New Jt Route Cumbrian Coast: Carlisle - Whitehaven From Just Trains

It was just a quick Flickr search and got lucky, there are a few other images of steam on the coast in his album, mostly CCE workings with Black 5s

I can't say I went up that way until the mid/late 90s by which point it had quietened down considerably :/

 

I agree an update to the 31 would be good, but out of interest what’s the issue you experience with the brakes? They seem to work quite realistically for me.

 

Take an absolute age to release, the loco brakes work great when releasing. But the train brakes take longer

 

Ah, OK. They feel about right to me, but I only use the 31 on passenger trains so the brakes are always in the passenger mode. I know they’re much slower to release in freight mode, although I was under the impression that was how it was in reality.

 

They do sometimes spawn in goods timing so worth checking.

 

Yes, I’ve made that mistake a couple of times. All goes well until you brake for the first speed restriction, when you discover you can’t release the brakes and come to an embarrassing juddering halt in the middle of nowhere…

 

Ah ok, will check that. Thank you.

 

Interesting.
Incidentally, I've experienced the opposite yesterday, where a Class 66 on a freight run came with passenger timings set (on WCMLS)...

 

To add to the fun the rotary switch to change it is only in one cab, so there’s a 50/50 chance you’ll have to go to the other cab. On the older routes where you get very little time to set the cab up, that usually means a late start.

 

It's been a while since I've driven a 31 either IRL or in game and from what I remember, if they happened to be in Vac rather than air they were slow to come off as the exhausters were about as weak as the power unit itself. Even the 'refurbs' were sluggish, with 8 coaches + a kettle on the back I'd find that I'd be knocking the brake into "speed up" just trying to get the damn thing to stop where I want it and not grind to a halt with the back half of the train blocking the level crossing...

We call that "the authentic British Rail experience"

 

Part of why I love the 31 in game, you actually have to drive it! Thrash it to get the power out of it then you have to be on it with the brakes to get it to stop where you want it too! But rewarding to get right!

 

DadRail, who signs 66s, says that sometimes passenger timing is appropriate for the freight wagons used.
I tend to leave it as it is for 66s.

 

I just had that loading into a 31 run on DLOGW. However despite being air brake Mark 2 stock, the only way I could get the 31 loco brakes to come off was putting the timer to Vac Passenger. (Sorry, know this a bit OT for the thread but worth knowing).

 

True. Most of the time it is set up right, like with the RHTT (Passenger timing) or on ECW with a few empty JNA's. But on rare occasions 2,000 tonne trains soawn with the brake mode set in passenger. It can be resolved quickly, but still ..

 

I’ve never had that trouble and I drive those services quite often. I know that if you are changing from Air Goods to Air Passenger and accidentally go the wrong way (even briefly), you will charge the vacuum brakes and they’ll need releasing before you can move. There’s a vacuum release valve somewhere in the cab. The services do always spawn in Air Goods mode.

 

Agreed, they’re one of the most interesting locos to drive in the game, I think. I particular enjoy them on the Blackpool Branches runs to/from Blackpool North. You can select a 31 or a 40 on those schedules, but it feels as if they’re really timed for a 40, because trying to keep time with a 31 you really have to thrash it, and get your braking spot-on every time (which is pretty difficult, for the reasons mentioned above).

I remember in the late 80s there was a Saturday train from Manchester (I think) to Paignton which was always formed of a West Coast Mainline set hauled by a pair of 31s. That would be fun to recreate on Riviera Line.

 

You mean, this one?
https://flic.kr/p/JHQNhP

Yes the 31 is a little challenging on Blackpool Branches as you really have to thrash it but also be good with the brakes, especially for the "interesting" approach control release up near Kirkham

 

That’s the one - and a great shot.

I always think it’s a shame that DTG trialled the ‘Diesel Legends’ concept on a Great Western route which had changed significantly in the intervening years (including OLE equipment going up) causing the BR blue to look very out of place. The result was that they got a negative response and therefore won’t do it again.

But on a route like Riviera Line, which hasn’t really changed all that much, I think it could work well. I’d love to have schedules for 31s to Paignton, 45s over the banks to Plymouth, modernisation plan DMUs on the stoppers and so on.

 

Agreed, I think it was a bizarre choice to choose the period during electrification on the GWML as it neither pleases those who are interested in earlier periods, or the modern bunch who would have wanted a fully electrified route. Personally, matching the original Kuju 2007/8 era would have been more interesting. I think there could be a good Diesel legends II with a 50 as the star loco, either on the Riviera, or even on Preston - Carlisle just before the wires were energized.

 

The 31s were famed for not always making it past Bristol where the shunter would be waiting with the gloves on to put a 47 on off Bath Road depot.

The 31 in TSW is an unrefurbished 31/1 while most of the traina were 31/4s (refurbished with ETH) although yes I agree would be fun on the climb out of Paignton and Whitrball summit if amyone ever did Bristol to Exeter.

 

Used to dread Saturday early turn on the West Country traction desk. Do a TOPS line up and grown at the pairs of 31’s coming in on the Saturday dated services. Then the Sunday afternoon shift had the job of rallying the other Regions to return the freight 47’s which had been used to top/replace the fsiled Goyles ready for their booked jobs on Monday morning.