Epic Steam train fail at Exeter: 80080 (& 80079) cannot make the grade - 1st May 1994.

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  • Опубліковано 24 кві 2023
  • A classic and epic fail of Steam to tackle the severe 1:37 grade from Exeter St. Davids to Exeter Central took place on the evening of 1st May 1994. 80080 and 80079 were on a mini railtour from Exeter to Exmouth, when the ascent of the incline proved too much for the Standard 4s. Eventually - and after much burning of metal - the ensemble crested the grade and continued on their journey.
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  • @WeeGraeme68
    @WeeGraeme68 Рік тому +89

    They certainly had some difficulty, but I wouldn't call it a "fail". They clearly did "make the grade" with persistence.

    • @chelseaharrus24
      @chelseaharrus24 Рік тому

      Sky go

    • @tomtalk24
      @tomtalk24 Рік тому +1

      Had to stop" Fail. Lost momentum, fail. 100% stall at the lights, worthy of the lols he got.

    • @306champion
      @306champion Рік тому +5

      Tooright Graeme, they succeeded in the task presented to them

    • @fabiodriven
      @fabiodriven Рік тому +5

      Throttle man asleep at the wheel. Way too much over rev.

    • @andrewnielsen3178
      @andrewnielsen3178 Рік тому

      That's just bad driving - lack of experience.

  • @railfan2673
    @railfan2673 Рік тому +107

    What do you mean - epic fail? That was a magnificent triumph in overcoming the challenge!

    • @johnnyfearlesszrx
      @johnnyfearlesszrx Рік тому +9

      Absolutely, but epic fail videos likely get more views than magnificent triumph.
      Fantastic video though.

    • @bussesandtrains1218
      @bussesandtrains1218 8 місяців тому

      nah mate, they failed

    • @ingamelevi1929
      @ingamelevi1929 4 місяці тому

      Nah mate, he left it laying sparks for too long and failed to bring it up to speed under the bridge while the engine was attempting 60. On top of that, smoke was allowed to billow in excess of safe limits while under the bridge, creating a hazard of carbon monoxide.
      An experienced engineer would bring it a little bit over the speed limit before reaching the bridge to combat the upcoming grade and make it through in 30-60 flat

  • @dcg12btrainz44
    @dcg12btrainz44 Рік тому +113

    80080 was clearly whistling for more assistance from 80079, but never received it in time. With the train then stalled, it would be difficult for either driver of each loco to time their restarts in sync with one another, resulting in the lead engine and most likely the rear engine off camera, losing their feet several times. Dramatic and incredible as it is, I agree it's painful to watch.

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +14

      I'm not sure that they were whistling for assistance - just as an indication they were coming. An assistance call is a "crow". Both engines can be heard working hard up the bank at the start (exhaust sounds out of sync, the unique sound of two engines) and it's a frustrating case of so near and yet so far. They are right at the top of the bank and if the lead engine hadn't slipped they would have made it fine. Looking hard at the track there seems to be an undulation and the middle driving wheels may have lost contact with the track. With adhesion close to the limit that may have started the slip. They did well to get restarted. I still wonder why the driver (who would be out of sight on the left hand side) couldn't stop the slipping quicker - regulator difficult to control at full steam pressure? I have a feeling there was an actual case of a train getting stuck on the bank around that time which made the authorities very wary of scheduling repeats.

    • @beachbum4691
      @beachbum4691 Рік тому +3

      @@iankemp1131 reference Epic Steam train fail at Exeter., thank you for your very illuminating comment., Acknowledging wheel slippage is an ancient problem as far as steam trains are concerned; I didn't know there was a protocol for overcoming the difficulty if two locomotives were employed on a single train. Thank you. John, Perth, Western Australia,.

    • @nounoufriend1442
      @nounoufriend1442 Рік тому +2

      @@iankemp1131 If he's on the second regulator they can be hard to shut off ,often have to giver her bit more before you can shut off , heard this from my dad and grandad , both mainline steam drivers , it did run away a few times though

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +2

      @@nounoufriend1442 Very interesting point. I believe this was true of Stanier regulators on the LMS in particular, it was implicated in the Chapel-en-le-Frith runaway in 1957 when a driver couldn't shut the regulator after a steam pipe blew. The BR 80xxx class were very similar to LMS 2-6-4s but I don't know if the regulator was of a different design.

    • @nounoufriend1442
      @nounoufriend1442 Рік тому +2

      @@iankemp1131 Remember my dad saying some drivers were frightened to use second regulator .My dad was was Immingham Louth Grimsby driver on BR so be 8F 9F Britannia's , grandad was GC Grimsby. Runaway on steam loco must be scary , even if you drop the fire there is still lot of steam . Think best thing would be to set reverser back to centre , apparently some drivers opened reg with reverser centred then wound it into forward gear to pull away. If fireman had injectors open to long , could wet seam cause regulator problems ? . But surly fireman wouldn't be filling boiler just before such an incline , should have sorted boiler and fire way before incline

  • @brianwillson9567
    @brianwillson9567 Рік тому +34

    The crew must never have been so pleased to pull into the platforms, level AT LAST.

  • @levelcrossing150
    @levelcrossing150 Рік тому +61

    Great video but sadly this is painfull to watch at times.

    • @sergeant5848
      @sergeant5848 Рік тому +3

      Fat controller would have hauled the engineers over the coals for all that excessive wheel spin. A bit slow on the throttle I feel. The sparks were terrifying.

  • @DavidWilson-hh2gn
    @DavidWilson-hh2gn Рік тому +22

    The wheels and railhead will have suffered from that performance.

  • @thebrummierailenthusiasts5329
    @thebrummierailenthusiasts5329 22 дні тому +4

    Can you believe it’s 30 years since this was filmed

    • @WCGUK2024
      @WCGUK2024 9 днів тому

      When I Think 30 years I think of the 80s 😐

  • @AndreiTupolev
    @AndreiTupolev Рік тому +141

    I don't know if the loco on the rear was providing any assistance, but asking a Class 4 to take 11 plus another loco up the bank on its own was madness

    • @04clemea
      @04clemea Рік тому +18

      Of course the loco on the back was providing assistance. It wouldn't have made it through the tunnel with just one loco powering 🤦‍♂️

    • @AndreiTupolev
      @AndreiTupolev Рік тому +5

      @@04clemea fat lot of help it was later on though wasn't it. Didn't they notice that they'd stopped?

    • @04clemea
      @04clemea Рік тому +26

      ​@@AndreiTupolev what are you on about? The rear loco will push as much as it can. But once the front one lost grip, the whole train lost momentum.
      The train would not have restarted, if the rear loco wasn't helping.

    • @AndreiTupolev
      @AndreiTupolev Рік тому +2

      @@04clemea 🤨 OK then.

    • @thephilpott2194
      @thephilpott2194 Рік тому +34

      @@AndreiTupolev Referred to as 'banked', ie one loco at the front and one at the rear. A double header (ie two locos at the front) would have had even more trouble- i don't think they would have got going again pounding away on the same bit of greasy track. I think the lead loco had rather a vicious regulator- no engine driver would deliberately wheelslip to the extent where showers of sparks were pouring out. Or maybe Boris Johnson was on the regulator....he can bugger most things up..

  • @sergeant5848
    @sergeant5848 Рік тому +65

    No where near a failure! The engineers did a brilliant job getting the old girls up and over. At our age you have to expect a little slippage now and then! :-)

  • @johnrussell5245
    @johnrussell5245 Рік тому +16

    An old Devon engine driver I met told me about a gradient on the Tavistock line in the 1960s where he always had trouble with the engine slipping near one particular bridge. Years later he was told the young lads who lived nearby used to enjoy putting grease on the rails there.

  • @wolfe1970
    @wolfe1970 Рік тому +8

    Still blows my mind how such a small foot print of metal on metal can have such friction

    • @mpellatt
      @mpellatt Рік тому

      It doesn't :-) that's the problem.

    • @wolfe1970
      @wolfe1970 Рік тому +3

      @@mpellatt Well it does when you consider the amount its pulling and the incline

  • @JP_TaVeryMuch
    @JP_TaVeryMuch Рік тому +16

    How many others here let out a Hooray when they finally managed it?!

  • @richardsymonds5159
    @richardsymonds5159 Рік тому +41

    Memories of the failed S & D excursion that did not make it up the bank with 76079 and Tangmere which so nearly brought an end to steam on the main line. This train originated in Minehead and had two extra carriages added to it there. Ian Riley was going nuts about the abuse of his engine from the front carriage and the whole trip was abandoned in Exeter and we took hours to get back to Taunton in freezing conditions - cannot remember which year though!

    • @TIMMEH19991
      @TIMMEH19991 Рік тому +4

      was it around 2004? About the time youtube first started? I seem to remember loads of controversy on some railway forum with a link to youtube (i'd never heard of it up to then)

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +5

      @@TIMMEH19991 Yes, I remember seeing about this in railway magazines and lots of letters arguing whether to blame the driver, the load etc, rather like the range of comments here! Have now found a video reference through Google that states it was 23rd March, 2006.

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +5

      Looks as if the UA-cam link is ua-cam.com/video/pOqqf-cbqQk/v-deo.html, as you say - the very early days of UA-cam! Again, loads of arguments in the comments. The final slip seems to have occurred in almost exactly the same location as in 1994, implying that localised track conditions may have had a hand in both.

    • @rodneygreenway
      @rodneygreenway Рік тому +4

      I was on the train no info. All our stuff was on the coaches as they told us that we would be back on soon as a diesel was on the way to bank us. Bloody cold we went home on a 125

  • @prairie262
    @prairie262 Рік тому +9

    Nearly 3/4 mile of 1 in 37 between the two Exeter stations. There is a photo of Drummond class 700 0-6-0+ N class 2-6-0+Bulleid West Country triple header, pulling express to Waterloo in 1958 out of Exeter St.Davids in the SR150 book. Two standard 4s not enough grunt!

    • @TIMMEH19991
      @TIMMEH19991 Рік тому +1

      I agree. Poor things had to be thrashed within an inch of their lives to make it.

  • @royfearn4345
    @royfearn4345 Рік тому +21

    This is a notorious incline on a severe curve, and the situation is not helped by the obvious poor standard of track maintenance. Every slip that I observed commenced each time the loco got to the bottom of the poorly packed undulations as the driving wheels suffered a reduction in adhesive weight as the pony and bogie trucks took the load. As well as sanders, the driver should have opened the cylinder cocks to reduce the torque at the wheels.
    These Riddles 2-6-4Ts were fine runners on heavy outer suburban services, including the heavy Clyde Coast services to Gourock, and I never saw one slip like that in regular service with an experienced crew!

  • @robertclare6137
    @robertclare6137 Рік тому +31

    If I owned a Steam Locomotive,He wouldn't be anywhere near it

  • @telmas7183
    @telmas7183 Рік тому +21

    So many 'experts' on here commenting who have probably never touched the regulator on a steam loco!

  • @ianjeffery6744
    @ianjeffery6744 Рік тому +14

    I remember these engines from the Tonbridge in the 1960s, and they always seemed capable and reliable - albeit not on quite such a heavy train! Full marks to the crew of 80080 for triumphing over the odds...

    • @nicktuk159
      @nicktuk159 Рік тому

      Any relation to Brian (ex-TWW and Orpington)?

    • @ianjeffery6744
      @ianjeffery6744 Рік тому

      @@nicktuk159 Not as far as I know!

  • @AlcoLoco251
    @AlcoLoco251 Рік тому +21

    That engine is going to need brand new tires.

    • @stevedickson5853
      @stevedickson5853 Рік тому +1

      ...😅 burnt some ' rubber' didn't it

    • @hagerty1952
      @hagerty1952 Рік тому +4

      I'm sure there's some dents in the rails as well...

  • @johnanthonycolley3803
    @johnanthonycolley3803 Рік тому +28

    Congratulations driver.
    ( That's an awfully heavy train for such a loco )
    having achieved that all is AWESOME

  • @thebrummierailenthusiasts5329
    @thebrummierailenthusiasts5329 Рік тому +9

    Look at the sparks coming under the driving wheels whilst it was slipping like mad

  • @QuarrySteam
    @QuarrySteam Рік тому +209

    I don’t think a good driver would let the loco slip that badly, seemed more worried about blowing the whistle than the fact the engine was doing 60mph and not moving…

    • @welsh_Witch
      @welsh_Witch Рік тому +53

      The whistle is to signal the banker for assistance

    • @janinapalmer8368
      @janinapalmer8368 Рік тому +5

      @@welsh_Witch don't they use radios to communicate?

    • @125sloth
      @125sloth Рік тому +52

      Obviously in 1994 you did not have to be the sharpest tool in the shed to be qualified to drive a steam locomotive. Seriously, it was a very amateur effort, taking way too long to arrest the wheel slips, in fact lt appeared the driver was hoping the train would move sufficiently if he left the loco laying sparks on the tracks. That in itself can be dangerous and cause the locomotive to totally break down mechanically.

    • @frglee
      @frglee Рік тому +7

      I was thinking of the line in the 'Oh, Mr Porter' film about letting all the steam out!🙂

    • @terrier_productions
      @terrier_productions Рік тому +26

      And then that following October, 60532 "Blue Peter" would fail by doing approx 140mph and not moving..

  • @daviddarrall9384
    @daviddarrall9384 Рік тому +4

    That was so amazing! Not seen anything like it. Well done Cab crew and driver!

  • @bobcharles2683
    @bobcharles2683 Рік тому +40

    I know this gradient well, it has nothing to do with driver skills at all, it's more to do with poor track preparation, and that it was wet and greasy. Personally I think the drivers did a great job from a standing start. Back in the days of steam this rarely happened on this incline.

    • @deang5622
      @deang5622 Рік тому +2

      Diesels have never had a problem up this gradient.
      I agree that the wheels on the loco were slipping at the top where the gradient was returning to level, and does suggest low friction. Once the driving wheels got to that point it should have been easier.

    • @robertday8619
      @robertday8619 Рік тому

      Rubbish

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +4

      @@deang5622 Diesels have much lighter trains and a higher power-to-weight ratio. It's interesting to see how successive generations of trains (steam, first generation dmus, modern dmus) master steep gradients progressively more easily. Looking closely it seems there was a dip in the track on the curve entering the station and that caused the slip. So near and yet so far, they were going fine up to that point.

    • @stevemoore9323
      @stevemoore9323 Рік тому

      Absolutely, that was a lot of coaches for those locos to haul up a hill.

  • @stanleyj.mitchell4851
    @stanleyj.mitchell4851 Рік тому +17

    It’s easy to criticise others. As an now retired train driver I think those two drivers did an incredible job in recovering from that. Wheel slip in extremely hard to control, be it steam or electric locomotive. From the time the video started you could tell they were in trouble. Well done to both drivers.

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +1

      It all seemed to be going well to me until close to the top of the bank when the slip started - so near and yet so far. What puzzled me is why it took the driver so long to close the regulator each time - then again, that can be difficult against a big steam flow in a slip, as was sadly proved by Blue Peter not long afterwards during 1994.

    • @stanleyj.mitchell4851
      @stanleyj.mitchell4851 Рік тому +1

      Throttle action on a steam locomotive is similar to a diesel locomotive only more extreme. There is a time delay from when the driver opens or closes the throttle and when the action actually happens. It is possible that the driver had closed the throttle and the response time was long. I haven’t driven steam, however, steam locomotives where very much in use when I started my driving career in 1973. So I was able to observe from the footplate what happened or sometimes didn’t happen.

    • @SoCal_Jerry
      @SoCal_Jerry Рік тому

      Maybe it needed Lionel Magnatraction? LOL ! Actually my impression is that it had way too many cars and what they had, was too full of passengers for that grade. Fewer cars would have made to run a lot less scary for all.

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +1

      @@SoCal_Jerry 1994 was relatively early days for main line steam and they sometimes loaded trains closer to the limit; there were a couple of other stalls on other trains on gradients including another one at Exeter. The snag is that every carriage less costs thousands of pounds of lost revenue, and these trains are expensive to run. They have to be commercially viable - they aren't subsidised.

  • @jonathanprior4716
    @jonathanprior4716 18 днів тому +1

    I was stood to the right and filming hand held next to the photographer who wisely chose a tripod. Has to be one of the most memorable shots. Made it to watch them arrive at Exmouth too.

  • @Northerner_Transport_Hub
    @Northerner_Transport_Hub Рік тому +8

    I just saw 80080 the other week she's a wonderful and powerful machine. She dragged load 4 and a dead class 73 on the Ecclesbourne Valley the other day

  • @robertyoung9988
    @robertyoung9988 Рік тому +27

    That's one way to bend the valve gear/coupling rods

  • @MrClassiccarenthusia
    @MrClassiccarenthusia Рік тому +5

    If I remember anything from my time watching Thomas the Tank engine as a kid. It's that in situations like these, you need men with shovels and buckets of sand. And to keep the engine going slow and steady. Even on my old V8, in the wet, you put it in 1st and plant your foot down, you're not going anywhere, you'll just spin the wheels.

  • @madbadseagulls1
    @madbadseagulls1 10 днів тому

    5:53 Seeing Central Station without the apartment buildings Infront of HMP Exeter (The tall Chimney in the distance) is interesting... How places change over time.
    Amazing video and peice of history. 😎

  • @northstar1950
    @northstar1950 Рік тому +17

    Seems to be a lack of traction rather then power.

  • @mveale85
    @mveale85 Рік тому +13

    It's great to see input from all these experienced loco drivers and how they could have done better 👍

    • @paulnorthcott6634
      @paulnorthcott6634 Рік тому +5

      Maybe some are? The fact is that the driver risked serious damage to the loco, and didn’t seem in control of his stead.

    • @boblennox9251
      @boblennox9251 Рік тому +3

      I'm not a loco driver, but had a career in the railways. Enough of your sarcasm. You don't need to have footplate experience to see that this was a disgusting display of incompetence from the driver of the leading loco. Firstly why were there so many bodies in there, as can be seen. A major distraction to the crew, no doubt. The driver clearly didn't have his eye on the ball, and wasn't concentrating on the difficult job in hand. He completely failed to arrest and control the initial wheelslip, thus losing momentum of the train. Had he eased off on the regulator at the first indication of slip, and reapplied in good time, he would have maintained the movement of the train, and would have recovered from the momentary loss of traction. However, you can see that from then onwards, the way he deals with subsequent slips, he was just playing himself, with no respect for the mechanical integrity of the loco. An absolute disgrace. Other posters on this thread have expressed concern about the difficulty of preserving steam driving skills on today's railway. This video is eloquent testimony to that very lack of skills. One final comment on the clickbait title - "Epic Fail?" The locos managed to get the train restarted and over the summit. Despite being badly handled, that's not a fail in my book.

    • @petersaupe7455
      @petersaupe7455 Рік тому

      @@boblennox9251Fully agree. Last thing you need is a cab full of experts. X is the unknown factor and spurt is a drip under pressure.

  • @johndrew3202
    @johndrew3202 Рік тому +5

    Watching this with memories of the Durham slip, I am very relieved that driver training before driving particular locos was instigated. That driver seemed to enjoy making Catherine Wheels instead of concentrating on managing the slips. Quite agree about driver communication made earlier, he was not whistling for the fun of it!

  • @kristinajendesen7111
    @kristinajendesen7111 Рік тому +4

    Need a Z class on the back. Problem there they have to go forward because of the spring loaded catch points, can't go back for another go.

  • @markrainford1219
    @markrainford1219 Рік тому +2

    Dunno about fail. That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen.

  • @johnturnbull7798
    @johnturnbull7798 Рік тому +9

    Very impressive video and you can say the driver didnt try. It is asking a lot from both engines to pull that weight up the bank as you dont get a great run up to it and it is not far short of the Lickey incline . Every carriage was stuffed full of people so it couldnt have been any heavier. I go along with other comments that question if it was advisable to take that route. Of course thats down to the organisers and those that approve it. It would have been more advisable to have a lighter train.

  • @tomx1135
    @tomx1135 Рік тому +10

    Well that's one way how to do rail head grinding

  • @adamleewicks8529
    @adamleewicks8529 Рік тому +6

    Even the pigeon scarpered at 2:31

  • @1701_FyldeFlyer
    @1701_FyldeFlyer Рік тому +53

    Im surprised the driver didnt weld the loco to the track! My grandpa was a driver on the L&Y railway and could teach some of these characters how to drive a train.

    • @ieuandavies4134
      @ieuandavies4134 Рік тому +9

      He probably didn't have to contend with the grease that someone had spread on the rail at the top of the bank!

    • @olivercass8253
      @olivercass8253 Рік тому +8

      Some times the regulator can get stuck open with the pressure of the steam pushing against it

    • @ieuandavies4134
      @ieuandavies4134 Рік тому

      @@olivercass8253 True

    • @johnjephcote7636
      @johnjephcote7636 Рік тому

      @@olivercass8253 That's how Lady of Lynn was reckoned to do the ton, light engine, because the pole reverser could not be pulled back.

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +1

      @@ieuandavies4134 Or diesel oil spillage over the years, not a problem in steam days (although Bulleid Pacific oil baths might not have helped). It's also been suggested that track irregularities and the final curve might nit have helped.

  • @marksommers6764
    @marksommers6764 Рік тому

    Spectacular to watch .. THANK YOU !

  • @johnbrown9092
    @johnbrown9092 Рік тому +9

    I'll bet the local Per Way Inspector was pleased!😮

    • @miniaturesteamnick
      @miniaturesteamnick Рік тому +2

      It was the 90s. The local pway had probably been made redundant by railtrack

  • @railwaymechanicalengineer4587
    @railwaymechanicalengineer4587 6 місяців тому +1

    NASTY GRADIENT EVEN STALLED A CLASS 50 !!!
    Indeed neither loco failed. And amazingly enough they were able to restart on the horrendous gradient. Very good for two BR Standard Class 4 Tanks, with what appears to be 10 x Mk 1's. When you consider that a Class 50 2,700hp Diesel & 9 Mk2's slipped to a halt before the tunnel one morning whilst working the 06.30 Exeter St. David's to Waterloo service. I had to get a Class 37 from the loco yard, to give the train a shove up to Central station. There is one other problem on this gradient, there were two "Trap points" on the "Up Line". Meaning if you stall, and ANY of the trains vehicles are over either trap point, you must NOT allow the train to roll back when trying to restart. Hence it was safer in the case of the Class 50, to simply ask for banking assistance !

  • @daveo9844
    @daveo9844 Рік тому +9

    He was good on the whistle though 🤪

  • @stevemoore9323
    @stevemoore9323 Рік тому +6

    Love the 4MT! I grew up in a house that backed onto the Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge line and remember these locomotives passing on the embankment. Wonderful to see them still working. That was a lot of coaches they had there.

  • @scottishsteamproductions2014
    @scottishsteamproductions2014 Рік тому +1

    Been researching what mainline steam was running between 94-04 for a layout I'm building 😊 thanks for sharing

  • @rodsmith2031
    @rodsmith2031 Рік тому +6

    I'm surprised that the two locos had so much trouble, with a combined power classification in British Rail terms of 8MT on 11 coaches. I used to see these locos regularly on the LT&S line tackling the gradients between Chalkwell and Southend Central with up to 11 coaches single handed. My imprssion is that the banker wasn't pulling its weight and the regulator on thw leading engine wasn't shut down quickly enough when the wheels started slipping.

    • @A-Trainspotter-From-Berkshire
      @A-Trainspotter-From-Berkshire 9 місяців тому

      Was that grade 1 in 37?

    • @rodsmith2031
      @rodsmith2031 9 місяців тому

      I don't know the exact grade but probably not as steep as 1 in 37.@@A-Trainspotter-From-Berkshire

    • @A-Trainspotter-From-Berkshire
      @A-Trainspotter-From-Berkshire 9 місяців тому

      @@rodsmith2031 It looks like for Chalkwell to Southend Central max grade is 1 in 80.

    • @rodsmith2031
      @rodsmith2031 9 місяців тому +1

      So a single Class 4 2-6-4T with 8 or 11 coaches (it varied)? Not bad, day in, day out.
      @@A-Trainspotter-From-Berkshire

    • @heuhen
      @heuhen 4 місяці тому +2

      looks for me that the track was damp, just enough to one of them loss traction a little and in combination that there is a bit delay between throttle adjustment until something happens are big enough for them to lose it fully.
      The difference between a good and really good driver can be noticed, a really good driver, can almost predict what is coming next.

  • @TheAmateurBasher1984
    @TheAmateurBasher1984 Місяць тому +1

    4:42 - Watch the sparks fly... Literally.

  • @samuelfellows6923
    @samuelfellows6923 Рік тому +10

    I wonder if the rear steam engine had the same problem ~ “servire wheel slip” (as we couldn’t see it) or non-communication between the 2 steam locos made it worse

    • @BMMOD10
      @BMMOD10 Рік тому +2

      The rear loco was fighting just as hard as the front. If you look to the left and above the grey building in the background between 3.33 and 5.26, you can see the clouds of steam.

  • @nicktuk159
    @nicktuk159 Рік тому +1

    I was a passenger on this train ... earlier in the day the pair had successfully hauled us to Barnstaple (Tarka Explorer) and the next day took us to Paignton (Torbay Explorer)

  • @bikerguychris33
    @bikerguychris33 Рік тому +4

    This was painful to see, Poor engine 😢

  • @stratac30
    @stratac30 Рік тому +26

    Very poor footplate work especially by the driver and possibly by the banker, this would have never happened in Southern Region days, even with the Plymouth portion of the ACE coming up from St.Davids with 9 coaches it was pulled by class 7 Pacific and probably banked by class 6F Z tank. It then collected another 3 coaches at Central Station with the WC/BB probably coming off and a Salisbury MN replacing it. One can only imagine if any retired Exmouth Junction crews were watching this at Central Station, they would have been horrified. Class 4 standard is a very good tank, but two class 4's and 11 coaches on a 1:37 incline just doesn't work.

    • @raymondo162
      @raymondo162 Рік тому +1

      i can't believe at one point, it's sitting there wheels spinning and sparking a f........... can't be good for the wheels or the rails

    • @damian-795
      @damian-795 Рік тому +1

      @@raymondo162 Trying to power up to get up gradient, but opened regulator too much , actually caused a reduction in friction effect by wheels spinning causing it to slow

  • @modtwentyeight
    @modtwentyeight Рік тому +19

    Not a fail. With judicious engine management, they continued with forward momentum.👍

  • @poly_hexamethyl
    @poly_hexamethyl Рік тому +2

    They should have got all the passengers out and have them sit on top of the locomotives for extra traction. Either that or get out and push. 🙂

  • @terrier_productions
    @terrier_productions Рік тому +3

    wow it seems 1994 was a good year for steam engine wheelslip! 80080 in May and 60532 in October! bad for engines (especially 60532) but a sight to behold from the lineside!

  • @peterwhitehouse5896
    @peterwhitehouse5896 Рік тому +1

    I saw the Royal Train pass through Thurstaston railway station, Wirral back in the 1950's The carriages are in the Railway Museum in York.

  • @michaeld5888
    @michaeld5888 Рік тому +17

    I always remember waiting at Exeter and I think it was St David's and this must have been some 60 years ago in my youth and I remember a Merchant Navy spam cam pulling just 2 coaches taking a flying run and going hell for leather up a really steep slope out of the station. It was a strange spectacle I have never forgotten. If it this climb hardly suprising these locos struggled.

    • @TheIndianChins
      @TheIndianChins Рік тому

      Most likely would have been to get up from St David's to Exeter Central

    • @deang5622
      @deang5622 Рік тому +2

      ​@@TheIndianChins It certainly was.
      The gradient of the slope from St David's up to Central I believe is the steepest in the country, for a train from a standing start.

    • @johnjephcote7636
      @johnjephcote7636 Рік тому +1

      With the stone trains (from Meldon?) and a 9F, there was always a banker, such as a class Z.

    • @chrislove5884
      @chrislove5884 Рік тому +1

      Yes it is the same incline. On an Hst trip via this steep slope, my cup of tea was at such an angle it spilled into the saucer.

    • @richardharrold9736
      @richardharrold9736 Рік тому

      ​@@deang5622 Mortehoe bank up from Ilfracombe was as steep, but no trains there for over fifty years now. Lickey Incline is equally steep but not taken from a standing start at the bottom...

  • @petersaupe7455
    @petersaupe7455 Рік тому +1

    No locos in the days of steam ever pulled a load like that up that piece of track. The banker drivers from St David were experts at pushing on that bit of track. How do i know ? Just out of sight to the left is were I spent much of my apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner.I was 15 then. 70 odd now.The works manager would come out of his office and the man in charge of me would walk to the chain link fence when we heard the locos coming up from St Davids and we three would watch and I would wave. Then talk about the various failings and merits of GWR locos versus Southern locos, not wasted time as far as we were concerned. The banker loco would hammer back to St Davids as soon as they could , longer wait for the next push I suppose. Happier times.

  • @rwhb1
    @rwhb1 Рік тому +5

    Amazing recovery.

  • @leonperry123
    @leonperry123 Рік тому +5

    Wasn't a total fail, it did make it

  • @howardsimpson489
    @howardsimpson489 Рік тому +1

    I remember the same sound of early morning locos leaving Christchurch NZ with frost on the lines. Men with sand were ready knowing that wheel spin as the train accelerated was likely. Not lack of power, just lack of grip. Some really step mountain climbs had rack and pinion teeth to grip.

  • @daciatravel.647
    @daciatravel.647 Рік тому

    Great video! 👍👍🚂🚃🚃🚃

  • @123LooKey
    @123LooKey Рік тому +1

    Great video!!!

  • @rogerhill138
    @rogerhill138 Рік тому

    He certainly loves his whistle!!

  • @barrydrocknrail2231
    @barrydrocknrail2231 Рік тому +1

    The track would need inspection after that.

  • @Official_jacklukemason
    @Official_jacklukemason Рік тому +1

    Remember this on a vhs tape my grandad had, been looking for the tape for too many years but still can’t find it

  • @GWAYGWAY1
    @GWAYGWAY1 Рік тому +1

    Even I know that once traction is broken to close the regulator and sand the line.

  • @xenon53827
    @xenon53827 Рік тому

    I read the title and could see one section of rail seemed to bow upwards so at the start of that section, it would be even steeper. And as the engine got exactly there, that is where it first slipped.
    Check the profile of the track on that vid, you'll spot it, the wheels hit it at 1:37

  • @tompekarna
    @tompekarna Рік тому

    Was fireman on 1880 Steam train in black hills of south dakota. in the spring pine pollen would coat the track.
    The steepest grade on the route was 6% steepest un geared line in US, would have to back down and try again with more sand, always a challange. Steam is awesome.

  • @bpbill2000
    @bpbill2000 Рік тому +1

    Great video really intense

  • @davidelliott5843
    @davidelliott5843 Рік тому

    The preserved line from Paignton to Kingswear uses the same engine type up a much steeper gradient. But the trains are considerably shorter. It's great to hear an engine working. It's painful to see one burning up it's wheels like this video.

    • @04clemea
      @04clemea Рік тому +2

      Literally everything you said is wrong.
      The Paignton - Kingswear line is nowhere near as steep as the gradient in this video and doesn't use the same type of engine. But don't let the facts get in the way of your judgement👌

  • @DaveInBridport
    @DaveInBridport 10 місяців тому

    That is one hell of a gradient. From the platform the line just falls away.

  • @bobcornford3637
    @bobcornford3637 Рік тому +19

    All the keyboard steam experts......

    • @robertday8619
      @robertday8619 Рік тому +3

      Silly comment!

    • @Otacatapetl
      @Otacatapetl Рік тому +1

      UA-cam. Where all the experts live.

    • @jonson481
      @jonson481 Рік тому

      As others have said, that's just a stupid comment to make. How do you know there aren't some knowledgable people commenting on here? Despite this it's not exactly difficult to see the poor way the driver handled the loco.

    • @Otacatapetl
      @Otacatapetl Рік тому +1

      @@jonson481 Today is Thursday.

    • @jonson481
      @jonson481 Рік тому

      @@Otacatapetl
      It will soon be Friday though

  • @ShilleNide
    @ShilleNide 3 місяці тому

    Henry didn't want to come out of the tunnel

  • @wilsonlaidlaw
    @wilsonlaidlaw Рік тому +2

    That gradient must have come as a total surprise. Who knew that was there? Wrong locomotive(s) for the job in hand.

  • @TheTransporter007
    @TheTransporter007 Рік тому

    Great job grinding those railheads!

  • @martinmallasch2814
    @martinmallasch2814 Рік тому +1

    had plenty of power, but didnt have the weight to keep wheels from slipping, this is why most locos got bigger its called tractive effort

  • @mattjones1992
    @mattjones1992 Рік тому +1

    Those poor tyres 😓

  • @iandocwra1169
    @iandocwra1169 9 місяців тому +1

    Too many slips uncontrolled for too long. Sparks from the wheels indicate major tyre wear. 11 coaches on a curved 1 in 37 needed more tractive effort than two class 4s could provide. In steam days an 0-8-0T banker was used with class 7s and 8s heading. Well captured on the video.

  • @bootnreboot7456
    @bootnreboot7456 Рік тому

    "cough! cough!!... can you move up just a little??...cough! cough!"

  • @andyg3
    @andyg3 Рік тому +2

    as usual the experts are out in force who probably dont know F all about an engine

  • @civicdriving
    @civicdriving Рік тому +1

    This video needs retitling I’d say, looks like success to me!

  • @martinconnerty1201
    @martinconnerty1201 9 місяців тому

    Grease on rails. No adhesion. Inched it up bit by bit. Lots of care and patience. Primed at 4:56. Dealt with it well.

  • @Isochest
    @Isochest 7 місяців тому

    A Pass and never a fail. Success!!

  • @briangriffiths1285
    @briangriffiths1285 Рік тому

    I spent time on Exeter St David’s back in the 1950s. The Western region drivers were scornful of the lightweight engines of the Southern. But yes the ACE was hauled by a Battle of Britain etc class pushed by the US tank. They did get a flying start out St David’s and they may have stopped short of the southern end of the platform just to get some extra speed? I am not sure how many times a day it happened , might have been 8 or 10?

  • @derekambler
    @derekambler Місяць тому

    It's the same two Loco's failing to get up from Folkestone Harbour to the Junction, though they should have had enough steam!

  • @arthurreeder8451
    @arthurreeder8451 8 місяців тому

    I have even seen diesels slip on that bank! In BR days they employed a big old Z to shove from the back..
    To be fair, today's traction sniffs at the bank, but it was always worth a wait at the top when an Atlantic coast was due as those old Bulleids were
    not the most sure footed.
    It was also not unknown for some trains to come up wrong line on that bank.
    But that was a great weekend down there and I did the double header to Barnstaple and back without as much as a sniff of effort.

  • @chris-io1ki
    @chris-io1ki Рік тому +2

    Aww,I was willing that to make it up to the top lol.
    Tbh though I think it could have been handled a touch better,but 10 out of 10 for the capture.
    I remember the 50s sometimes struggled on that bank too.

  • @HotdogwaterHotchocolate-qj7kh

    Best train video I ever seen

  • @Nog311
    @Nog311 Рік тому +2

    if I was the owner of that Loco I would be well happy....having to pay for a running gear stripdown, so check if there was any metal on the bearings

  • @BackwardFinesse
    @BackwardFinesse Рік тому +2

    80080 started its career on the LTSR line and was one of the locomotives displayed at Southend-on-Sea Central station for the LTSR centenary in 1956, which I saw as a schoolboy. I don’t think that the standard 4s with 2 cylinders were as good starters as the Stanier 3 cylinder 2-6-4Ts (2500 class) built specially for that line with its 12-coach trains.

    • @iankemp1131
      @iankemp1131 Рік тому +1

      The 3 cylinder 2-6-4s certainly had a very high reputation on the LTS line. A.J. Powell said the enginemen liked them better than the two-cylinder ones (LMS or BR) and they seemed more sure-footed on starting. Maybe the more even torque with six beats per revolution rather than four helped drivers to apply greater power from rest without slipping.

  • @warrenbroadbent5943
    @warrenbroadbent5943 Рік тому

    Good old girl still did it wow proper driver and engineers

  • @steamsearcher
    @steamsearcher Рік тому +1

    I saw them a day later heading out of St Davids late. It was also the first wifes birthday with her not being amused.
    Friend at School Andrew Still organised the event.
    David and Lily.

  • @cedarcam
    @cedarcam Рік тому +8

    The slip at 4:42 was sure to damage the rails and not do the loco any good. Sure looked and sounded good but should of closed the regulator sooner like on the other slips.

    • @Beatlefan67
      @Beatlefan67 Рік тому +1

      I can only think it 'picked up' water if the boiler was over-full.

    • @BMMOD10
      @BMMOD10 Рік тому +7

      Sometimes, with a run-away wheel slip, it is physically impossible to close the regulator. (Is this what happened to "Blue Peter"?). If this happened, it would take this long to react, and open the drain cocks to divert the steam pressure away from the cylinders. It is easy to blame drivers. Now, just imagine what it was like under that bridge (2.35) on the footplate, thunderous noise, cab thick with smoke, trying to work out how to keep things going.
      On the other hand, a packed 11 coach train, 1in 37 hill, sharp bend, just two class 4s to lift it, what could possibly go wrong?!

    • @cedarcam
      @cedarcam Рік тому

      @@Beatlefan67 That can happen yes and caused Blue Peter's destruction. I see he opened the cylinder cocks

    • @cedarcam
      @cedarcam Рік тому

      @@BMMOD10 I just replied to John Perry before reading your comment and mentioned it was that problem that Blue Peter had. The regulator was hydraulically locked open by water and the driver was winding the reverser to cut off steam to the cylinders, unfortunately the forces on the valve gear caused the reverser to kick back and break his arm, mean time the rapidly expanding water and steam in the superheater tubes made the loco run away and broke its rods also blew a cylinder cover off. Conditions on the footplate here could of been similar except this time no injury was caused and they got the loco under control again. Drivers with a lot of experience are getting fewer now and predicting a slip cannot be easy but it did look to me like he was keeping the regulator wide open with sanders on hoping they could make it and let the loco get into a violent slip. It was a heavy load for these locos and a similar gradient on a severe curve I know made a similar sight with a class 56 one damp morning, on other days that train had no trouble at all.

  • @ianellis5109
    @ianellis5109 Рік тому

    Evvvvrrrybody out! Now altogether...Puuuuusssssh!!... Well, that works for a car.
    More seriously, count the carriages, all packed. All that being moved by the power of steam in two pistons (per locomotive). Impressive when you stop and think about it. It is good that steam power is on display. Every kid should experience it.

  • @MySteamChannel
    @MySteamChannel Рік тому +1

    Happens to the best of em...nice footage.

  • @johnowen9299
    @johnowen9299 Рік тому +1

    no fail that. Just epic diving and skill x

  • @rogermarsh9806
    @rogermarsh9806 Рік тому

    I would not be surprised if some bright spark did not apply the brakes. I’ve seen that happen many times, in one case detailing a wagon.

  • @12crepello
    @12crepello Рік тому +7

    New tyres and rails please!!

  • @RichMelvin
    @RichMelvin Рік тому +1

    That is the most incompetent steam locomotive engineer I have ever seen! He has no idea how to recover from a slip. If he did, that train would never have stalled in the first place. He should be fired.

  • @Chepstowion_Adventura
    @Chepstowion_Adventura 8 місяців тому

    4:42 - Jeremy Clarkson in the cab* POWER!!!