Three reasons:
1/ Shunting.
Under the railway rule book, trains are not allowed to push stock backwards unless with a pilot (flag ) man hanging on the back - usually in shunting yards. So the Class 47 diesel (itself now a heritage loco) hauled the consist from the depot at Southall, to Victoria with the West Country class hanging on the back.
The loco then did the circular route, back to Victoria, and the 47 pulled it back out to Southall.
Sometimes however the large TOC DBS* who have a depot nearby to Victoria so hence local traction and crews, haul the Belmond Pullman from the depot into Victoria, uncouple the diesel at the platform, and the steam loco pulls it out to do the circular tour, the diesel then leaves later back to depot. When the tour returns to Southall, they then send the diesel in, then recouple the diesel on the back (now the front) to haul it back to depot.
This tour was run by the TOC LSL, who are based at Crewe, so they had to haul their shunter, and crews down with them the previous day, overnight at Southall, do the tour the next day, then send the lot back to Crewe the day after. Its a big operation, three train crews, maintenance staff and fitters, two locos and 11 mk1 coaches for three days.
On big round the country tours, they sometimes schedule a rescue/shunting loco in the time slot behind the tour. That way the purists get "pure steam" tours, with the back up hidden a few minutes behind.
2/ traction. Because its big load (has to be to make it pay) the loco is at limit. The Surrey hills run is a low traction certified route in autumn, the danger of slipping to a stand is real. Had this lot slipped to a stand up that hill from Shalford (its up hill more or less all the way to Dorking) it would have been a mare to get it moving again. Blame the designer of the loco - Maunsel - who liked "light pacifics" (Braunton is a light pacific) heavier locos with smaller wheels have better traction. So the diesel with its better low speed torque is on the back - just in case this lot comes to grief.
Ironically sitting on the back the thing is idling, doing nothing except adding to the steam locos total dead weight to haul,
LSL the TOC doing this tour, got caught out badly two years ago. They sent the steamer out on its own, and the whole lot slipped to a stand blocking the main Kent main line......
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhmPwJS21zI
3/ Attribution. IF a TOC blocks a line, all the other TOC's claim compensation for being delayed under a rule called Attribution.
and finally 4 of 3
4/ Heating. In the old days steam heat was pipped through coaches, BR Mk1 coaches were steam or electric heated. Mostly these days steam heating has been stripped out because its a PITA, so the diesel provides electric power ( a lot of it) for the heating, You can still see some steam heated trains, with steam escaping from the coupling pipes, the people in the front three coaches sweating, and the people in the back three coaches huddled up with blankets cos they is freezing
Sometimes DBS with the British pullman pull a fast one. They haul the consist with the loco Clan Line on the back into Victoria, uncouple the diesel, then sling shot the whole lot out of Victoria (it has a nasty bank on the way out) letting the diesel fall off the back when the lot is on its way.
Last edited by: Zero on Thu 16 Dec 21 at 10:08
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