The 15 Guinea Special

http://www.railwaytouring.net/uk-day-trips/15-guinea-special

This will be the first steam hauled passenger train over this route since the 60's Liverpool Warrington Central Manchester Oxford road .

 

Looks good. I'm building a week's holiday "up North" around this train. I'll bet the start time will be earlier than the suggested 09:10, though!

 

Start time is actually later, it's 09.54. Returns at 23.12! 20 mins in Carlisle. Well over 3 hours later returning than advertised.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50956/2013/08/11/advanced

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50957/2013/08/11/advanced

 

Slightly surprised it doesn't go out that way, too. Which route did the original take?

 

I am glad I booked a hotel close to the Station. Just need to purchase sufficient refreshments.

 

The original went both ways via Sough.

 

Assuming the Waverley runs and both are on time, the passing point should be between Low House Crossing and Howe & Co., so somewhere like Cotehill Station / Duncowfold.

 

Any ideas why there are two paths both way for this?

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50958/2013/08/11/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50956/2013/08/11/advanced (showing runs as required)


http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50959/2013/08/11/advanced
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50957/2013/08/11/advanced (showing runs as required)

 

Timings with letter received today as the first link for out and first link for back which I believe are revised timings.

 

And it's not pausing at Ais Gill summit as in 1968. That is a shame

 

Maybe just as well, if the original run in 1968 is anything to go by you would probably be very lucky to get there!

Den Anhang 7866 ansehen

 

I don't think we'll see anything like that crowd again. I was at Helwith Bridge and Ais Gill 5 years ago when 70013 made her debut and there were fewer people around than for an "ordinary" CME in the 1980s. I know the filthy weather in 2008 had something to do with it, but even so... Compare the number of people and cars at Ais Gill in Austin's video of Evening Star from 1988 with my shot of 1T57 in 2008.

 

Is that what they were doing there in their mini-van?

 

From what I remember, those two coppers in that mini-van were completely bemused by all the traffic and, not being used to such chaos on their rural beat, gave up trying to sort it all out and probably went to hide down some cart track.
A bit like those two in 'Last of the Summer Wine' they would have got their heads down for an hour, then woke up to find no
traffic, and realised it had all been a bad dream.

 

I assumed it was PCs Bellamy and Ventress trying to get back to Ashfordley for a cuppa (and hard-boiled egg, in Ventress's case!

Steven

 

I suspect the 500 mainline steam trips a year we have in 2013, compared to the 30-40 we had in the 1980's has a lot to do with crowd attendances.