Cathedrals Express - 5th December 2015

Any lineside record today will be well beyond the call of duty. Best of luck to any that brave it.
Same goes to the passengers, crew and staff on the train.

 

Tyne Valley route is now shut due to flooding, so doesn't sound like much fun up that way today. One of the few times I'm glad to be in work and not out and about!

 

Some photos of Appleby here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-35014947

The BBC rail travel incidents page for Cumbria seems to suggest the ECML diversions are going down the S&C, presumably due to the Tyne Valley line being blocked.

 

National Rail is reporting a landslip on the WCML somewhere between Oxenholme & Carlisle. Chances of the tour getting any further? Not likely...

 

National Rail disruptions also stating buses between Skipton and Carlisle:
http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/today.aspx

 

According to RTT last recorded passing Lancaster at 10:53.

 

1z42, wcrc holyhead to edinbro cancelled between oxenholme and carlisle due to track fault, at present just approaching ox 76 mins late

 

That tour has turned back at Oxenholme and is now on its way back to Holyhead. All service trains are cancelled; I can't see anything else attempting to go up there again today...

 

The return leg is showing as Cancelled and a VSTP path has appeared from Carnforth back to Euston. Feel sorry for all those on board right now.

 

Everything was running against this tour today and as Graham has said its the poor punters on board you have to feel sorry for.

 

Looks like it returned after an hour in Carnforth loop. It has picked up a further 2.5 hr delay enroute but now seems to be around 30 mins out of Euston.

As others have said,sympathy to those on board...

 

Just arrived home from Northampton set down.

All was going well behind 'Les Ross' until after Preston. Train arrived at Lancaster about 10 late and stopped. We waited there for over an hour whilst options were considered. SD told us that they asked NR for diversion onto various alternative routes to the S & C and finally Carnforth to Barrow, but all were declined.
Eventually we were allowed to proceed to Carnforth loop but only to allow the loco to run round as we were required to return to Euston.

We were told that the landslip at Shap had also taken out the overhead wires.

On the way back we had some protracted station stops including Preston where we collected those who had elected to disembark for Carlisle some 3 1/2 hours earlier and got no further!

However, we were allowed to take the Northampton loop back so we avoided a change at Rugby.

 

On the plus side we didn't have a diesel on the front or back all day.

 

Thank goodness for the 'Remote Steam' loco.

 

Was on this trip also, although very disappointed as its the 4th time we've tried to get to the S/C after 3 previous cancellations, I would just like to say it was a tremendous trip behind the 86
to Carnforth loop and back to N'ton and the train staff were excellent for trying to even get us a trip round to Barrow and back.Will endeavour to get there one day.My heart felt best wishes goes to those residents up north especially those in Appleby which is where we should have been.

 

Undoubtedly the worst weather I have ever seen on Shap yesterday, which is saying something. Short video showing the conditions at Shap Wells and Tebay:

 

I was sorry to see that this train ran in to weather difficulties, but have to say that just as we were coming to a stand in Nuneaton station with 5043 on our Lincoln job, it was a splendid sight to see Les's electric Duchess appearing and tearing through the station. It has been a long time since I last saw a blue 86 and a train of maroon mark 1 coaches passing Nuneaton, and it looked magnificent.

Regards
Bob

 

What a great video, showing the true power of nature, love watching stuff like this, was not a day wasted watching this, well done!!!