2024
The first six weeks of 2024 in the Western Dales have been notable for the amount of rain. Saturday 17th February was no different. However, The Cumbrian Mountain Express was due to be worked by 44871 making its first run on the Settle and Carlise since 2019. So whatever the weather we were determined to make the effort. It was clear the mountain section would be obscured by mist, and this was confirmed by a fellow enthusiast we met at Helwith Bridge.
Fortunately, 44871 was ahead of time, and we did not have long to wait in increasingly heavy rain. But when it arrived it made its presence felt.
On Saturday 16th March Vintage Trains ran the ‘Shap Mountaineer’ excursion from Birmingham To Carlisle and back hauled by Earl of Mount Edgcumbe making a rare appearance on the West Coast Main Line. We expected this would attract a large number of spectators, especially at Scout Green, just south of Shap Summit, which is where we headed. We arrived early and we were able to take a good position where there is a gap between the OLE structures allowing an almost unobstructed view of passing trains. As a bonus, Tangmere was due to work the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express, following the ‘Castle’ about an hour later. In the event, Edgcumbe was delayed and they arrived within 20 minutes of each other. At least 50 people turned out at at this location.
Vintage Trains had advertised that 5043 would work Shap on its own in both directions and so it did, making stately progress up the 1 in 75. Its consort, 47773, followed faithfully, three minutes behind.
This is a difficult location in mid-morning full sun, especially with a sky that was constantly changing with bright gaps between heavy cloud.
34067 was making faster progress than Edgcumbe, even though it had stopped in the Grayrigg loops to allow a service train to pass. However, the Class 47 at the back sounded as if it was giving the steamer a good push.
Note the difference in the light over 20 minutes. I made no alterations to the landscape background in either photo. But I did remove the ATF in the second!
We motored over to Kirkby Stephen for a pitstop to take on coffee, and then down Mallerstang, stopping off at Pendragon Castle.
I had in mind catching Tangmere at Aisgill Viaduct on the Up leg, but there was a chilly breeze down in the valley, and the top of the viaduct is well exposed. Looking for an allternative, we pulled up in the small lay-by south of Cotegill Bridge, where there is an old bothy for sale. This is a location I have not scouted in the past, but we discovered it has a very good view of the line, with Hellgill Force visible in the background. By 3.30pm rain was falling, so we were disinclined to walk further.
The X100V certainly delivered this time. This photo was taken at least 80 yards from the line with a 23mm lens, and would probably have stood a little bit more cropping if required.
On Saturday 24th February, 34067 was out again hauling a rake of Mk2s, now mandatory following the ORR’s recent successful defence of its decision to ban the use of Mk1s by West Coast Railways. One of these had its BR blue paintwork enhanced with some interesting graffiti. We popped down to Selside in the hope that the morning sunshine would hold, but it did not. However, there was a glint on Pen-y-Ghent to pick out the remains of snow that had fallen earlier in the week.
Saturday 13th April was rather disappointing, both for us and for Saphos Trains. Britannia was booked to haul the Lakelander up the West Coast Main Line and back down the Cumbrian Coast Line. The closure of the latter due to the recent Northern Trains derailment forced the tour operator to switch the Up leg to the Settle and Carlisle, which was perfect for us, particularly as the weather was predicted to improve in late afternoon. Unfortunately, Britannia failed at Carlisle, so we had a bit of a wait at Helwith Bridge for the anti-climax of seing D1935 at the front. That was a stroke of bad luck, because the sun was in perfect position and the view over to Pen y Ghent would have made an unrivalled composition.
On Saturday 20th April West Coast Trains ran another Settle and Carlisle Steam Special hauled by Tangmere, again. We headed out to Garsdale and parked up in the lay-by overlooking Dandrymire Viaduct. We took the path over Garsdale Low Moor to Cock Lakes. It was rather wetter than we had expected, but we had no difficulty crossing the open fell to reach the little knoll by Moorcroft Tunnel north portal with a view of South Lunds Viaduct all the way up to Wild Boar Fell.
Tangmere did not stop for water at Appleby so arrived a little earlier than we expected. We first heard a distinct, slow, rythmic exhalation in the distance that increased in volume to a roar as 34067 appeared relatively slowly from behind the plate girder footbridge belching smoke.
Our luck did not hold with the sun disappearing behind a cloud seconds before Tangmere crossed South Lunds Viaduct with its distinctive blue anchor plates randomly placed in the spandrels. Fortunately, above Tangmere, Ure Head and High Seat were illuminated against the inconsistent sky.
Tangmere chased the sun into the tunnel portal, providing a shot all the way down Wensleydale, picking out the scars on top of Thwaite Bridge Common.
A colleague of mine visited Locomotive Services on Friday 26th April and was given the grand tour. He sent me a photograph of Britannia looking a bit poorly and said that Braunton was on the road next to her in full main line working order. It was no surprise therefore to see on Tuesday afternoon that Braunton had been given the job of hauling the Saphos Trains, Settle and Carlisle Fellsman tour on 1st May. As this would only be Braunton’s eighth or ninth appearence on the Settle and Carlisle, I cleared my work diary, which I don’t usually do, even when the horse is running.
We headed for Selside and were joined by a few others, mainly at the cottages end. However, We took up the favoured position on the knoll by the bridge over the bridleway. Though warm and sunny, there was a heavy haze. Fortunately, the sun stayed out, so managing the difference in intensity between the sky and the foreground was easier than it might otherwise have been. For the first time in a year I was able to use 200ASA.
I turned to capture her passing over the bridge, and when I examined the jpegs, on one only the fire in the box was clearly visible, which I thought made it worth posting here.
We headed for the mountain section in late afternoon, having wrongly supposed that the weather would hold. As is so often the case in the Western Dales, by 4pm heavy cloud had descended, and up towards the summit the light was marginal. No matter, the X100V performed admirably picking out the scars on Mallerstang Common through heavy haze.
The following weekend, 44871 was slated to haul another West Coast Main Line/Settle Carlisle tour. This day proved to be the warmest of the year so far, but alas Ribblesdale was in heavy cloud all afternoon. Nevertheless, the man-made margins of the Ribblesdale quarries contrast with the scars on Pen y Ghent.
However, the Black 5, which last time made its presence felt with such force (see above), on this occasion appeared somewhat flat, one might say rather poorly.
I cleared my diary again on Thursday 23rd May for the Settle & Carlisle Fellsman worked by Sir Nigel Gresley, 60007 making its second appearance on the Settle and Carlise in the last 12 months.
Gresley was carrying a commerative headboard for the 65th anniversary of the Stephenson Locomotive Society’s tour on this day in 1959 when it achieved a speed of 112mph between Grantham and Peterborough without assistance. Not quite so fast here on the approach to Shap, nevertheless an impressive turn of speed, albeit with Crewe Diesel Depot at the rear. The lower slopes of Birkbeck Fells Common were impressively green compared with a few weeks before when we were last here to see Mount Edgcumbe. Gresley’s BR blue livery enhances its presence against this verdant backdrop.
After refreshments at the excellent Berry, Grain and Grape in Kirkby Stephen, we headed for Tommy Road. Gresley’s departure from Carlisle was relatively late in the afternoon, which gave us time for a pleasant walk down into the Eden Valley to explore the ruins of Lammerside Castle, now the home of a large flock of noisy sheep.
We sought out an alternative composition further down the bridleway, and found an accessible field with a view to the River Eden, illustrating how high the railway is above the valley floor at this point, about 70 metres. Tailbridge Hill in the background is 575 metres, and there was never any prospect of it emerging from the very low cloudbase. Gresley gave the impression of making slower progress than it had earlier done up the steeper Shap gradient. The extensive steam plume contrasted with the unbroken grey sky.
It was a surprise to discover that Gresley had been slated again to haul another Saphos Trains tour from Chester to Carlisle on 5th June, this time in both directions on the S & C. I chose two new compositions, one on the east side of the Helwith Bridge foot crossing and the other at High Scale just south of Garsdale Station. I had company at both, and fortunately given the dreadful weather in the last few days, we had full sun at both locations just at the moment of Gresley’s arrival.
At High Scale the light could hardly have been better at around 5pm. In a month’s time the foreground will be bright pink as the willow herb flowers, but the long bracts will obscure the track unfortunately, making early June the perfect time for this composition.
June and July were plagued by bad weather and cancellations, combined with the fact that West Coast trains seemed unable to run anything but Tangmere. However on 3rd August the sun came out to coincide with a tour hauled by 44871. We decided to take the service train from Settle and wait for 44871’s arrival at Garsdale station. We noted that the vegetation on the down side of the line has grown by several feet in the two years since I last photographed Tangmere here, and it has obscured most of the viaduct.
The inclement weather, lack of variety and cancellations, (particulary Britannia and Tornado) continued throughout August and September. On 31st August, as it was such fine weather (though very hazy) and thinking it would be a shame to waste any opportunity this summer presented, we decided to try something different and get down to the line side across the open fell from the Pennine Bridleway that follows the contour around the west slope of Great Knoutberry Hill. I have always been apprehensive about this, but I had no need to be. The walk down was straightforward, and at the line side there are several knolls that provide a platform for unobstructed compositions.
Saturday 26th October turned out to be a perfect autumn day with full sun and little cloud in the mountain section of the line until late afternoon. We drove to Tommy Road for a walk before 45212 arrived. We expected to see plenty of others, but we were surprised how few turned out, possibly because this was the second weekend in a row. It is not often the light is perfect , but this was one such occasion. It turned out to be the last of the year due to more cancellations and poor weather.
