Cumbrian Mountain Express - Oct 4th 2014

Seems to be just holding its own on the return after a late start from Carlisle. From RTT.

 

Footage of 5699 at Crosby Garrett on the return in the late afternoon sunshine .

 

Here is my photo of Galatea climbing up Grayrigg at Beck Houses this morning. Definitely not as much light as the return leg but, given that it was pouring with rain up to 10 minutes before it came through, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Great noise from the Jubilee as it went up the bank.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/davestubbings/15436629751

 

Some Windy footage of 45699 thundering past Crosby Garrett this afternoon, along with a shot of 46115 hauling the Lune Rivers Trust at Garsdale.

 

LMS 5XP Class 4-6-0 No. 45699 'Galatea' charges through Greenholme on the climb to Shap with the 'Cumbrian Mountain Express' rail tour

 

Nice one Shep, good to see you again!

Two photos from today, one at Greenholme (stood next to Shep) and then Waitby on the return...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/iancawthorne/15253469159/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/iancawthorne/15439937842/

 

Went to Armathwaite for "Galatea" where it pissed down and then a dmu nearly cocked things up altogether............I call it the Elliott effect....LINK.

 

ROTFL!

 

My shot from today:

https://flic.kr/p/peZH1E

 

Best part of the dayWhatever work WC have done to Galatea seems to have made little or no difference to it's steaming ability and really isn't capable of taking an 11 coach train over the Cumbrian Fells at any kind of speed. After topping the short climb out of Carnforth at 29, Galatea only managed to get the train up to 57 at Milnthorpe, the start of the climb to Grayrigg. Just as it did in February, speed dropped steadily and was only 34 at Oxenholme. Speed had dropped to 22 when they showed us a double yellow for Grayrigg Loop. Never been in there before, new bit of track. After a short stop, 7 minutes, we left with a good head of steam and got to 69 at Tebay but speed fell away tom 28 by MP 36, and the last mile and a quarter to 37 1/4 saw speed fall to to 17.7. We got looped at Penrith and arrived 35 minutes late. David Blair was driving and Pete Hanson firing. If Pete couldn't get it to steam no-one could.
The return was uninspiring, Lots of noise but little in the way of performance. The bank approaching Low house was only topped at 29 and we didn't get to 60 on the run to Appleby. The Helm slack has gone but made no difference. The climb to Ais Gill still took just over 30 minutes. Speed never got above 53 and the summit board was passed at 38, top of climb 34. Whalley to Wilpshire summit was as good as it got. After a slip about a half mile above Whalley where the speed dropped to 10 mph, Gordon Hodgson coaxed the engine to 20 mph just after Langho on the 1 in 81 and held 20 mph to the summit just above Wilpshire station. Still wonder why Guardsman wasn't on the train.

 

Sorry it wasn't a sparkling day, but thanks for the report.

 

In due course we will be able to see what Leander does after a major overhaul. I remember better performances than the current Jub.

 

The seriously good run we had over Shap, 40 or thereabouts, with Leander on a VT train in 2006 only had load 9. I think we had one run with 10 but not 11. It will be interesting if Leander is in the pool for the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Expresses but really, with a Carnforth start for steam, RTC need a big pacific to manage these trains. 7 miles to Milnthorpe and 2 1/2 of them the sharp 1:154 bank.
This year was really poor compared with last year's Feb/Marcch trains with No.9. It all went downhill in October 2013 when 46115 and 45699 became the only engines used. I'm going to be reluctant to book the series next year if the pool is mainly 46115 and 45699. Even your average non enthusiast travellers were talking about how slow the train was yesterday. I wonder if cost has a lot to do with it. Don't suppose engines like No.9 or the Duchess are as cheap to hire in as the Carnforth Pool engines.

 

Slight correction on this train; AIUI this is a Charity trip "donated" each year by David Smith / WCRC for personal reasons to a local community activity and for which he uses 46115 if available. It's not a simple question of loco diagramming but a committed working for this locomotive since its return to steam - and as noted by others the loading of 12 coaches justifies the extra power.