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

So what has happened to 70000? Did the 20s return it back to Crewe before they aided 37409 or is she still at Oxenhope?

 

Still at Oxenholme

 

Hammering through Leyland earlier in the day, whistle still doesn't sound right for a Brit, somewhat strangulated!

 

A light engine move arrived at Oxenholme a hour ago.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U74804/2026-04-09/detailed

 

The onward journey to Carlisle Upperby Tmd LSL appears to have been cancelled according to RTT.
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/search/detailed/gb-nr:CARLLSL/2026-04-09/1155

 

It just used the standard OC48 path so they simply terminated the path at Oxenholme. Brit due to return to Crewe

 

Looks like it ran north to Tebay to reverse as 0C48, now heading south as 5Z70
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:66862/2026-04-09/detailed

 

70000 storming through Lancaster yesterday. Sadly the forecast sunny day didn’t materialise until well after she passed and in spite of audibly working hard, there was no sign of that effort at the chimney. On a brighter note, the pub on P3 was well worth a visit.



2026-04-08 70000 LANCASTER by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

 

A tale of many problems methinks; From a traveller to Edinburgh on the day the scenario was that 37409 was sent to replace 70000 with 70000 being left in the loop at Oxenholme. 37409 continued with the outward run and left Carlisle with the return whilst 20096 / 20107 headed north to collect 70000. Unfortunately 37409 failed with low oil pressure at Tebay and the pair of 20s were re-directed to Tebay to shunt the train into the loop thus clearing the line for my train (1M91 16:11 Edinburgh - Manchester Airport) and a pair of following Pendolinos. Once they passed Tebay the pair of 20s + failed 37409 left Tebay Loop heading for Crewe.

The irony is that had the tour been advertised as steam plus Class 37 plus Class 20 traction on different sections I suspect the train would have been filled many times over.

 

At that time of year/day you'd be shooting directly into the sun anyway, so it's probably better to be overcast. Glad you enjoyed the P3 pub in my old home town!

 

A most welcome addition to a station I often have to spend way too much time on!

 

Had the sun been out, I’d have gone on P4 as the curve of the line would have just about put the sun on that side but agree with you completely regarding taking the shot from P3. Had an excellent hot-pot for lunch in an equally fine ale house just a few minutes walk from the station.

 

I didn't know if I should write my usual report as much has already been said, but here is my take on the sadly truncated steam section (and it kept me out of mischief).

The Cumbrian Mountaineer 08 April 2026 with 70000 Britannia hauling 6 + POB + Generator Car

It was a beautiful Spring morning, the traffic on the drive to Preston was light and I arrived 40 mins early - better early than late! With the changes caused by the works around Euston my train started from Preston and the stock ran in 30 mins before departure. The train left RT and arrived into Crewe RT. I had 90 mins before 70000 was booked to head north; plenty of time for a leisurely bacon butty and a brew before heading across to pl12 to meet up with Ralph.

I was especially looking forward to this trip as I had never been behind Britannia over Shap but my last trip behind her had been an excellent one (a Fellsman 2019). For a Brit on Shap it was back to 2012, southbound behind 70013.

70000 and the stock headed into the station 50 mins before the scheduled departure. We dumped our bags on our seats (midway down the last coach but facing backwards!) before heading along to the sharp end for a chat with the crew. Chris Page was driving, Jack Gresty, firing and John Humphries was TI. Booked for the return were James Venables driving, Kian Steed firing and Matt Searston TI. Britannia looked superb, a short train, good coal, an enthusiastic crew and perfect weather – what could possibly go wrong?!

We went to our seats and waited, a few seconds late, heralded by a blast on the chime whistle, we were off, following 2½mins behind 1F50, the Birmingham-Liverpool service. We powered away from the station seemingly with every intention of catching the stopper but with 1F50 stopping at Winsford, Hartford and Acton Bridge what followed was a series of accelerations then braking as we reeled in the preceding train, which was losing time. The Liverpool train turned off at Weaver Jn and the road was clear. The line falls from Crewe (170ft) to Warrington BQ (30ft) generally all downhill save for minor “peaks” at Birdswood and Acton Grange. 70000 was “playing with the load” as speeds were generally in the high 50s to low 60s. Leaning to the curve we sped thro’ WBQ at 66mph accompanied by a long blast on the whistle – must have been a good watch!

The 11 or so miles to Wigan were reeled off with speeds in the high 60s and with another long blast on the whistle we powered thro’ Wigan NW at 68.4 & RT. Up to 70 before the foot of Boars Head Bank (almost 2 miles of 1/104r), sounding wonderful and a great climb with a brief minimum of 64.9 as we crossed under the A49. Then on the easier gradient (1/366r) and accelerating up to 68.4 before dropping back to 65.2 on the tighter gradient to the summit at Coppull.

Downhill now, we romped past Balshaw Lane (71 & 1E) stayed on the FL, up to 74 past Euxton Balshaw Lane. Euxton Jn 70.6 and sped thro’ Leyland at 77.1 with a great whistle and almost 2E. Approaching Farrington Jn we began to slow, down to 16.3 at Skew Bridge and 13.5 as we neared Ribble Jn with Preston station in sight. All this slowing had created some headroom (speed limit thro’ Preston is 35) and in the train shed the regulator was opened and the whistle sounded as we barked north at 34.8! As Al said the sound was beautiful, a real hark back to the good, old days and an indicator of a crew who intended to make it enjoyable for those on board, those on the platforms and, of course, those on the footplate. We barked our way up to Barton & Broughton loop, stopping a few seconds early.

The middle-aged guy sitting opposite was travelling with his mother, and although they had been on several trips in the past, he couldn’t believe the watering arrangements, “There’s a tanker parked in someone’s drive and a long hose all the way across the field!” – and there was! Watering complete, we had to wait for the late running TP service from Man Pic to Glasgow - 5¾L. We followed 2 mins later also 5¾L.

It appeared that we were intent on catching the TP, the acceleration was tremendous: 30mph after 0.5miles, 40 after 0.85miles, 50 after 1.46, 60 after 2.44 and 70 after 4.12miles, all done on near level gradients. As we headed north the sunny sky was replaced by thin high cloud. We cruised in the low 70s, past Oubeck loop 73/71 then slowing before we picked up speed dropping down to Lancaster (73.8 & 4L) and accelerating away. Morecambe S Jn (77.5), Hest Bank (75.9 & 3L) and Bolton-le-Sands (71.9). A long pull on the chime as we stormed past 10A with 76.4 at Carnforth N Jn and up to a max of 78.6 as we passed under the Midland line.

From 74.7 at the foot of Yealand, speed fell back to 66.1 at the summit with a min of 65.7. There was a subdued approach to Grayrigg, was the TP service “in the way”? It was still in the platform at Oxenholme as we closed in on Beela Viaduct (MP13) but then left. 59.5 across Beela, but the driver knew something that I didn’t, a TSR at Milnthorpe (45.4 & 1L). Once clear 70000 was opened up and how she barked. Up the next 3 miles (1/173/193r) speed increased to 60.9 and up to 61.2 after a further half mile. Then the noise stopped, the train began to slow and we stopped just before Oxenholme loop. Surely, we weren’t being put into the loop for 4C15 (Drigg to Shap Quarry empty stone hoppers) to pass – no! Very soon after stopping the steward announced that the crew had heard banging noises and we were going into the loop to investigate.

We received regular updates; sadly 70000 had “failed” and 37409 was on the way from Carlisle to rescue us. The minutes ticked by, we were out of harm’s way as the trains passed by. 37409 passed heading south, then reversed over the crossover and back past heading north before dropping onto the front (70000 & POB had already been detached and moved to the head shunt). The diesel was coupled up and the brakes were tested. LSL had agreed a short stop in Oxenholme station for those passengers wishing to leave; Ralph and I decided to alight, as did several others. There was a southbound Avanti due to leave at 14.25 – we might just make it! Sadly, we were held whilst a couple of trains headed north, and “our” intended train headed south.

We left the train and with nearly an hour to kill until the next train to Crewe (Ralph) and Preston (Oswald) we headed to the nearby (outside the station just along from the taxi rank) food wholesaler/retailer. This had been recommended by our coach steward, a young man of adequate girth and a self-confessed cake fan. David Willan’s did not disappoint. It is not a café, but sandwiches, hot pies, cakes, drinks, ice creams etc are all available to take away and eat at the picnic tables outside or back on the station. I had a tea and a raspberry brownie, extremely delicious and very large.

Back onto the platform to find @Mick5305 who had also decided to call it a day. After a good chat, Mick left on the southbound TP to Manchester, I waited with Ralph for the “Pendo”. Also boarding the Avanti was Jack Gresty (fireman) and another member of the LSL crew, both in their working attire and Jack carrying his trusted shovel. Jack confirmed that it was the RHS big end and that 70000 had been in excellent form until the knocking started about 2 miles south of Oxenholme. I didn’t take any pics on the day but, with hindsight, wished that I had taken one of Jack with his shovel onboard the “Pendo”.

I was back in Preston just before 16.00 and home before 17.00. (5½ hours earlier than from an on-time arrival back at Crewe and 7 hours earlier than would have resulted from the delayed arrival. £11.95 well spent!)

Not the day that everyone was hoping for, but these things happen. I’m sure that something special was planned for Shap, but now we’ll never know just how special that might have been. Saphos/LSL were excellent in sorting out not one but two failures, sadly the second one caused significant disruption.

Thanks to Saphos/LSL and all those involved in planning and operating the trip. Thanks to Ralph for the company and it is always good to see all the familiar faces, both NP and others. I’ve nothing booked until mid-summer, but that could change after I have been fitted with CDL subject, of course, to ORR approval.

[Voltarol and co-codamol are proud to be associated with Oswald’s knees; Oswald wished that they weren’t!]

Footnote: I heard from an extremely reliable source that after 63 years in the Railway Industry and currently one of LSL’s TIs, Bob Hart is set to retire later in the year. I’m sure that we all wish him well.

 

Footnote: I heard from an extremely reliable source that after 63 years in the Railway Industry and currently one of LSL’s TIs, Bob Hart is set to retire later in the year. I’m sure that we all wish him well.

 

Your info is correct, Bob Hart told me this on the Blue Peter trip in Feb when he was TI on the return.

 

Lets hope that yesterdays unfortunate issues, don't put off LSL, and bringing out a lighter load, and big engine combo to the mainline.
Although the start point is miles away from me, and a no go, everyone seems to have been complimentary, and a tip back to the older days of no assistance/ balanced load.
Should be applauded for giving it a go, and a once a month repeat, surely has a space in the market.

 

So whats 'gone' on 70000 big end brasses?

 

A few things sprung to mind for me with the unfortunate events of the last week and especially Wednesday.

The first was that with only 4 passenger carrying coaches (as reported), even using your own stock and loco the costs of this trip must have been seriously underwritten by LSL/JH, before the extra unexpected costs.

I assume those 4 coaches were fully booked, which begs two questions why not add at least one extra, or did they not manage to sell all four? If it was the latter, it sorts of disproves the long running argument on here of “just run unassisted and the thing will sell like hot cakes”. I do accept the closure of the southbound end of the WCML may have impacted those from the south.

It seems we were lucky, in that as far as I can see from RTT neither 70000 or 34067 caused any meaningful delays to service trains. Of course ironically the same cannot be said for the (marginally) more modern traction used to rescue the train. There appear to be a large number of delayed trains for both VT and TP in both directions, which I assume was caused by crews nor being available to take services back north, and at least two southbound Manchester TP services terminated short at Preston. Also those that did make Milton Keynes or Rugby were of course also being delayed on the next northbound part of their rotation. 9M60 ran via the Trent Valley missing out the Wolverhampton and Birmingham stops, but by the time the VT pax arrived at Milton Keynes & took the RRB to Bedford it would have been a very late London arrival.

So whilst not the greatest look for charters generally with the upcoming of GBR, it does seem that LS responded very quickly to both incidents and did all that was possible in the circumstances. And yes I am aware that modern trains fail to, but of course in the modern blame culture railway that produces a money go round, which for charters I believe is still capped at £5K?

Sorry for those that got so little steam from their day, especially if they had travelled far and perhaps needed hotels to make the tour.