70000 - Cumbrian Fells Express - 30/05/2015

Looking at the amended Pathfinders page, it's clear the timings needed tweaking, presumably because of a need for an extra drink for Britannia.

The Appleby stop was around two hours according to the RTT times, (1337-1536) but Pathfinder are now saying about ninety minutes. Not a problem for me as it looks like ninety minutes is plenty of time to explore it all and still have time for a quick pint (assuming the local pubs can serve a train full of passengers reasonably quickly ).

 

My memory of Appleby is that the station is some way from the town centre, and the return is uphill. My first ever steam rail-tour was a BR "Merrymaker" with 4498 Carlisle-Hellifield (or it might have been Skipton) and 5407 on the "bottom leg" to Carnforth. (Would have been 1982 or '83.) We had a couple of hours in Appleby, and I remember hurrying up the hill back to the station as SNG's chime whistle rang out across the valley!

 

Yes, its a good stretch of the legs up and down, Appleby Copes with a few thousand travellers every year so a few hundred rail travellers should be fine, one hopes that the tour organisers have let the Pubs / Cafes / in town that you are all coming (but i wouldn't count on it)

 

Its worth checking this out on Google Maps, and particularly on Google Street view, (which is available for all the streets in the town centre) because this will probably be the best way to make an armchair assessment of what's do-able, walking route gradients, where to have a pint etc. It looks very much as if the centre of Appleby is no more than about 300 metres, or less than a quarter of a mile in old money, from the station.

Tip-plug in the search term "Appleby-in-Westmoreland" or you may end up with a map of a Lincolnshire settlement located on Ermine Street whose name is more commonly associated with a famous steel-works in that county.

 

For real ale aficionados, the Midland Hotel was Westmorland CAMRA's pub of the year 2013 and is about as close to the station as one is likely to be able to get. Unfortunately, its proximity also means it is likely to be fairly busy!

 

That's already on the list. Might need a swift pint to stand us in good stead for the trek to town, then one on the way back after all our exertions

 

Ticket has just arrived. Timings are effectively as per RTT, with outward times rounded down to nearest 5 minutes and return times rounded up, with the exception that Appleby arrival now showing as 13.50 suggesting a splash (but hardly a dash) at Upperby? Departure from Appleby 15.35.

Doing this tour partly to use up voucher from failed Nunney Castle marches trip last autumn, so fingers crossed its STEAM!

Sean

 

Perfect size consist for the Brit. Ollie was having trouble w/12 slipping on Shap. Hard to believe that northbound Shap has not been done by a Brit since March 2012.

 

Rolling stock already in centre Road at Temple Meads for Torbay Express. One assumes this will be also used on 30/05. Std at the east end of the station currently

 

Noticed that the times for this are 10 mins different at Tebay for the Cumbrian coast with now galatea.
Also - Any one in the area of Appleby, give yourself extra time with the fair being the following week and lots of caravans around travelling up there

 

Can anyone confirm that the last time, 70000, was over the, Cumbrian Fells, was March 2012 ?

 

Great for linesiders ! And they say it's getting more difficult to find paths for steam, over the WCML

 

Was a year later, northbound over S&C and back over Shap if I remember rightly.

 

According to UK Steam the Cumbrian Coast no longer features Shap, coast in both directions, turn back at Sellafield
Correction - I miss-read UK Steam

 

I think perhaps a trip to the optician might be in order.

(Posted at same time as correction issued!)

THE CUMBRIAN COAST EXPRESS [Times] (28/05)

​

London Euston-Carlisle [dbs}+[wcrc]
46115 45699: Carnforth-Workington-Carlisle-Shap-Carnforth
Carnforth-Shap-Sellafield-Carnforth
[45699 replaces 46115 which is unavailable, itinerary revised]

 

Correct Mick , 2nd March 2013 .

 

I was thinking today about this trip and the Cumbrian Coast Express, which runs on the same day, and wondered.........
when was the last time two steam hauled trains climbed Shap within 10 minutes of each other?

 

Not sure but the Citadel Express with 46233 followed by 5043 on the Castle to Scotland springs to mind .

 

Thanks for that. I honestly couldn't think of any. It can't have happened that often in the last 20 years!