CME 2023

44932 load 12 Ais Gill ,no Box .

 

Could also have been thought that as it was only the second run for 44932, backup might be necessary.

 

it had to be dragged from Carnforth in the morning with the empty stock

 

Date? I think I was on that

 

The RTC warn passengers that their trains are composed of older coaches and may be colder than modern trains so should dress accordingly

 

Historically the Euston originating ones have generated enough heat (sometimes too much) off the ECS and the 86 for the steam heat to "top it up" if you like on the steam legs. Now depending on how low the temp is it can get a bit cool towards Preston, but then of course you have the 86 to warm things up on the way back. Carlisle time is less now than a few years back so less chance for a "cold sink" in the station.
So potentially not the same as yesterdays originating in the cold, or steam heat all day.
But that is just a guess on my part, not down to due any currently until fully jabbed (finally was allowed my Covid booster by the GP on Thursday) so will miss all the WCME's this year as I was not able to guarantee availability.

 

I'm afraid sustaining 30 up to Shap nowadays would be far from acceptable, and the TDA cost for that sort of performance would certainly eat into the profits of any railtour.

It is not just todays risk averse society, it is also the fact that the railway is a completely different place to what it was 60 years ago, things move a lot faster, there is more traffic about, and performance penalties. Add to this, we no longer have the financial might of British railways and their huge workshops to repair all the worn out engines after you have finished flogging them to death on loads that were an exception even back in the day.

 

That was part of the positioning move to ensure that 44932 was at the front of the train when leaving Manchester hence not a loco problem - more an operational one.

 

I was responding to your blase quote that ignored the option of providing an alternative ETH source to keep people warm. Nothing else. But look who couldn't resist raising the diesel on the rear issue. Boring.

 

Really like the new look for 44932. I’m guessing the shop people liked that style of lettering on Tornado and or Mayflower before they decided to do that with the Black 5.

It wears it well. Jolly good

 

Into the wild blue yonder....

"Cumbrian Mountain Express", 21/01/23.

 

I've thawed out - just! It was good to see 44932 running locally and it couldn't have been more local as, north of Bolton, she passed within a mile of Horwich Works where she was built (Sept 1945). It was also good to see her back on the Blackburn - Hellifield line; I think that her last visit was almost 10 years ago (16 Feb 2013) at the head of "The Lancastrian" running from Hellifield towards Blackburn. In BR days Stanier 5s were plentiful on the line but in recent years they have become almost as rare as hen's teeth. IR's "pair of fives" have made a couple of visits running double headed (one videoed by @nige757 on the "wobbly bridge"). Single headed, I think it was (a distinctly run down) 45231 on the WCRC operated Fellsman on 27 Aug 2014.

see post #147 for details of more runs later in 2013 (sorry for the duff info)

 

It wore the same livery in the late 1980s/early 1990s:



https://richardstevens.smugmug.com/

 

It’s a throwback to the late 1980’s early 1990’s, I remember seeing it at Butterley about 30 years ago (crikey was it really that long ago?)

 

Butterley 1990.