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The Steam Bankers Appreciation Society


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If, like me, you love the sight of steam locos helping one another up hills, then this is a thread to share photos and videos of such things.

 

A selection from YouTube, mainly from the preservation era so in some clips the banker's not doing a lot, but bear with it and it shall bear fruit in return.

 

The Shap and Beattock banker in 2001 - Black 5 and Std.4 76079

(this clip has sadly been removed but here is a clip from the same event)

 

The Double Lickey Banker in 2012 - 6201, 7752 and 9600. Also includes nice shots of the panniers working light engine on the mainline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of my favourites - a real steam-on-steam rescue on the national network in 2010.

45407 could not get up Glencruitten on its own, so K4 61994 was dispatched from Crianlarich to assist.

 

At the end of this clip 61994 is off to the rescue.

 

The two locos tackle the incline out of Oban - already setting quite a pace as the banker passes!

 

Finally (for now) one of the best - Bittern slips to a stand with the Torbay Express, the Class 25 cannot get the train moving either, 7827 is taken off the service train at Paignton to assist.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Corbs
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Here's one of mine. At the AVR galas, goods trains are often banked from Avon Riverside to Bitton. I was lucky enough to get a ride in the TOAD while L.150 did some work. Nice and noisy.

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34046 banks 34067 between Exeter St Davids and Central. I was on the footplate of 34046 and it wasn't a particularly stress free experience. I won't go into detail (what happens on the footplate stays on the footplate) but we nearly stalled, however we just about got away with it.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ydiFLS3sc

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There was an article in 'Railway World' [of fond memory] many years ago, I think by Derek Cross, on 'Banking with Barclays'. It showed how useful the Kilmarnock puggies were in shoving coal trains uphill around the Ayrshire coalfield, such as the NCB Waterside system.

 

Video from Foxfield Railway gala days could show the industrial energy of banking coal wagons on the 1 in 19 incline?

 

Dava

Edited by Dava
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That reminded me of this, one of the episodes in the excellent Astley Green and Walkden Colliery series by Gandy Dancer Productions.

'Warrior' and 'Harry' struggle to get a coal train over the canal bridge.

 

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34046 banks 34067 between Exeter St Davids and Central. I was on the footplate of 34046 and it wasn't a particularly stress free experience. I won't go into detail (what happens on the footplate stays on the footplate) but we nearly stalled, however we just about got away with it.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ydiFLS3sc

The tunnel looks as if it was an oxygen-free experience

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Love the videos!

 

A chance to show some pics which didn't make it to the 'End of Steam over Shap' thread a month or two ago, both taken on a very sunny but cold 16th December 1967 ...

 

post-24907-0-64219400-1515173095_thumb.jpg

75037 banking D304 away from Tebay 

 

post-24907-0-99775400-1515173122_thumb.jpg

75030 at the same spot on the opposite side of the line, with D7559 at the head of the train

 

Trevor

 

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Great pics, a really crisp/brisk feeling to them.

 

Here's some more from the AVR (not mine) of the banking locos dropping off as the train comes in to Bitton

 

47406

 

Foxcote Manor

 

TKh 4015

 

At the beginning of this video I shot, there's a clip of Foxcote Manor banking 4015 over the bridge.

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In my local area, Wigan, we had three locations where steam banking engines were used daily.

 

post-6884-0-63761000-1449337111_thumb.jp

 

1. WCML Wigan North Western to Boars Head / Standish, heavy goods trains northbound, in the early 60's usually a Jinty or Black 5 (or whatever else was the station pilot at North western station).

 

2. Ince Moss to Platt Bridge jcn (Manchester bound goods) or to Rose bridge Jcn (Whelley loop). Also Bamfurlong to Rose Bridge jcn (Northbound goods over the Whelley loop). Usually a Black 5,8 or WD 2-8-0.

 

3. Westwood Park signal box (halfway between Hindley & Pemberton on the Pemberton loop) up to Orrell. Up to 1964 when the coal trains disappeared / re routed. Uusually a Fowler 4F tender loco. (Liverpool bound coal trains from Yorkshire usually 8F or WD hauled).

 

The short stretch from Ince Moss to Fir Tree House Jcn (where the line crossed the WCML) was the fiercest, due to mining subsidence over the years. one of my favourite spotting points before the end of steam (and the line closed) firework shows were almost every hour !!.

 

These views I took from Taylors Lane, just south of Springs Branch around 1966/7. You can see the fierce gradient. Can't find any banking pix at the moment though. I'm sure I have some somewhere.

 

post-6884-0-15380100-1515179545_thumb.jpg

 

post-6884-0-63405200-1515179591_thumb.jpg

 

post-6884-0-64783700-1515179724_thumb.jpg

 

This off the web

 

xmo41lls.jpg

 

This shot is the Widnes to Long Meg (Settle & Carlisle line) Anhydryte empties, signal is off for the Whelley loop. A 9F on empties didn't need a banker here.

 

qw4navkz.jpg

 

Banker returning to Westwood park signal box (in the background). Courtesey of Wigan World website.

 

Wonderful days.

 

Brit15

Edited by APOLLO
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I think the earlier Lickey Banker trip back in 2010 with the Princess (which substituted for a Brittania) and just a single pannier tank shoving on the back, is even more impressive than the double Lickey Banker previously seen. That Pannier was really giving it some welly going up the bank and I suspect the crew were enjoying themselves.
 

 

There is another video out there that i can't locate right now showing the train cresting the top of the bank and that Pannier is still shoving like crazy!

Edited by PhilMortimer
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Another clip

 

Annoyingly I saw the clip you referred to earlier and now cannot find it again!

This one shows the summit though

 

Here they are working hard through Bromsgrove

 

 

Here's a few of the double lickey banker I missed earlier

 

I guess with 1 loco it had to work harder?

Edited by Corbs
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Born in Bewdley I heard, but don't remember, stories of excursions to South Wales that used theTenbury branch to Wooferton, I would have thought these needed banking through the Wyre Forest.

 

The track bed has quite an incline on it any ideas?

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In my local area, Wigan, we had three locations where steam banking engines were used daily.

 

post-6884-0-63761000-1449337111_thumb.jp

 

 

Brit15

 

Alas no sound on these clips, but here is some film from the Wigan area. Shows an 8F going tender first, with the banking 8F pointing forwards.

 

 

Love the videos!

 

A chance to show some pics which didn't make it to the 'End of Steam over Shap' thread a month or two ago, both taken on a very sunny but cold 16th December 1967 ...

 

attachicon.gif(167c) 75037 banking D304 Tebay 16-12-67 (Trevor Ermel) .jpg

75037 banking D304 away from Tebay 

 

attachicon.gif(218c) 75030 banking D7559 16-12-67 (Trevor Ermel) .jpg

75030 at the same spot on the opposite side of the line, with D7559 at the head of the train

 

Trevor

 

Here's some clips of Shap you may enjoy with bankers in action

 

Edited by Corbs
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Here's another one of mine from 16th December 1967, nearer to Shap summit. The train loco is a Standard Class 5, the banker is one of the usual Standard class 4s. If anyone else was there that day, perhaps they made a note of the locos, please? (Just as well to clarify these important details after 50 years, ha,ha!)

 

post-24907-0-55772500-1515236675_thumb.jpg

 

Trevor

 

 

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