Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express 2016

Ralph, you can please some of them some of the time, most, most of the time but not all, all of the time

 

You miss the point though that Galatea and Britannia could easily romp up to 75MPH on the downhill from Shap summit to Carlisle to help stay out the way, an 8F can't do that...

 

Does anyone know what's happening with the 5th March WCME ? UKsteaminfo now shows it as Cancelled?

It's also disappeared on the Icons of Steam website, where it was previously showing as a Royal Scot working

 

Perhaps 46100 isn't gauged for the coast route that has been decided?
Doesn't automatically follow that its ok because t'other is. Aren't all steam locos individually assessed?

 

I booked on the 5th March trip yesterday so hopefully RYTC will be in touch soon if it's not running that date.

 

Depends who is driving !

 

When was that? Last year the timing was almost 4 hours for the 106 miles, and it actually took longer.

 

1410 from Carlisle looks tight in two respects. An hour and a half to service and turn the loco means an on time arrival at Carlisle is crucial.

Then a 1410 departure implies crossing the northbound service in the vicinity of Whitehaven at 1505--is that feasible? And staying ahead of the following 1433 after the water stop at Sellafield--is that feasible? Everything has to go right.

All in all the traditional 1440 departure time following the 1433 which implies 1830 or so back at Carnforth seems more likely.

 

I refer the honourable gentleman to the video of the 8F that Sgt. Hompson posted a few hours ago.

 

With the suggestion that anyone who doesn't actually live at Euston has their car parked at Watford Junction.

 

It would appear that the CME's are going to be running either over Shap or the Coast for a while, there was a report in the Yorkshire post yesterday that the S & C will be closed "for months" as a land slip of approx 500,000 tons has caused major problems.

 

In days gone by that could have been used as a reason to shut the line. . . . . .

 

Don't panic; that doesn't mean that they have to shift 500,000 tonnes to fix it.

 

As a Passenger RTC told me last week the estimate was early May.

 

And it's on a very steep tree lined slope which probably means it will have to be horizontally 'pinned' to stabilise it. Access looks rather precarious.

 

Times for the 20 February WCME are now available at www.uksteam.info/tours/t16/t0220a.htm (with RTT links).
There are two alternative return paths via Shap and via Whitehaven. I guess that the final route may depend on gauging issues.

David

 

Interesting - I wonder whether any more information will be given to us as passengers before the day as to which route is going to be taken. And will any credit be given should we go back via Shap?