Tyne Valley Tourer 18th September 2010 - 6233

Anyone lineside or riding on this tour?
Regards, John.

 

Weather permitting, looking to see the last climb of Ais Gill by the beautiful black lady in Mallerstang.

 

A bit late, but past shipton on time this morning...

 

Went through Haltwhistle at a fair clip!

Stunning to watch, my few shots will not do her justice!
Quite a few linesiders, down to babes in arms from very senior citizens.
Other entertainment was eastcoast hsts on diverts, one almost! got in the way of the view from the Newcastle bound platform.

I hope the various people on board enjoyed their trip!
(Not that i'm jealous.....)

StoneRoad

 

6233 looked superb today and sounded even better and this my effort . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfuKTJpHBuI

 

Here's our clip from this morning at Shipton.

Available Here

 

It was very dull and drizzling as it approached Long Preston but it came racing along at speed a few minutes early this evening

4 pictures from Long Preston & Hellifield station from here - http://john-robinson.fotopic.net/p67238031.html

Cheers john

 

Here are my shots:

Birkett Common:
http://graham-williams.fotopic.net/p67238313.html
http://graham-williams.fotopic.net/p67238314.html
http://graham-williams.fotopic.net/p67238315.html

At Hellifield:
http://graham-williams.fotopic.net/p67238316.html
http://graham-williams.fotopic.net/p67238317.html

 

A simple shot of the Duchess drifting across Batty Moss Viaduct and on past Ribblehead Station at :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU7j6wSBSGk

On the subject of the Duchess I've added a video (taken by a friend who is unable to load it onto YouTube) of onboard footage of parts of a recent climb to Wilpshire followed by the full climb from Manchester Victoria to Miles Platting at :- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ6ieLVwpYQ

Chris

 

The Duchess in the Tyne Valley earlier today:
View attachment 1720

 

The Duchess says farewell to the S&C - for now - 18 September 2010

As Stanier Pacific No 6233 Duchess of Sutherland nears the end of her ticket, I chose to ride behind her on the reverse Hadrian itinerary from York. On a bright sunny morning she headed north on the East Coast main line. After dawdling along the slow line to Northallerton where a Cross Country unit overtook us, she surged ahead and maintained 65 - 75 mph all the way to the outskirts of Gateshead, where we turned in to take water at Low Fell. The luxuriant countryside along the Tyne Valley was beautiful in the sunshine after all the recent rain, and there was plenty of time to enjoy it as we followed the stopper to Carlisle.
The irrepressible Bill Andrew was at the regulator as the Duchess reversed into the station for the return run. Typically, he started off gently, but by Armathwaite we were up to 57 and roared on at around line speed all the way to Appleby, where we arrived early for our water stop. Setting off for the final stage of the climb, the Duchess reached 56 at Great Ormside but was then subject to some slacks. Recovering from these, she blasted through Kirkby Stephen at 38, rising to 44 at Greengate. Her speed rose into the fifties up Mallerstang, reaching a maximum of 53 at Sycamore Tree Farm and falling only to 49 on the last pull up to Ais Gill summit. A very respectable, if not record-breaking, climb by the Duchess to round off a splendid catalogue of runs on the S&C over the last ten years. We rattled quickly down to Hellifield where the steamer came off to stable at Carnforth until her foray to Stirling in two weeks' time.

See 12 pictures at http://pjhrailpics.fotopic.net

Peter, on a sodden autumnal Manchester afternoon
http://pjhrailpics.fotopic.net

 

Sorry I didn't send an update Ralph. She was so near the end of her run and on time and I thought she would have been at Settle by the time I'd got a message through so didn't bother.

Chris

 

My footage from Haltwhistle and Stockber now uploaded, and apologies for the sound gremilns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXT61wMOyTw

 

Mike30A, perhaps you could try cutting the music, but find someone who can read this properly and record them.
Then I think you might not miss the original sound at all.

With apologies to W H Auden (Night Mail) and R L Stevenson (From a Railway Carriage), who I slightly mangled and then combined.


From the Eden to Aisgill, a steady climb:
The gradient's against her, but she's on time.
Past cotton-grass and moorland boulder
Shovelling white steam over her shoulder,
Snorting noisily as she passes
Silent miles of wind-bent grasses.

Birds turn their heads as she approaches,
Stare from the bushes at her blank-faced coaches.
Sheep-dogs cannot turn her course;
But gaze at the beast with heads on paws.
In the farm she passes a baby wakes,
And a jug in the bedroom gently shakes.

Faster than fairies, faster than witches,
Bridges and houses, hedges and ditches;
And charging along like troops in a battle,
All through the meadows the horses and cattle:
All of the sights of the hill and the plain,
Fly as thick as driving rain;
And ever again, in the wink of an eye,
Painted stations whistle by.

Here is a child who clambers and scrambles,
All by himself and gathering brambles;
Here is a tramp who stands and gazes;
And here is the green for stringing the daisies!
And here is a mill, and there is a river:
Each a glimpse and gone forever!

 

With apologies to Night Mail - and Beattock no doubt

I have a three film compilation DVD of the original Night Mail, Night Mail 2 dating from the late eighties and a very tongue in cheek Lady in Red from 2001 made by ITV - all very different takes on a very changing subject.

Must put them on one evening at Stalybridge for you Ralph, we could always invite your friend Nige!!

 

Thanks for this. I may not have time to do it this week, but i'll give it a go.