Northern Belle 2022

superb video, many thanks

 

Mine on my 1st run behind 34067 Tangmere at Carlisle Preston and ready to depart back to 10A after a nice run along the settle Carlisle midland main line and up Wilpshire bank and a big thank you to northern belles catering team for giving us all a good feed up on today's dining train well worth it copping Tangmere despite a bit of diesel assistance some of the tour
Davo 56F

 

Climbing Shap.....

 

Its a pity Carnforth don't have an SR Style Northern belle headboard for Tangmere that would just set the image off.

 

I think you might find that that idea is being worked on. Lets see what happens.

Peter

 

It's nice to see a few without headboards. The worst are the advertising hoardings that proclaim; Railway Touring Company or Steam Dreams.

 

But why should the company taking the financial risk not advertise the fact.
Saphos is far worse in my opinion than either of those.

 

At least those headboards fit a loco smokebox. The one that always strikes me as looking totally out of place is the LSL heaboard which really does not fit any smokebox that I can think of. Just a personal opinion.

Peter

 

But if a train is flashing past at 75 mph, there is hardly any time to read the headboard. I am surprised that no operator has gone for a much better way of advertising themselves - using carriage roofboards. Not only could they allow the operator to advertise its name, but if you had two or three on each side of the train, you could also display a contact telephone number and even a web page and/or e-mail. Although the latter are hardly authentic to the steam age, they would do a much better job of letting the world know who is running the train and how to get in touch. Obviously as a self-confessed headboard hater, I would also make the point that they would be much more popular with the likes of us who like to photograph the trains - but that would hardly be the main concern of the operator!

 

Nothing wrong with a realistic headboard. What has looked better in recent years than a MN on set of Pullmans heading down the SW mainline with the Bournemouth Belle headboard? I don’t know why but a Bulleid Pacific with a non Southern shaped headboard on the top bracket just looks wrong. It’s why when Clan Line has one, such as the John Farrow train, it is always over the buffer beam.
It would be nice if West Coast invested in some Southern type headboard but I know it won’t be a priority

 

John - see my post #25 above.

Peter

 

Times for Saturday 2 April from RTT:

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U63886/2022-04-02/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U63887/2022-04-02/detailed

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U63890/2022-04-02/detailed

Loco off at Hellifield on southbound, light back to Carnforth

 

Grayrigg.

 

34067 at Grayrigg summit and charging through Appleby .

 

Not my video but Tangmere going well near Carnforth.

 

Sounds like a nice wheel flat on probably around the 6th coach. An added bonus with your breakfast and dinner.

 

Spot the smoke ring at 55 seconds?

That flat top doesn't half seem to make the soft multi-blastpipe exhaust cling, mind, but not so much on the Carnforth video.

 

I hadn’t noticed the smoke ring Alan so well spotted.

 

It's been a funny sort of week, last Saturday was warm enough to go for a walk without wearing a coat and then we altered the clocks and what a fine mess that caused. On Wednesday it rained, on Thursday it snowed and of Friday we had hail and today, although it was dry and partly sunny it felt cold in a bitter easterly wind. Then at the "Oscars" we had a "bit of fisticuffs" (I use the expression loosely); the incident was less Larry Holmes and more Larry Grayson. Most surprisingly, Mrs W said that she would accompany me today! So, I re-mortgaged Wistle Towers and bought a couple of gallons of fuel and off we set to Ribblehead to see the train.

After a journey of around 90 mins we arrived on the station car park about 30 mins before the train was due. An attempt to check its current progress on RTT proved fruitless as there was "No Service" on my phone. There was little choice but to get out of the car and wait - it was just like in the old days! The temperature on the dashboard was 6C but that didn't take into account the biting wind that was sweeping in from the east. We made our way to the down platform and waited, Mrs W took refuge in the waiting room. Thankfully we hadn't long to wait before a couple of blasts from Tangmere's whistle were carried towards us on the wind (Blea Moor SB?), another whistle and Tangmere appeared on the viaduct. At this point a couple (and their dog) wandered onto the up platform and after doubling back to check what was happening hurried across the line and took up position on the north end of the down platform - hey ho! - a minute later and they wouldn't have had time to cross.

Tangmere appeared from behind the station buildings, a whistle for the crossing and she made her way towards us, regulator open. As it left her wide chimney the white exhaust was swept aside carried away to the west. Accelerating away from the psr she moved slowly towards us and as she passed we were enveloped in steam. The coaches eased by, slowly gathering pace down the hill. The mobile motor-generator attached to the rear did not appear to have engaged its traction capability. (You'll not catch me saying diesel - oh bugger!) 10E and accelerating.

What had been an enjoyable afternoon out was spoiled for Mrs W as, when finally got chance to check the football scores, she discovered that her team managed to concede an equalizer in the 90+9th minute. It then got worse for Oswald when I found that there was a problem with the sound on the video - apologies.