45596 Bahamas and her eventful run with the last Royal Duchy of 2023 - 24/09/2023

After three Royal Duchy tours in 2023, LMS Jubilee no. 45596 Bahamas takes the helm of the last royal Duchy of 2023. The tour took place on the 23rd of September and with an autumn feel on the horizon, it was a good time to get Bahamas on her last venture into Devon this year. The weather was pretty with some sun and cloud as well as occasional drizzle in the mix. I was fortunate to get Bahamas in dry weather, as it was rainy in some places in Devon during the morning. Also, I didn't bother filming at Hemerdon cause of the weather being rainy and pretty dark plus the fact I got her at Hemerdon already, I decided to do just the outward leg.
My first shot was at Whiteball, but not on the road bridge, but along the path which runs alongside the line. As you can see the vegetation has grown a bit since my last visit to this location. However, it wasn't much of a big deal. The engine was running bang on time and even though she had only 8 coaches in tow, she made hard work of the 1 in 80 climb up Whiteball Bank, my guess was that she slipped a few times before she was in view, even so, it was a bit disappointing compared to the runs by Galatea and Scots Guardsman in July and August respectively. Afterwards was a run to Dorsley Park Bridge to get Bahamas tackling Rattery Bank. I arrived in good time and was the only person there. I noticed the train was held for a long time at Exeter which meant she passed through Totnes 15 minutes late, however, she sounded pretty good up Rattery Bank. Even though Bahamas was not as loud as her older sister 45699 Galatea, she still sounded good as she got to grips with the steep incline towards Plymouth. My final shot was a quick shot at Devonport Station in the Plymouth suburbs to get Bahamas climbing away from Plymouth towards Cornwall. However, things turned sour when she left Plymouth 40 minutes late just behind a Gunnislake bound stopper which meant she never had a proper run up the short hill to the station. The engine finally came into view going really slowly approaching a yellow signal but sounding the part and even accelerating through the station. Although I had better days out, it was still worth seeing her again.
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[@SimonTog]

Good video :)

[@user-cw9qn1nb2n]

Some excellent filming here, and a very capable engine. A fireman at the top of his game, safety valves just feathering and a lovely clear exhaust. And eight coaches is the correct load for a Class 6 engine over the Devon banks. The authorities seem to allow just 2 coaches over the power classification. Therefore 9 for a class 7, 10 for a class 8, etc.

[@RaySpainPlayer]

Professional level video. Thank you.