After what seems an endless few weeks of storms, flooding and everything else the weather can throw at us last weekend finally broke with clear sunny weather albeit cold. As the days get longer it was finally chance to get out and get some filming done. The Cumbrian Coast railway is still a happy hunting ground for Class 37 Co-Cos and features a variety of the sub classes On Saturday the bashers dedicated to getting as many of a class of loco to haul them were out for the chance to be hauled by a Class 37/0 which is primarily a freight engine. 37 259 was substituting for the DBSO Driving van normally used for Push-Pull operations with the normal class 37/4 at the other end Earlier in the week an even rarer chance came to ride behind a Class 37/7 heavyweight. These locos with regeared bogies have an astonishing 14 tonnes of ballasts weights added. 37 716 worked the passenger trains for a few days mid week before resuming freight duties The other set working the Coast on Saturday did have its DBSO and is seen here at Roose on the afternoon Carlisle-Lancaster train. It still seems odd to have one of these glide to a halt while the 37 grumbles away at the rear of train. providing the grunt was 37 409 'Lord Hinton' Remember in the U.k trains drive on the left!
On the curve at Thwaites Flats Saturday's 6K73 Crewe to Sellafield Flask train is running behind the preceeding passenger train. Another Class 37/0 37 069 leads 37/6 37 609 round the tight check rails as they approach park South Junction As is obvious on the Northbound working the class 37 is leading so we see 37 409 in rather more normal formation on the Barrow to Carlisle The 37/4s are the most useful members of the class. With the main generator replaced by an Alternator, regeared CP7 bogies and ETS (Head end ) power they are equally at home on passenger and freight and are Push-Pull compatible. 37/6s are the backbone of the 37's and are rated at 90mph having been refurbished for the 'Nightstar service'. Back in January on one of the few days when I managed to get out 37 610 is seen on a Barrow MT to Sellafield flask working with 37 059 on the rear at Askam
Needless to say there is a video. shown in chronological order with the January train first followed by Saturdays line up. You will see 37 059 37 069 37 259 37 409 37 423 37 609 37 610 cheers Kev
You'l notice the spacer wagons slotted in between each one to spread the weight over the viaducts further north. Kev
Well things are really getting better round here now. As some of you may have heard there has been massive disruption to parts of the U.K rail network over the last few weeks due to the atrocious weather. The West Coast main line has been closed for weeks due to the Lamington viaduct in Scotland having the river bed below the piers washed away, The Newcastle to Carlisle line was closed near Hexham as 35,000 tonnes of soil land slipped away and recently the famous Settle to Carlisle was reduced to single line working due to a landslip at Appleby. This has now deteriorated to the point where the line is blockaded at Appleby with a rumoured 50,00o tonnes on the move. However, it has resulted in the usual Steam hauled workings being diverted down the Cumbrian Coast with the first one, the Pendle Dalesman, routed down the Coast line this afternoon. 45699 Galatea, a member of the famous LMS Jubilee class 4-6-0 was at the head end and was running about six minute down when it charged through Askam. The weather had been rotten all of last night and this morning with persistent heavy rain and localised flooding on many side roads but had cleared enough by teatime. Working hard a few miles further on the the long climb up through Dalton and Lindal I've videoed it, of course, but as there is another train scheduled on Saturday (Galatea again)and one the following Saturday (with double headed Black V 4-6-0s) and the possibility of both main line Royal Scot 4-6-0s going past soon I'll hang on a bit before uploading to youtube Kev
I've seen some pics of big Flask carriers in the USA as well usually running on DODX reporting marks. There are a good selection on Railcarphotos.com Kev
Of course, in the old days with the early 12 wheel versions of the FNA flask wagons you could get a photo like this if you were lucky Std IV 2-6-0 76001 on a Hunterston to Sellafield flask working at Barassie Junction on the Glasgow Southwestern in Ayrshire Kev
Another nice pic. Is that pretty thing way, way too new to be a Mogul or am I just a Yank? My road much prefered Prairie types. But then, we have to have wide fireboxes because we're Yanks and we just love to burn more oil! Of course, the Southerrn Pacific built Moguls as late as 1930. But I'm a Santa Fe fan, so the SP doesn't count. Those Class 37s are neat because American locomotives almost always have noses on them, but I'm not used to seeing engines from around the world that share that feature. It's kind of funny to see those extensive vents on the sides of the nose, because in many U.S. engines that's where they put the loo.
