34053 Sir Keith Park – Timing Logs

Southampton to Waterloo, 14th April 1965

Recorder: Derek Tuck
Load: 12 coaches - c. 400 tons gross
Crew: not recorded
Distance   Station Schedule Time Speed
00.0   Southampton dep 00 00.00  
01.1   Northam Junc   03.41 32
02.0   St Denys   05.30 39.5
03.4   Swaythling 07.22 46.5
05.7   Eastleigh   10.02 54 / 56
09.5   Shawford   14.10 51
10.2   Shawford Junc   15.05 51
12.7   Winchester   17.52 51
14.7   Winchester Junc   20.23 51
18.9   Weston Box;   25.21 50
21.1   Micheldever   27.54 50.5
23.0   Roundwood Box   30.13 46
29.0   Worting Junc 37 36.48 58
31.4   Basingstoke   39.22 63 / 69
37.1   Hook   44.25 65
39.4   Winchfield   46.34 68.5 / 72.5
42.8   Fleet   49.24 70.5 / 71.5
46.0   Farnborough   52.16 67
48.2   MP 31 54.15 64 / 70
51.3   Brookwood   56.55 67
54.9   Woking 58 60.20 70.5
57.6   West Byfleet   62.30 77
58.8   Byfleet & Newhaw   63.32 77.5
60.1   Weybridge   65.32 72.5
62.2   Walton 66.12 75
63.3   Hersham   67.07 76
64.8   Esher   68.20 75
65.9   Hampton Court Junc   69.12 72.5
67.2   Surbiton   70.19 71.5
68.3   Berrylands 71.16 69
69.5   New Malden   72.22 62
70.6   Raynes Park   73.22 62
72.0   Wimbledon   74.49 59
73.7   Earlsfield   76.28 61.5
75.4   Clapham Junction 78.25 39*
76.5   Queens Road 80.07 54.5
77.9   Vauxhall   81.44 44 / Signal Stop
79.2   Waterloo arr. 84 87.06

Comment: It was in April 1965 that I was able to sample a run with 34053 on a two-hour Bournemouth to Waterloo Express. An uneventful run with no higher speed than 69mph brought us into Southampton one minute late. The table sets out the run from Southampton and as can be seen from the log, 34053 was never extended, although despite a leisurely run up Winchester bank - 16 miles mostly at 1 in 252 - we were just inside the 37 minute schedule at Worting Junction. On the easier grades to Woking, things continued to be taken gently and by Woking Junction we were two minutes down; an injection of pace followed, and from Woking to Hampton Court Junction, speed averaged 74mph. Unfortunately, a signal stop outside Waterloo station caused a three-minute late arrival.

In contrast to this run, and to demonstrate just what these engines were capable of when really extended, in 1967 the final year of steam, I timed a run with No. 34036 Westwood Ho hauling a similar load; speeds of over seventy miles per hour were reached up Winchester bank and a maximum of ninety one miles per hour was achieved near Fleet.