Settle and Carlisle March 2017 April 2018 March 2019 October 2019
March often produces a wide variety of weather on the S&C and this year was no exception.
Serious flooding in Ribblesdale on the drive up on Sunday 19th, mostly cloud on the Monday ( The First Day of Spring !), strong wind, snow and sleet blizzards plus some sun on Tuesday, thick snow on Wednesday ,and as for the rest ,a mixture of cloud and occasional sun.
The Arcow Branch provided the best sunlight ,and Ribblehead the worst.
Starting on Monday with 66765 on the Arcow Branch 20.3.2017 12.59hrs. 6M31 09.50 Doncaster Down Decoy-Arcow Quarry GBRf
Having reversed its train back into the sidings , 66765 waits for the first wagons to start loading.
"Launch the Lifeboat ".
Unfortunately the sun is behind the blackest cloud of the day as 66714 "Cromer Lifeboat "passes one of the many flooded fields adjacent to the line.
Helwith Bridge 20.3.2017 13.38hrs. 6E69 12.12 Arcow Quarry GBRf-Hunslet Tilcon GBRf.
Next day, Tuesday. Strong westerly wind. A morning with sleet and snow showers making sighting of Garsdale station's home signal often difficult, but a very lucky break in the cloud enabled me to see the train approaching in the distance and capture this shot of the northbound loaded gypsum ,running some 75 minutes late.
66101 Moorcock Bridge 21.3.2017 09.58hrs.6M95 21.18 Hull Coal Terminal-Newbiggin British Gypsum.
The 10.03 southbound unit came by one second later , a near blocker, a very lucky escape.
The Black Hole awaits !
66101 about to disappear into Moorcock Tunnel .
21.3.2017
As you can see, my choice of March and April for this year's S&C Spring Break , compared with the weather that followed at the end of April and early May wasn't the best, but just being there for me is such a delight that train pictures if any are a bonus.
If I'm spared , I'll be trying again. No question about that.
Returning gypsum empties.
66101 Ais Gill Road Bridge. 21.3.2017 14.34hrs. 6E95 15.15 Newbiggin British Gypsum-Milford W.Sdgs.
Just to show you I wasn't joking. Wednesday, 22nd March 2017, Lunds.
Thursday 23rd ,saw me waiting at Ribblehead for Mr.Shaw, due to arrive at 12.02hrs.
"Barbie" liveried 66725 heads north to Blea Moor with 6M38 11.25 Arcow Quarry GBRf-Bredbury Tilcon GBRf at 11.40hrs, running one block ahead of the unit. Light not brilliant but about the best it got at Ribblehead all week.
Having got " done " again at Ribblehead on the returning southbound stone, Mr.Shaw and I decided to head north in search of the first loco-hauled train on a proving run from Carlisle-Appleby and back following the completion of the repairs to the landslide damage .
Needless to say our choice of Armathwaite for the southbound shot with Large Logo 37 leading was also blessed with big black cloud cover ,but by the time we headed for home along the back roads we were bathed in glorious sunshine. That drive in that light with snow-covered Pennines to our left more than made up for missing yet another train picture.
However , as the time for the return working from Appleby was very near , we stopped at this road overbridge a mile or two south of Langwathby and got our consolation shot of 37116 23.3.2017 , 16.18hrs.with the Appleby-Carlisle leg. 1Q82 Carlisle-Blackpool via Appleby.
Leaping off the fence and dashing across the road without getting run over , I did manage a " going away " shot of the Large Logo one 37025.
Record shot , but at least it was something.
Last Day. Friday 24.3.2017. Back here again where the promised clear blue skies actually did appear.
Arcow Quarry Sdg. 09.03hrs. 66725 poses for a few pictures.
This shot shows 6M67 22.02 Bredbury Tilcon-Arcow Quarry being shunted into the sidings proper.
66725 in Arcow Quarry Sdgs. 24.3.2017 , now loading 6M33 12.12 Arcow Quarry-Pendleton ( Brindle Heath ) GBRf
All done now.66725 awaits the word to re-assemble its train.
66725 peeps out from under the delightful footbridge at the entrance to the quarry sidings proper. You can tell it's not an NR construction !
Reflect on this.
This is the Ribblehead version of the " all-over blue sky " forecast.
More like all-over white with a bit of brightness. Still it was the best ,ie only , shot of the stone at this location out of 5 possibles during the week.
66725 24.3.2017 13.35hrs. 6M33 12.12 Arcow Quarry-Pendleton ( Brindle Heath ) GBRf.
Mega surprise meeting here today with one of the old gang...Peter J Robinson.
Combined ages over 150 years .Time to give up ? Never !
60095 Ais Gill 6.4.2017 14.17hrs.
L/E. Possible driver route refresher following S&C re-opening at the end of March.
Hopefully the next 60 we see will be on a full rake of logs from Carlisle-Chirk.
S&C April 2018 .
First Saturday. Half a mile from " Home ".
Having had to cancel my March visit due to three funerals in three days at home in Essex, this week in April was my first and probably my last chance to get any pictures on the line this year.
47772 Shotlock 14.4.2018.16.12hrs. Returning Appleby-Scarborough excursion.
A reasonable start but no more pictures would be taken until 4 days later.
I could see a repeat of previous years coming up.
Wednesday.
Things began to look up.
I had to wait 4 days for my first sight of sun this week , 60085 Ribblehead 18th April 2018 14.37hrs 6J37 12.58 Carlisle Yd-Chirk Kronospan Colas Rail.
My first sunlit picture of a Colas 60 on the logs.
Having been informed it was " Good Old Boy " allocated to this working we drove round to the Arcow Quarry branch but saw " Sence " in the shape of 66711 instead. 18th April 2018 15.01hrs.
Pen-y-Ghent looms , lambs frolic, and 66711 gets ready to reverse what will be 6D77 Arcow-Hunslet back into the quarry in order to complete loading.
18th April 2018. 15.01hrs.
66304 Salt Lake 18th April 2018 16.36hrs. 6C89 09.38 Mountsorrel Sdgs-Carlisle NY.
A few yards further north now with Salt Lake Cottages in view , 66711 makes for Blea Moor to run round with 6D77 16.43 Arcow Quarry GBRf-Hunslet Tilcon GBRf.
18th April 2018 16.57hrs.
Next day. Thursday.
Early morning light. 19th April 2018. Arcow Quarry. 66726.
66726 Arcow Quarry Sdg. 19th April 2018 09.15hrs.
66726 Ribblehead 19th April 2018 12.31hrs. 6M38 11.25 Arcow Quarry GBRf-Bredbury Tilcon GBRf
Not having taken a picture of a 60 working the logs before this visit I was spoiled with a shot every day for 3 days running.
60085 Salt Lake 19th April 14.40hrs. 6J37 12.58 Carlisle--Chirk Kronospan Colas Rail.
As far north as the wagons got, on this day at least.
Next move reverse into Ribblehead Quarry Sidings.
Straddling the B6255 , Ingleton-Hawes Road .
One last push now back into the quarry sidings for 66424+66302.
Ribblehead. 19.4.2018.15.07hrs. 6Z21 09.15 Sellafield DRS-Ribblehead VQ.
The wagons had been on hire to DRS for working spoil down the Cumbrian Coast to Barrow .
Job now finished so wagons were being returned to GBRf Wellingborough , but via Ribblehead VQ to collect a few wagons left there previously.
After a last minute route change , running south from Sellafield to Carnforth rather than north to Carlisle, the planned destination was reached , more or less successfully.
A little bit of shunting needed before job is done.
More shunting.
Job Done. All finished. Locos and crew are off home to the DRS depot at Carlisle.
Wagons remain at RHQ until the morrow !
19th April 2018. 15.32hrs. 66302+ 66424.
Ribblehead Quarry Sdg.Ground Frame. 30.10.2019.
Major investment , in anticipation of big upsurge in traffic ?
2020 was a major disaster as far as visiting goes.
My weeks booked in March and April and then October and November were all cancelled.
Age marches on too. Will I have any more years left to enjoy ?
Sadly it looks like this ( 2019 ) was my last visit. No complaints. I've had a good innings.
Thanks to Alison at Sycamore Cottage.Quarry Farm. Lunds. Self-catering. Can't recommend it highly enough.
I set off in hot pursuit on what was the hottest day of the year so far , striding out manfully , sort of ,across the moor and climbing up to Blea Moor Sidings.
66711 was just completing its run-round procedure at 17.55hrs.
Hooked up , signal pulled off ,and 66711 pulls out of BM Up Goods Loop.
18.01hrs .with 6D77 Arcow-Hunslet.
Well worth the effort I thought.
Next and final morning. Friday.
Clear blue at Garsdale but thick fog further south at Ribblehead Station and Viaduct. Sunny for most of the time on Whernside.
It was " sort of " sun for this shot..... just 3 SECONDS of it in the 50 minutes I stood there with the train in the loop before me.
66761 20th April with seconds ticking away before departure time..
At 10.18 it left ,and so did I , not waiting for the cement as the fog crept ever nearer.
I'm so pleased I made the effort to climb through it to capture this very unusual working .
6M99 09.53 Ribblehead VQ-Wellingborough Up TC.
Back over the Coal Road in very thick fog to find full sun again at Garsdale Station and to the North.
A steam train was due around 14.00hrs but from 12 noon on , the hills were covered with steam photographers.
Trying to eliminate them from my pictures I decided on two shots in the cutting to the east of Ais Gill Moor cottages.
6K05 with 66432 ran early today with an interesting consist ,as my hero Les might say, making a rather nice picture.
20th April 2018 13.39hrs.
Some 40 minutes later and looking like I would get a Blocker with the late-running northbound unit ,60085 completed my trio of 3 sunny 60 logs shots in 3 days. 20th April 2018 14.21hrs. 6J37. Carlisle-Chirk Kronospan.
The unit came a minute later. Phew !
If the rumours are correct this might well be my last shot of the logs. The suggested switch of motive power to a Class 70 is a definite turn-off.
Resisting the urge to return " home " for an overdue cup of tea, I waited by the roadside as the steam was due imminently.
35018 April 20th 2018 14 39hrs. 1Z65 09.16 Scarborough-Carlisle.
Last shot of the holiday and my only picture of the cement...one out of a possible 6. Not good, but I'm grateful for it.
66083 Lunds 20th April 2018 18.36hrs. 6S00 17.05 Clitheroe Castle Cement-Mossend Down Yard.
My last ever EWS hauled cement as GBRf will be taking the job over from June , 10 years to the month since EWS took it on.
Considering this week was booked in October 2017 I was so lucky with the weather, although with late April sun rather high during the middle of the day and lots of small lambs in no-go fields , many of my required pics will have to wait for another time.
First Day. Monday. 66736 Dent Head Viaduct 25.3.2019 10.23hrs 4M00 09.02 Carlisle New Yard-Clitheroe Castle Cement.
The one picture I have been after for many years . The trip was worth it just for that. Lucky as that's pretty much all I did get.
Tuesday.66751 waits on the Main Line , Arcow Quarry Jc. 26.3.2019 12.27hrs. 6M31 09.14 Wrenthorpe - Arcow Quarry.
66751 reverses back in. Arcow Quarry Branch 26.3.2019 12.48hrs. 6M31 ex Wrenthorpe.
