust. David.

It surprises me that Dainton Tunnel wasn’t built a lot longer when this line was constructed. Save the hellish climb.

stirring stuff, one cant help but urge it on, amazing, loved it, cheers.

Sorry, it was a class 47, No. 47712, the tour was on the 16th March 1996 and I have found the video and will upload it shortly.

Amazing! I don't know if you remember when Bradley Manor did Dainton. It was about the same speed, with a class 37 (I think) doing nothing at the back! All power and plenty of exhaust! I have a video of it somewhere, I must dig it out and post it on KZread

I never realised they had to work so hard. I wonder what the maintenance schedule of such a hard working engine was like.....

Nice video, but what a struggle with only 8 on compared to 5043 with 9 on.

@Rosie6857

2 жыл бұрын

Pressure must be well down, about 175 psi instead of 225. Another couple of hundred yards and it would have stalled, judging by the deceleration as it approached the tunnel. 5043, though, steams like an absolute demon. I'd imagine it just roared up the bank "with the greatest of ease".

Brilliant video, it's a like from me and faved...Bill

That was brilliant videom Mark,it was a great sound. The young fireman was hoping that the "castle " wound make it up the bank? EM

Great Western Volcano!

Great video and sound,but looks like most of the coal is going up the chimney.

The coal may have been poor quality, but never knock a young fireman's first efforts on a steep incline. Nunney Castle did indeed slow down somewhat, yet one can easily see how determined she was not to be defeated. Steep inclines like this have tried time after time to make Nunney Castle give up, and failed miserably. No steep incline is gonna defeat this powerful 4-6-0, no matter how hard it tries. Nunney Castle is made of sugar, spice, all things nice and sterner stuff. Make no mistake.

@SteamAgePictures

4 жыл бұрын

Hi Kelly - I wasn't knocking the young fireman. I was sympathising. A real "baptism of fire" ;-) You're right about Nunney. I've seen her apparrently close to stalling several times but never seen her actually beaten. There are 2 shots of her climbing Hemerdon earlier the same day on the disc: Steam Age Pictures volume 47: Mainline 2011, GWR Locomotives. That was even more epic. You could count the seconds between exhaust beats before she cleared the summit! I hear she's getting a larger superheater, similar to 5043's, as part of the current overhaul. It will be interesting to see what difference that makes. She'll still have a single chimney though.

@Rosie6857

4 жыл бұрын

No engine is bigger than its fireman and this one was not quite up to it maybe for quite understandable reasons. Another couple of hundred yards of that gradient and Nunney would certainly have stalled, to judge from the rate of deceleration as it approached the tunnel. There's nothing wrong with Nunney but it does need a proper diet.

@loco42041

2 жыл бұрын

Nothing to do with the Fireman, it's down to Lack of driving Experience ( probably)

@Rosie6857

2 жыл бұрын

@@loco42041 If blame has to be apportioned it can only lie with the fireman as it is very obvious the pressure is well down but I have great sympathy with the fellow who simply cannot get the practice of day-to-day work as was the case in steam days. The driver did what he could - not opening out too early as that would have brought the pressure down even more with a poor-steaming engine. From just before the bridge the loco was absolutely flat out, foot-on-the floor-in-bottom gear in motoring terms and the driver no doubt had his hand on the regulator watching for a slip which had it occurred would have been curtains. In 1959 I watched a succession of trains come up this bank (yes, I'm quite old). It is the easiest of the four South Devon banks. The technique was to go hard on the lower easier part of the bank and allow the speed to fall quite low at the top, without having to give the loco a hammering. You could almost call it a canter. The top part is very steep (1 in 38/43/37) but short, only 0.65 of a mile.

@loddon82

6 ай бұрын

Never criticize the fireman unless you are aware of all the circumstances appertaining to the engine on the day. I'm a fireman and bad coal can cause no end of problems no matter how good the fireman is.@@Rosie6857

What, only 6 on - Black 5 would have probably done better!

@edmundbrain456

Жыл бұрын

8 on . A number of Black 5,s have done it with 8 yes,

That was close - nothing to spare. At 1:27 it goes into full gear but even that wasn't enough to stop the fall in speed. A Castle should have no problem with 8 up Dainton West. Not a wisp of steam from the valves and I'd guess the pressure was well down. The driver did well to open out when he did though he didn't have much choice. But if he'd done it too early the pressure would've come down even more, with embarassing consequences. Well-produced vid, BTW. Thanks.

Why on earth is the fireman still firing with about 50 yards to go? It cannot possibly do any good. Good vid but a bit of a horror show for this ancient student of loco performance.