Saphos: Blue Peter to Carlisle - 12/02/26; Sir Nigel Gresley - 11/03/26; Britannia - 8/04/26

Where was the Thunderbird? Don't NR contract for one on that part of the WCML? Bit vulnerable the 2 track sections.

 

Isn't it now West Coast providing thunderbird on that part of WCML or have I got that wrong? They lost the ECML gig to Colas I think recently, who rescued 34067 to York last weekend.

 

My thought on that is that if they could get a stop put in at Wigan or preferably Preston, that would probably add a coach load.

 

Correct. But I guess it was decided that there was no need for a WCRC Thunderbird because the LSL 20s were already on their way to recover the Brit. It was safely in the siding at Oxenholme so its recovery was not a priority, and the 20s could be diverted to the 37 which was blocking the line.

To be clear, WCRC operate their Thunderbird cover from Carnforth Stesmtown. No locos are out-stationed at Crewe or Carlisle.

AN

 

Agreed, I was merely answering the question 1020Shireman raised as to whether a T'bird contract is in place rather than commenting on whether it should have been invoked.

 

Oswald has been a bit busy this week but eventually got round to calculating the horsepower on the albeit short, "active" section of the lower part of Grayrigg bank.

(Calculated for the 3.4 miles from over bridge 44, just north of the old Milnthorpe station, to under bridge 58, just north of Sedgwick; after the TSR and before the "failure". I was travelling in the 8th carriage and estimate that the regulator was closed when the loco was near MP17.25.)

Average edhp around 1575.

On the day the subsequent communications from Saphos' staff were excellent as was LSL's response to not one but two failures. I was expecting a follow-up email from Saphos, just a low level "sorry for the disappointment . . can happen with heritage locos . . possible repeat at a later date." This requires very little effort and never does any harm, but looks like it's not going to happen.

 

On a vaguely related note, I see that the two LSL 20s again acted as Thunderbirds yesterday, rescuing an Avanti West Coast 390 which had had an argument with the knitting just outside Manchester Piccadilly. Not sure if LSL have any official Thunderbird duties or it was an ad hoc arrangement.

 

A great report as usual Oswald - despite the 'happenings'.

I particularly like 'a young man of adequate girth and a self-confessed cake fan.'

Dinosaurs rather like cakes, but intake has to be limited these days.

Bryan

 

Who knows getting anything from WCR down there would have been a nightmare due to the present Preston-Lancaster blockade, albeit if WCR had a contract would it be naive to assume that NR would have suggested a thunderbird be stabled at Preston at least for the duration?