34010 Sidmouth – Timing Logs

Below are four logs of runs made by Sidmouth in BR service by Malcolm Garner, ©M Garner

07:08 Basingstoke to Waterloo, 1st September 1964


Load: 10 coaches - 320 tons tare / c. 355 tons gross (full and standing)
Crew: Driver Warren of Basingstoke
spacer
Distance   Station Schedule Time Speed
0.0   Woking 0.00 0.00 - / 42 / 38* PW
2.7   West Byfleet   5.29 32* / 24*PW
3.9   Byfleet & Newhaw   8.26 33
5.2   Weybridge   10.41 33 / 45
7.25   Walton   13.24 55
8.4   Hersham   14.31 64
9.9   Esher   16.06 67 / 66
11.0   Hampton Court Junction   17.08 68
12.3   Surbiton   18.20 67 / 70
14.6   New Malden   20.23 70 / 72
17.1   Wimbledon   22.39 69 / 60 / 58
18.7   Earlsfield      
20.4   Clapham Junction 23.00 27.11 24* sigs / 50
23.0   Vauxhall   31.06 13* sigs / 16
24.3   Waterloo 30.00 36.21  

A run spoilt by a succession of permanent way and signal checks. The extended PW slack was taken very gingerly but there was then some good running in the middle stretch between Walton and Wimbledon. A further 2 min was lost by signals before Waterloo.

 

07:08 Basingstoke to Waterloo, 3rd September 1964


Load: 10 coaches - 318 tons tare / c. 350 tons gross (full and standing)
Crew: Driver Horne of Basingstoke
spacer
Distance   Station Schedule Time Speed
0.0   Woking 0.00 0.00  / 53
2.7   West Byfleet   5.00 40* PW / 38*PW
3.9   Byfleet & Newhaw   7.02 48
5.2   Weybridge   8.48 50 / 60
7.25   Walton   10.48 60 / 68
8.4   Hersham   11.58 70 / 72 /68
9.9   Esher   13.17 71 / 72
11.0   Hampton Court Junction   14.14 70
12.3   Surbiton   15.22 68
14.6   New Malden   17.26 67
17.1   Wimbledon   19.44 68
18.7   Earlsfield   21.17 66
20.4   Clapham Junction 23.00 23.12 40*SR / 53
23.0   Vauxhall   26.41 41 / 18* sigs
24.3   Waterloo 30.00 31.01  

Estimated Net Time: 28 min 30sec.

I recorded 104 steam hauled up runs over this stretch on this train. On this occasion there was a permanent way restriction on the up main line at West Byfleet which cost in the region of 1 min 30 sec. However the crew had all but gained that back by Clapham Junction only for the signals before Waterloo to add a further 1 min delay. It was therefore a pretty good run with a net time of about 28 min 30 sec, which was good for an up run at that time of day (only 16 of the 104 runs managed an actual time of less than 30 min).

 

17:09 Waterloo to Basingstoke, 2nd September 1964


Load: 10 coaches - 322 tons tare / c. 345 tons gross
Crew: Driver Hayward & Fireman Sheppard of Basingstoke MPD
spacer
Distance   Station Schedule Time Speed
0.0   Waterloo 0.00 0.00  
1.3   Vauxhall   3.23 43 / 53
3.9   Clapham Junction 7.00 6.53 43* SR
5.6   Earlsfield   9.01 52 / 60
7.2   Wimbledon   10.46 62
9.8   New Malden   13.13 66 / 69
12.0   Surbiton   15.15 69 / 70
13.3   Hampton Court Junction   16.22 72
14.4   Esher   17.15 74 / 76
15.9   Hersham   18.32 70
17.1   Walton   19.28 72 / 70
19.1   Weybridge   21.14 72
20.4   Byfleet & Newhaw   22.18 73
21.7   West Byfleet   23.22 72 / 41*sigs
24.3   Woking 31.00 27.06  

Estimated Net Time: 26 min 25 sec.

Out of exactly 100 steam hauled down runs on this train this was the fourth fastest actual start to stop time I recorded. It was the fastest of all to West Byfleet (25 min was a good average time to there) and only the adverse signals on the approach to Woking prevented it staying the fastest (this was 26 min 30 sec by 34040 on 25th September 1964, having passed West Byfleet in 23 min 30 sec).

 

17:09 Waterloo to Basingstoke, 4th September 1964


Load: 10 coaches - 318 tons tare / c. 340 tons gross
Crew: Driver Hayward & Fireman Rood of Basingstoke MPD
spacer
Distance   Station Schedule Time Speed
0.0   Waterloo 0.00 0.00  
1.3   Vauxhall   3.32 41 / 54
3.9   Clapham Junction 7.00 6.54 45* SR
5.6   Earlsfield   9.05 51
7.2   Wimbledon   10.54 61
9.8   New Malden   13.23 65 / 67
12.0   Surbiton   15.28 64
13.3   Hampton Court Junction   16.44 65 / 68
14.4   Esher   17.44 70
15.9   Hersham   19.07 70
17.1   Walton   21.08 68
19.1   Weybridge   22.07 60 / 63
20.4   Byfleet & Newhaw   23.18 65
21.7   West Byfleet   24.36 68
          Sig stop 3 min 34 sec
24.3   Woking 31.00 33.04  

Estimated Net Time: 27 min 40 sec.

This was a very competent run, only spoilt by the (unusual) signal stop before Woking. No explanation in my notes for the slight slowing through Weybridge – possibly sighted a yellow signal in the distance?