2020 Cumbrian Mountain Expresses

This tour due to run in two days time will be the first one organized by The Railway Touring Company since the postponing or cancellation of their previous tours and holidays due to Covid 19.

https://www.railwaytouring.net/the-cumbrian-mountain-express-4

I hope anyone booked on this and travelling has a great day out. Then please would they share their experience of the tour by way of word or photography on this thread. Thank you in advance.

 

Not great prospects up north tomorrow. This from Cumbria's Director of Public Health:
"Residents and visitors are being reminded to follow coronavirus safety measures, provide contact details to any venues visited and wear masks in indoor settings and on public transport". Applies to Carlisle.
and:
Lockdown measures are being reintroduced in Preston from midnight after a rise in Covid-19 cases.

 

Today’s CME is a welcome return to the route for RTC and I wish them well. Today is the day when masks become mandatory in most indoor public spaces in England. It is also a return to CME duties for @1020 Shireman and I never thought that I would hear Graham complain about “too much steam” – unfortunately this time on his specs. I think that you have travelled the route so many times that you “know” where the mileposts are but I hope that you are able to spot most of them and so produce another of your excellent reports.

The northwest has seen a recent increase in Coronavirus cases and many towns and cities on the route are affected. Wigan is on the western edge of GMC’s Major Incident Area. Last night Preston was designated “an area of intervention”. Further north things cool off until Penrith which is in Eden District Council’s “area of concern” – probably going too fast to be a problem. Then the stop in Carlisle where the William Rufus closed last weekend following a positive test by a member of staff; other cases linked to pubs have also been reported. Perhaps a socially distanced (mask free) picnic lunch down by the river would be in order.

On to the return journey; Appleby is in Eden District but you have probably more chance of catching scrapie from a passing sheep than Coronavirus from a resident – I assume that the ice cream ladies will be gloved and masked. No problems until you top Wilpshire Bank and begin to drop down to Blackburn, No1 in the Coronavirus League Table. Just hope that you will not be stopped waiting for the signal to clear at Daisyfield Jn; for this is the very epicentre of the outbreaks. If halted the warm convection currents will bear the pre-covidian miasma up towards the coaches where it will seep through any gaps in its quest to seek out its next unsuspecting victims. Only joking – we hope!

I am sure that with all the measures that RTC and WCRC have put in place and if passengers are sensible both on and off the train then all will have an enjoyable day. The forecast is for the weather to be warm and dry and with Scots Guardsman on the front it has all the makings of a good day and I eagerly await photos, vids and reports. Enjoy and stay safe.

 

Thanks for the reassuring words David!!!
In Coach G with not too many others. No perspex screens between the rows of seats.

 

Always here to help! Few people nearby and a day for fully open windows sounds good to me.

 

Ive just travelled on the 08:25am from Halifax to preston northern trains service to join the C.M.E. at preston and the train was packed like sardine cans with daytrippers mainly heading for Blackpool and some complaining that northern should put more carriages on these busy morning trains it only had 3 carriages on a new 195 unit and really it should have had 6 on it when it got to Burnley Accrington and blackburn and more passengers boarded and were not even a metre apart but everyyone was wearing facemasks throughout the journey. Anyhow ile enjoy my 1st ride out on 46115 after its fairly recent overhaul (but i have travelled on her previously on excursions like the welsh mountaineer before her overhaul at 10A) on the C.M.E. im travelling in coach J today on my 2nd mainline tour.
Davo 56

 

Well, assuming no tail gunner, that's a fine run up to Grayrigg.

 

61 mph up through oxenholme according to west brom tommy R.T.C. steward.

 

Has come to a stop near Plumpton.

 

Run of the mill day...
Yealand Summit 38.6: Milnthorpe 70: Oxenholme 61: Lambrigg 52.4: Grayrigg 44.9: Tebay South 74.2: Scout Green 51.9: Summit mp37 1/4 39/38.6.
Stopped NR mp55 1/2 - AWS issue.

 

Passed 55 1/4 in 52m 8s.

 

Away after 10mins.

 

Scots Guardsman passing Upperby

 

We have got 12 up. Hence one's run of the mill comment...

 

Welcome back RTC! We've missed you. It's great that this tour has gone ahead as planned, given both the restrictions imposed on some of the pick up points and the heatwave - still, it's probably somewhat cooler in Cumbria that here in sizzling Sussex. Looking forward to more pictures and videos

 

Carlisle to Appleby: 40m 45.27s.

 

Decent local luxury vanilla ice cream at Appleby - Finlay's cream of Galloway Farm, Gatehouse of Fleet.

 

Northbound through an almost deserted Oxenholme.

 

So who regrets missing a 24m 10.17s Appleby to Ais Gill mp260 run???