Settle and Carlisle anniversary train and other interesting trains in Cumbria Apr 14

kevsmith Apr 17, 2014

  1. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    Had an interesting three days out on the railways last week.

    I started on Thursday filming some of our Flask trains going through my home village of Askam in Furness. They've just finished installing new crossing barriers and gear and I caught a pair of our old Class 20's scuttling south to Crewe and beyond followed by a pair of our Class 37s working 'Topped and Tailed' on a return working to Sellafield. The Class 20 Bo-Bos were first introduced in 1957 and the class 37 Co-Cos are mere youngster having first appeared in 1960! having said that they have been extensively re-engineered over the years and still have a future ahead.

    The following morning saw the running of the 25th anniversary Settle and Carlisle train to celibrate the saving of this historic line in 1989 after it had been under the serious threat of closure

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    We as a company had provided the locos and stock to ferry VIP passengers ove the historic line from Leeds to Carlisle followed by siome speeches and a lunch in Carlisle before a return trip back south

    I and some of my colleagues joined the northbound train at Settle station, regarded as the tru start of the Midland railways 'Long Drag' to Scotland. The station was packed with well wishers and enthusiasts to capture the moment

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    Church bells were rung and the little market town was festooned with flags

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    Once boarded we headed north, slowing to a halt on the famous Ribblehead viaduct, topping Ais Gill Summit and then descending down the valley to Carlisle where we were greeted by even bigger crowds, TV Crews and lots of train spotters!

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  2. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    Power was provided by Three Class 37s topped and tailed (2 on the front and one on the back) This might seem a bit excessive but the long train of Mk II coaches need a lot of ETH (head end power as you call it in the states) from locos that are only rated at 1750 HP

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    The keynote speech at the lunch was by Micheal Portillo, a former politician who was Secretary of State at the time of the threatened closure and who signed the letter that reprieved the route. Since leaving politics he has forged a new career making and presenting railway travel programmes both in the U.K and Europe for the BBC

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    I took the opportunity to leave the lunch early and headed to the now closed station at Cumwhinton, a few miles out of Carlisle, to film the return working on a warm sunny spring day

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    More in a minute

    Kev
     
  3. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Great to know of a line saved.
     
  4. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    The next day, Saturday, was a bonus. It was the first run of a steam hauled special down the Coast line for a while. The 'Cumbrian Coast Statesman' hauled by Royal Scot class 4-6-0 46115 'Scots Guardsman' was originally supposed to head North via Askam in the morning returning via Shap and the West Coast main line in the afternoon, However gauging issues at Carlisle Citadel station resulted in the train working anti clockwise around Cumbria instead which made for much beeter light conditions as it passed through Askam just before six o'clock

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    After Askam the train loops through Dalton Junction and Dalton station before attacking the steep gradient at Lindal.

    This gave me time to chase it and catch it again at the overbridge there

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    Video of the three days can be found at

    [video=youtube;NTCPe75LY3Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTCPe75LY3Y&list=UUI6p-eLL5zX3K226z27Josg&feature=share[/video]

    Hopefully this is the start of a great summer of rail action in the county, we have got another couple of days of steam action at the end of April as the 'Great Britain' nine day steam hauled railtour of the U.K spends two days in the county

    I will be there!

    Kev
     
  5. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    What was the cargo hauled by those first two trains, at the video very beginning? Some type of container?
     
  6. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    They are FNA nuclear flask carriers. they transport fuel rods between the Sellafield reprocessing plant and the power stations.

    Kev

     
  7. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Missed this thread until now Kev. Very interesting pictures from a great route.
     
  8. Hytec

    Hytec TrainBoard Member

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    Kev, I also missed this thread earlier, to my disappointment. I'm fascinated by the Deltic's exhaust beat, the sound only a rail fanatic could love...LOL
     
  9. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I certainly agree!
     
  10. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    When the Deltics first arrived on the East Coast Main Line, us railfans were sad that they replaced our beloved steam locomotives, but they are so awesome we soon forgave them! They really are very impressive looking and sounding machines. I regularly watched all 22 of them storming along the London-Edinburgh route. Good days!

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
     
  11. kevsmith

    kevsmith TrainBoard Member

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    For the real sound and fury of a Deltic may I draw your attention to this video

    As you may gather at the end of it the driver knew I was there!


    [video=youtube_share;OaCK67GNsDY]http://youtu.be/OaCK67GNsDY[/video]

    The loco in the S&C video is the very similar Class 37 of which we have a few on the books, outwardly similar to the Deltic it only puts out 1750 HP compared to the Deltics 3,300HP

    Kev
     
  12. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    We used to call them "honorary steam locomotives" thanks to the two-stroke smoke!
     
  13. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Argh! How many innocent mosquitoes died in that smoke cloud? And that horn, it sounds like a goose with a hernia.
     
  14. Alan

    Alan Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ha! Yeah, the horn was a bit off! They used to sound good back in the old days :)

    Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
     
  15. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Maybe it inhaled too much smoke, and what we were hearing is the horn coughing.....
     

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