ellybelly Publications, great photos and great books brought to you

Cumbria

A Railwayman's View - BR Midland Region by Peter Collins > Cumbria
Click here to search this collection:


Images 1-13 of 13 displayed.

LPPC DSL BW 1217 Infrastructure interlude looking north from Carlisle’s station footbridge. Class 86, 86235 ‘Novelty’ departs north from Carlisle in the late 1970s (Summer 1979). 86235 carried a modified livery in connection with the Rainhill 150 celebrations. The yellow sticker with a picture of Rocket replaced the BR logo.
LPPC DSL BW 1218 Drawing into Carlisle’s main down platform is a WCML InterCity express headed by a 5000hp Class 87 electric Bo-Bo. Including one of the then-latest catering Mark 3 vehicles. The shot again demonstrates how West Coast electrification transformed that railway and its services, the train itself a perfect example of just how well British Rail could work whatever the churlish, almost childlike disparaging remarks about the pre-privatised railway that are made today by our current politicians.
LPPC DSL BW 1219 The up side bays at the north end of Carlisle Citadel – seen behind the building on the left – used to be host to the stopping services to Glasgow via Dumfries and Kilmarnock and those to Edinburgh via Hawick and the Waverley Route. But the latter were long since finished when this shot of an AL5 Class 85 electric loco number 85034 was taken waiting to leave with a short passenger train. Keywords: Digital, ISO, John Stiles
LPPC DSL BW 0449 English Electric Type 4 Class 40 – number 257 – stands on one of the through roads at the south end of Carlisle Citadel station on a Saturday in 1970 with a train of parcels vehicles. In the distance on the left, the line towards the Settle and Carlisle route forks left and downgrade. Notice the old-style hand-trolley and brazier on the platform in the foreground. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0001001300250045-Edit A trip to the Far North lines involved a break of trains and time at Carlisle one Friday. Also taking a break was the APT between test runs. When I was at Paddington, a coaching stock department colleague announced of the APT ‘It’s like trying to run a Rolls Royce on Austin 7 money’. Which precisely summed up the position of the railways in the overall budgeting scheme of things and not just at the time because now the private companies have to be subsidised as well, meaning the status quo continues. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0178-Edit Superpower! Coming to a stand at Carlisle’s main up platform, presumably for crew relief, is a block working of steel strip loaded ‘eye to the sky’. Most likely this is a working from the Ravenscraig steelworks which was near Motherwell but which, like so much of Britain’s industrial manufacturing base, is now closed and razed to the ground. The destination of this particular working was probably the Dee Marsh works near Shotton in the Wirral. The power comes from double-headed Class 87 electrics working in multiple and the wagons were part of a dedicated pool which also had outings to and from Llanwern on the WR near Newport. Ensuring the correct positioning and availability of these pools was always a headache to Freight Operating Departments at Paddington and Glasgow in period. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0051-Edit Engineering works on the West Coast main line have closed the route on a weekend in the early 1970s necessitating Anglo Scottish Inter City expresses to be diverted over the Settle and Carlisle line. Here English Electric Type 4 Class 40 40012 is heading one of these services about to depart south from Carlisle. The Class 87 electric that brought the train in from Glasgow has retired to one of the middle roads to await the next northbound service off the S and C whilst a Brush Type 4 Class 47 waits on the other line to take over the next southbound train. The 40’s train crew appear to still be chatting on the platform. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0052-Edit Carlisle (Citadel) station is almost deserted on a Sunday afternoon as an English Electric Type 4 Class 40 number 212 (40012) creeps down the platform to the south end of the station ready to take over a West Coast Inter City express diverted over the Settle and Carlisle line. 212 was built in 1959 and in 1960 was named ‘Aureol’. It was one of the few then allocated to the LM’s Western lines to receive a name after one of the ocean-going vessels to frequent Liverpool docks. It was saved from scrap and now resides under preservation at the Midland Railway’s Swanwick Junction facility. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC PHOT SCAN 0027 The majestic Settle and Carlisle line built by the Midland Railway is justifiably one of the great railways of the world, both to travel over and simply visit. Here, a journey to Dent village for refreshment necessarily preceded the long and steep climb to the station to be rewarded with the appearance across the valley of a Class 50 on a northbound freight crossing Dent Head Viaduct. Other than a curlew calling, the throb of the loco’s power unit was all that could be heard in the vastness of the landscape.
LPPC DSL BW 1182 Having moved across the valley, this is the view shown in the previous photograph from the opposite direction. Not long after arriving another freight came into view on the up line having passed through Dent station and followed the contours to Dent Head again. This time there was no throb, only the familiar ringing sound of an English Electric Type 4 Class 40 which interrupted the singing of a skylark. Freight traffic was plentiful to watch during a sunny, still, warm and almost idyllic afternoon watching trains. I am not certain what the load behind the locomotive is, but it almost looks like a steam boiler.
LPPC DSL CO 000100130034-Edit The major task of electrification of the complete West Coast Main Line, once accomplished, spelt the end of the requirement for both single and double-headed Class 50 Inter City expresses north of Crewe. But the fleet did not immediately move to other regions and it was still possible to watch them on comparatively lowly freight workings, in particular over the Settle and Carlisle main line. On a day of reasonable weather for the area, this Class 50 50008, has just cleared Ais Gill summit with the morning Leeds to Kingmoor fitted freight. The locomotive is still operational and mainline certified. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 00010018-Edit Still in use and receiving and dispatching traffic by rail is the Arny base at Warcop close to Appleby and accessed via a short remaining stub of the Stainmore line. Here is an English Electric Type 4 Class 40 working hard uphill northbound towards Ribblehead and Ais Gill at Horton-in-Ribblesdale with a train for the Depot near Appleby watched by only three disinterested cows. Freightliner containers and vehicles are used for this class of traffic nowadays. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock
LPPC DSL CO 0164-Edit I had been watching this train for some time since it had rounded the bluff across the valley having passed through Dent station heading south. Finally, it revealed itself as a Brush Type 2 Class 31 heading a bogie bolster on which was mounted a trestle carrying a large sheet of steel plate. It was very unusual to see a 31 on the Settle and Carlisle line and the fact that it was travelling so slowly showed that this must have been a special out-of-gauge freight running under Control orders, for instance ready to be looped or recessed whenever necessary to allow normal traffic to pass in either direction. Keywords: Digital, Rights Managed, Stock

Images 1-13 of 13 displayed.