Tornado to haul certain timetabled trains on S&C: Feb 14-16

Nice to see the backroom boys given credit for their commitment and contribution.

 

No doubt encouraged to turn out by the nation-wide publicity. Northern come in for a lot of stick for their ineptitude at times but full marks for them foreseeing such a scenario and having a relief train running in Tornado's shadow.

 

LNER A1 No.60163 'Tornado' is seen hauling the first steam hauled service trains over the Settle & Carlisle Railway on the 14th & 15th February 2017.

Video Available Here

 

Love the first clip Simon

 

Another excellent run to Appleby with interesting fellow travellers!
Ros and I had a splendid visit to Appleby Castle opened specially. After the serious flooding Appleby needs lots of visitors I suspect.
Lots of spare seats on the evening run- any NP members who can reach Skipton tomorrow by 17.00?!.......
The guides and stewards were friendly and informative
Speaking to Northern management was fascinating. This is a big commitment
Well done Northern

Thanks for the pics everyone! Lots of cars visible at Ribblehead- more than yesterday

Ray Mason

 

Splendid run from Appleby to Skipton early this morning, with lovely light and Tornado really having to work for its living. The first time I had experienced her on the mainline and she is a very impressive machine.

I am told that numbers at Skipton were significantly swelled today, the national publicity from yesterday clearly having kicked in. I joined a queue that extended onto the main road and it was clear very few of us would get steam to Appleby. Many thought from the publicity that because they had a ticket they automatically got a steam train ride, being ushered onto 158 didn't go down well with a minority. However, despite this I spoke to several people who had never been on the S&C nor seen a steam train before, this goes to show the value of these events of reaching a wider audience.

I must admit the 158 was a surprisingly pleasant way of seeing the scenery with its wide windows and comfortable ride and there were many favourable comments. Northern delivered us just behind the steam run and I would guess many of those disappointed would have been in with a good chance of getting a steam ride back with a much smaller queue at Appleby.

Overall this was a well organised event with plenty of good humoured staff from all corners of our fragmented railway system working together. There was plenty of talk of the possibility of a repeat, I hope there is - I will be there if there is. Any issues experienced can be laid at the door of our overcomplicated ticketing system and the very excited and not too accurate reporting by our media. The relief 158 did it's job and ultimately provided the service we had all paid for!

 

I had a neighbour rush round last night after seeing the TV coverage, asking if I thought it would be a nice day out for her family. I advised her not to risk the disappointment. There must have been many more with the same idea.

I'm delighted, though, that NR has been able to foresee this demand, and make suitable provision.

Tomorrow I'm booked on the 17.15, and looking forward to an atmospheric twilight ride.

 

Plenty of seats on the 1715? Currently seeing if I can fill a car to make it over with a few mates. £17.80 for us on the gate but still a bargain!

 

Didn't get as much done as I'd hoped, but snatched this shot of "Tornado" as the night closes in, leaving Settle with the last train on Tuesday.



Cheers,

Alan

 

Had a very nice day on this. All my fears of bunfights and scrums never materialised, all well organised and handled from what I could see.
Indeed a miscommunication involving a guard myself and an automatic door on a Metro service lead to me being reprimanded by the BTP....which was nice.
If the Gent who handed in my wallet at Carlisle station wants to PM me I will send him something for his trouble...

 

Caught her in the full dull at Selside this morning...hardly worth posting really. Cest la vie!

I don't think I have ever seen so many cars around Ribblehead...so a huge success all round!

 

John

Did you take this JPEG or RAW ? I took my northbound shot at Helwith Bridge in the same light condition and managed to brighten it; my exposure was ISO 2000; 1/800 @ f10. This was taken as RAW converted (without change) to JPEG then +20 brightness / + 8 contrast Resul T :

 

Despite the inclement weather there was a good turn out at Helwith Bridge for this mornings run. LNE A1 Class 4-6-2 No. 60163 'Tornado' heads 2Z53 over the River Ribble on day 3 of the plandampf service. By all accounts this seems to have been a very successful few days so maybe there may be more?

 

On my monitor it looks a tad washed out I'm afraid but maybe yours is calibrated differently.

 

Mine to, I would give a boost with curves, but it's all down to individual taste.

 

Quite so and no two people see things exactly the same either.

 

Thanks guys...I'm an impatient old git, just need to learn to use photoshop properly in RAW

 

Quite so Ian, and with the usual light quality - or lack of it - in the U.K., things can become very subjective. I think that in our mind's eye, each of us have the finished picture already up on the screen, with details in the shadows, perfect tonality and fully nuanced highlights. Of course, it is possible to work wonders with RAW, but to paraphrase Stuart, "You can't polish a t#rd".

Most of us have been track-side taking photographs for decades and in those far off "wet" film days we were all regularly punished for turning out on a sub-optimal day. With the coming of the digital image, miracles can be seen to be done, but even with the equipment and software available, it can still be a trip into the darkroom of disappointment.

The following photo was not the result that I had in mind when I saw the weather forecast for Kirkby Stephen on Monday, Sun, it said. Reality bites with gale force winds, low cloud scudding across the sky and a haze that refuses to blow away, end result, a flat photograph with hardly any contrast and a complete pig to try and lift with software; a pointless task in t#rd polishing.



Cheers,

Alan

 

Like this Shep as you timed it perfect to get engine and POB .

 

And yet, to me, it works