6233 Duchess of Sutherland roars up Whiteball and slogs up Hemerdon Again with The Great Britain XIV

The ‘very popular’ Great Britain tour returns to the South West with the legs being hauled down to the West Country by LMS Coronation Class no. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland returning once again to the South West heading into Devon and Cornwall with the Days 7 and 9 feature the Duchess in full cry over the South Devon Banks at Whiteball, Rattery, and Hemerdon Banks respectively. With a load of 10 behind her which is the maximum amount needed to go solo up the Devon Hills, I was really looking forward to seeing her in action.

The first three shots were taking on Day 7 which was on Thursday the 28th of April and Day 9 which was today the 30th of April. The first shot was taken at Oath in gulfed in the Somerset fields towards her water stop at Taunton. This shot was new to me, but this was my second choice due to my first choice shot at Cogload Junction due to the road leading to my location being closed. It turned out to be a good decision as the Duchess can be seen speeding along towards Taunton. Afterwards was a quick drive to Besambridge to tackle Duchess of Sutherland up Whiteball Bank again, but this time from a different angle. I arrived in good time which was just as well as there were a few people within the proximity. The engine sounded amazing rounding the curve towards the tunnel with her classic and distinctive Duchess bark drowning out the peace and quiet and a nice stainer whistle to match was a really good shot. Afterwards was a drive to a new location up Rattery Bank. I thought about filming at Dorsley Park, but as the weather wasn't windy at all, I decided for a much higher vantage point to get Duchess of Sutherland up the steep section of Rattery from various different angles. Unfortunately, my first shot was out of focus, however, the other two came out really well and the Duchess put in a good display up the bank with her exhaust echoing through the surrounding woods as it left Totnes behind before heading towards her water stop at Plymouth.

Saturday's run started with an early dash to get to Hemerdon, after analyzing the area I decided to go and film by Hemerdon Sidings. As the weather was much better than it was forecasted with a nice hazy sun giving some much needed light, I decided to head straight for the sidings. I arrived in good time and was expecting a monstrous display after the Summit from the Duchess. However, the climb took its toll on the engine as it slogged yet again (just as it did in 2019), But this time she didn't stall or stop on the bank. The engine can be seen accelerating or be it not as much as I anticipated. However, she opened up a bit more the closer it got which was something. Afterwards was a drive to Burlescombe, the other side of Whiteball Bank. I would normally go to the road bridge just before the tunnel, but I decided due to the dodgy position of the sun, I went for a new location which worked out better than I thought. I arrived in good time and was in for a real treat. Duchess of Sutherland put in a stunning performance on the return of Whiteball Bank, with the engine doing in the region of 70 mph. The safety valves were lifting but the magnificent bark of the Duchess drowned out the safety valves and she sounded superb as she entered the climb. Rumour has it that she reached around 70mph in the tunnel which even though she had 10 coaches in tow, that still is a very very good effort indeed. My final shot featured the Duchess crossing The River Huntspill at Huntspill Bridge on her way to Bristol for her water stop before her eventual return to London. The engine was running really well and speeding along the somerset plain and passing some no doubt surprised car drivers on the nearby M5.

After that, I think it's fair to say that The Great Britain XIV was a massive success after the cancellation of the previous two years due to unfortunate circumstances. Huge credit goes to Railway Touring Company for making the tiour [pssible and to all the crew involved in keeping steam alive despite all the ongpoing issues surrounding them.

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