Saphos: Blue Peter to Carlisle - 12/02/26; Sir Nigel Gresley - 11/03/26; Britannia - 8/04/26

A couple of phone pics from Wednesday,



Penrith - With watering complete the tanker driver drains the remaining water onto the ground.




Carlisle - Despite all the hard work SNG was still gleaming in the afternoon sunshine. It proved difficult to get a picture without someone standing next to the loco as various people took their turn to be "snapped" however, the guy in the picture was just a pain as he wandered about looking this way an that, mmm!




Bob Hart, who was TI for the return trip, looks from the footplate as the class 37 draws the ECS and 60007 out of platform 3 at Carlisle station.

 

You would have been better off going over to P4

 

In 99% 0f cases it certainly does. The exception I can think of was once in 1990, when John Cameron stood on the track in front of 60009 at Appleby just for a few moments. I cherish that shot

This is the main reason I avoid stations for specials. Clueless narcissists ignoring the wishes and hopes of dozens of others, just to stand next to a nameplate for a hundred or so pictures, then looking vacantly at the motion, nuts and bolts, blemishes on the polish and anything else, while a dozen others fume, wishing he'd just take a step back out of the shot, so as not to pull the eye. Why can't people just stand back and admire from a few feet further away?

It's probably the same sort, who at airport baggage carousels insist on standing in the yellow hatched area, stopping the host of other people doing things properly from seeing when their own case is arriving.

 

You usually need to wait for the right moment, many a time I have had to wait for the people you describe to get out the way. With the improvement in quality of the cameras in mobile phones it is lot easier that it use to be with a conventional camera. Once some people stood back and admired the loco and it improved the composition.

 

I don't need lessons in sucking eggs in that regard. I have waited, and waited and waited in the past, they just stand there forever, then they are replaced by a clone. The world abounds with clueless and thoughtless people. They are a minority, but they make themselves noticeable a thousand times over their relative lack of numbers.

 

I often find a polite "excuse me please" moves the intruder; it's more gentle than the dictatorial German "Vorsicht Bitte" that is a common cry in Germany.

 

I realise that many people are happy using their phones, but I find that much more challenging than using a camera with a viewfinder.

When I have paid for the ride I feel entitled to get a look at the loco from up close, but I don't spend long so close as to interfere with others' photos. I don't do selfies but I was glad to have someone take one of me beside SNG on its first run after its most recent overhaul, while I held up my booklet from its first run in preservation in 1967.

 

Have you paid to go on the tour, or have you just turned up at the station wanting to get some pictures? Priority should always be to people who have paid to travel on the tour, they have every right to look at the loco, they've paid a lot of money to do so.

 

I see this thread is straying in to the usual drivel again. Ultimately anyone on the station with a valid ttvael pass/ticket for any train has a right to be there. The fact some have paid a premium to travel on the railtour itself is a bit of a non starter really.

Anyway to bring the thread back to something more topical…..

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...8/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=LS

The times for 70000’s Shap run on 8th April are out. I’m hoping this will be a cracking day as to me 70000 is the finest of the LSL fleet.

 

Each to their own, I would have said 60532.

 

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I don't disagree with your point at all. I've been in both situations and I'm positive that a lot of the people tearing their hair out waiting for others to get out of the way, probably the majority will be passengers off the train who have dashed from the carriage to get a shot of the loco unobstructed.

As I said, I avoid stations where possible, so it doesn't affect me personally these days. I was making the point for others. Funny you should ask the question.

 

I inadvertently touched a bit of a nerve with my comment about the chap wandering about alongside SNG and agree with most of what has been said.

I chose the location as, I like the angle, the close up view and the sun was shining on that side of the loco. I accept that it is a platform and people, especially those who have travelled on the train, have every right to be there and pose for photos/selfies. Along with several others I waited patiently for this to take place, almost everyone stood in a line well back from the loco, those wishing to be photographed next to the loco be it front/side/nameplate, took turns to step forward, were photographed and returned to the line or left the platform - all extremely well behaved.

Then came this guy, who stepped out directly in front of me, I thought to have his photo taken, but no with only the odd casual glance at SNG he wandered about (on the wrong side of the yellow line) looking as much directly away from the loco as towards it; he had the air of someone killing time waiting for a companion to meet him outside the theatre. As Fred suggests an "excuse me" usually does the trick but I must have been rendered speechless, and I wanted to get down to the other end of the stock to see what loco was on there, so I cut my losses and settled for the pic that I posted. I'd waited so long for my chance that I failed to reach the far end of the train before it moved off - ah well!

As for the suggestion about going on platform 4 for a clear unobstructed view, agreed, but not the angle I wanted and against the sun. I do have a "proper" camera with a viewfinder but don't take it on trips as I try to carry the absolute minimum and I'm not sure how it would have helped (unless it had a Taser attachment).

 

Finest is subjective but it is "up there", I do expect it to be the noisiest!

 

I had paid to travel on the tour

 

How you planning to police that on a public platform.....

 

Without disagreeing regards 70000, I'm hoping/looking forward to 35027 getting a chance to take on the Cumbrian Mountaineer challenge.
Although there's also appeal in the possibility 5029 and 6024 get chance to redeem themselves from historically indifferent encounters with the fell routes rather sooner than MN27.

 

I would imagine anymore Cumbrian Mountaineers will be late Autumn as the Mk 1 rake will be in intensive service for Saphos and Steam Dreams charters from late April till autumn

 

I would guess so, depending on if the SRPS rake comes on stream too, after the CDL fitting at the Caley works which is underway at the moment. Some have already been done at Hamilton I believe.
Also worth remembering the Lakelanders won't be able to use the coast this season due to the protracted closure of Bransty tunnel.