Saphos Trains 2026

Great stuff Nige...a real treat!

 

Thanks David, glad you enjoyed watching.

 

Lakelander passing Brock 04/07/26.

 

Surprising to see the 20’s behind 60532. If anything I’d have thought the fire risk would have been eased since Wednesdays Fellsman. It’s wet and cold in Cumbria. I assume it’s staying in that formation all day?

 

Maybe the 20s will drop off to the LSL depot at Upperby?
Certainly not much risk of starting a linside fire this morning, ideal quenching conditions!

 

The Natural England Fire Severity Index Map shows most of today's steam portion of the Lakelander through an area of Low risk with just a small section of Moderate. Much of the country to the south and east is Very High risk. Looks like "one size fits all" and NR has a Red Level in force, including the LE and coach move from Crewe to Preston. On the return, steam comes off on the chord at Farington Jn so it probably makes it easier to couple the 20s behind the tender and leave them there for the duration; better than sticking them in front of BP.

 

Still a strange one David with a loco on the rear able to assist. Perhaps LSL policy doesn't allow that? My understanding from previous discussions on NP was that only black risk has a mandatory condition, lower grades allow for some element of dynamic assessment? So LSL must have deemed the conditions so potentially severe that show pony precautions were the order of the day.
Is the working assumption then the A2 plus type 1s will be replaced at Farrington by another LSL diesel so that the steam loco is chaperoned back to Crewe?

 

Thanks Danny, much appreciated. Like you I'm guessing BP was "assisted" because of NR's perceived fire risk (despite there being minimal actual risk hereabouts). Quite right, the dull conditions do help when photographing BP (and SNG), so if I blamed Thomas Tuchel for my switch in location, I guess I must give him some of the credit for the helpful lighting.

In a previous post you listed some of the mainline steam performers of your childhood, if I might add a couple of my favourites from the same era; 5690 in that gorgeous crimson lake livery and then in May 1980 my world improved when 46229 took to the rails - what a loco! (And what a sight she would make back on the mainline in her original streamlined condition.)

As for 6024 there will be plenty drooling in anticipation of the return of the King, it will be interesting to see just how beneficial the smaller profile is in terms of available routes and absence of speed restrictions.

 

I guess so, it looks as though the diesel that brought the trip up from Nottingham came off at Preston to be replaced by 60532 and the 20s and will run down to Farington Jn to go back on the front for the return.

 

Thirty years now since 46229 ended its mainline career, sadly. Had some lovely days on it at ELR just prior to that and then was very lucky to be involved with it on the run back to York. Happy days, a much missed loco especially with 6233 having endured a rather patchy operational career over the last decade or so. That one also had an ELR connection in 1993 and exploring a restoration got fairly well advanced but came to nothing. Then Brell Ewart bought it and the rest is history, although his patronage seems to have declined.

 

Assume the A2 piloted the type 1s Crewe to Preston with the support coach behind the diesels in that case? Then all 4(!) just dropped on the front after the removal of the DL from Nottingham?
What a lot of faff, but as you say at least the steam is leading, though I think I'd be very unhappy to be assailed by 'chopper chat' through those droplights all day if I'd paid a small fortune to travel. They're not the quietest of locos.

 

Black is no steam at all.
Red I believe is diesel behind steam, but could be wrong. Way back on one thread it was all explained.

Edit
I had copied from the original post to my hard drive.

Green: Steam ok
Amber: consider use of diesel
Red: diesel assisted steam
Black: no steam

 

Yes I think red is assisting loco definitely but can't recall if the position in formation is mandated, had an idea it was discretion of the operator.
Edit: reading across from the RTC Tynesider thread a DL is on the rear but does the red rating differ by NR region even across 40/50 miles of "the north"? Ordinarily one would expect it to be drier further east.

 

Fire risk was always done by NR zones which was why two places close to each other had different rules. I assume they still do it by zones, guess someone will know and the RTC trip will I think be in a different zone to the Saphos one, which will also I guess be climbing more hills.

 

By reference to Natural England data, the RTC trip certainly travels through what appears to be a higher fire risk area than the Saphos train......
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/328554206f114fc98c707bfc1b880cf7

 

It will depend on what criteria NR use. I also seem to remember someone (@Will RL ?)saying that it was set on the same day each week,, no idea what that day is.

 

And the VT train to Scarborough even more so, yet that too just has the diesel on the rear.

It is very dry on this side of the Pennines.

 

I had an idea it was an almost daily review process. Regardless, if the NR data places the Pennines in greater risk category than further east that is diametrically opposed to what Natural England suggests from the Met Office data.....
The conditions today seem to mandate a DL in assistance but clearly not where it has to be in the train. My guess is the LSL documented procedure stipulates as train loco, with steam pilot.

 

On a far from ideal day we see 60532 with 20096 + 20107 and 47830 on the rear getting heavy assistance for the climb over Shap on a gloomy wet and windy morning.