Northern Belle 2024

I have just happened to notice on their website

That implies that food preparation starts on board the train a day or more before a trip. Do they really mean that? I would expect at most some advance preparation off the train, with most of the preparation and cooking on board on the day.

 

A lot of the NB tours have an early start from places all over the country, so I am unsure where this off train location would be.

This is the ECS on Thursday for Fridays trip from BTM, where in Bristol would you expect them to be "creating" the food?
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U11043/2024-05-30/detailed

 

I would not be surprised by preparation on board on the morning of a trip or the evening before. What prompted my comment was the wording "As the date of your journey draws near" which implies something happening some days in advance.

 

Is Tangmere doing the NB this Saturday please

 

After watching Braunton on the Lakelander at the north end of Oxenholme station it was but a short stroll to the south end to watch Tangmere. To follow a light (pacific) starter comes . . . not a main course but another light pacific, but a much smokier one. Tangmere has recently gained a reputation as the "Mike Yarwood" of the locomotive world with her ability to impersonate a "Class 5" (and there were many different class 5s - so which one would it be today?)

There were already three people down at the south end of the platform, one with a video camera on a tall tripod looking over the end fence - bang goes that shot! Perhaps 10 yards further back and toeing the yellow line were a lady and a man, she had a camera and was wearing a YELLOW coat and he was standing alongside further from the platform edge. I tried a couple of locations but neither were ideal. Finally, I moved about 20 yards further up the platform and, from just the right side of the yellow line, I could exclude the arm of the dreaded yellow coat. It was ok, it was even ok when a couple of "old" guys came and stood between me and the yellow coated lady. The guy nearest the platform edge had a video camera (hand held) and stood correct side of the line. The minutes ticked by and the guy shuffled nearer to platform edge, foot on the line and I was still ok until he raised his camera for a trial shot and his arm jutted into my shot. I'm sure he didn't know he was edging out. I feared worse was to come, I wandered down and made a very polite request, after initially receiving not the most positive response he did move back the few inches that I needed - Thanks.

Tangmere appeared the usual smoke spewing from her wide chimney, a lovely whistle and she rushed north with the Northern Belle stock. Two similar but very different locomotives in under an hour. Lovely stuff. 13C, 4L & 56mph.

 

Scotby on the return with today's Northern Belle.


Tangmere at Scotby

 

34067 at Shap Wells and Aisgill.

 

Nice that Steve

 

Cheers Harry, much appreciated .

 

The afternoon soon passed, a sandwich for lunch, edit and post a couple of videos and then there were a couple of jobs that Mrs W had left for me to do, I wonder what they were?. All the family (including Diego) had gone out. Mrs W returned from her birdwatching, today she was been appointed Wisteland's Woodpecker Warden (by me). It was soon time to go to see Tangmere again, it did cross my mind have a change of venue and to go to Cherry Tree or Pleasington or perhaps Hoghton but the prospect of a noisy climb of Wilpshire was too tempting.

Diego had come in and was last seen sitting in the kitchen looking longingly at the fridge door. Mrs W volunteered to come with me and we headed to the bridge on the Blackburn side of Wilpshire summit. The summit is in a deep cutting and there are not too many days when the sun reaches into the bottom of the cutting - but today was one of them. The main drawback is that the bridge can be a particularly windy spot and the blustery wind of the last few days still persisted. With the help of Mrs W we had 2 cameras (but the microphone on one, despite having a "dead cat" is not too good in strong winds).

Looking on RTT everything appeared textbook, the Rochdale Flier had departed and once it cleared Daisyfield the NBelle could leave Whalley. Time passed then a distant whistle (Wilpshire Tunnel?) and two minutes later Tangmere appeared from around the bend. "Tangy" was making plenty of noise, the grey exhaust shot up from the chimney, as she drew nearer the swirling wind knocked the exhaust this way and that to reveal steam issuing from the safety valves - climbing with steam to spare! The loco was making a right racket and this continued until the regulator was closed (well beyond the summit). With 12 coaches of course the tailgunner would have pushed but Tangmere put on a show, and Oswald and Mrs W enjoyed it. 14C, 3L & 26mph (beyond the summit).

It has been a busy week for Oswald, plenty of miles and plenty of hours, time for a few days off.

 

SR BoB class No. 34067 'Tangmere' working 'The Northern Belle' through Greenholme towards Shap summit and on to Carlisle with Mick Rawling driving, Craig Todd on the shovel and Roly Parker Guard, the same crew rostered for the return



My personal cloud stayed away long enough to capture No. 34067 'Tangmere' working the return 'Northern Belle' through Kirkby Stephen to Preston and then back to Coventry

 

Lovely shot at Kirkby

 

34046 followed by 34067 from Shap Wells then 34067 from Aisgill Summit Bridge and beyond.

 

Just managed to cling on to the light at Aisgill yesterday afternoon.........

 

In those videos there's lots of white condensed steam as well as some smoke from Braunton's chimney, but only smoke from Tangmere's. The air temperature can hardly have changed significantly, so what could have made the difference?

 

34067 Tangmere passing Beck Foot with the Northern Belle on 8/6/2024

David Price
Cop Lane on Flickr

 

34067 at a very wet Grayrigg Summit .