10. The Cumbrian Mountain Express-31.08.80

THE ARCHIVE FILES > Archive-1980 > 10. The Cumbrian Mountain Express-31.08.80
A day trip from Wiltshire to North Yorkshire to see Lord Nelson take on the Settle and Carlisle! A mammoth trip in the Austin 1100 (UVJ 129J) with Graham (driving), the late Bill Jupp, Jürgen and his girlfriend, Elke, meant things were a little crowded! We managed to get Lord Nelson at five different locations as well as 4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley' on the return Cumbrian Mountain Express at Giggleswick. No major mechanical failures apart from a loose fanbelt meaning the battery was almost flat by the time we reached home at an unearthly 02.30!
Click here to search The Archive Files


Images 1-18 of 18 displayed.

850, outward leg of Cumbrian Mountain Express, Carlisle-Skipton, Keld Farm Having taken over the train at Carlisle Maunsell 4-6-0 850 'Lord nelson' gets into its stride as it passes Keld Farm just north of Appleby. It is a little incongruous to see a Southern Railway locomotive on the S & C but steam on the mainline then was quite a treat so anything went! It is leading the BR organised and promoted Cumbrian Mountain Express that proved to be popular with both passengers and lineside gricers alike and has proved an enduring train with them still running today but to a slightly different format. Notice the two round hills in the background of Knock and Dufton Pike with the bulk of Cross Fell (ex D5/44005) looming above them. There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/7Pdd4TRvBpk Keywords: 30850 outward leg of Cumbrian Mountain Express Carlisle-Skipton Keld Farm 850 Lord nelson Maunsell
850, outward leg of Cumbrian Mountain Express, Carlisle-Skipton, Keld Farm I salvaged this slide from the rejects box! I was in two minds as to scan it or not but have decided to as I had gone all the way to The Northern fells from Wiltshire to see this train! Former SR 850 'Lord nelson' works hard on the climb to Appleby passing Keld Farm with the outward leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express. On arrival at Appleby, about three miles south of this location, the train would pause for one of the fabled 'photostops'; something that does not occur today on railtours. This gave us gricers a chance to scramble back into our cars and get past the train to attempt another shot further along the line. On this day we raced at breakneck speed to Ais Gill summit. I have in my notes that the 1100, complete with five of us onboard, actually launched itself into the air on crossing a humped back bridge somewhere on the B6259 south of Kirby Stephen! Along with a procession of gricer's cars, we made it to Ais Gill but in the end, it was delayed so the racing was unnecessary! There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/7Pdd4TRvBpk Keywords: 850, outward leg of Cumbrian Mountain Express, Carlisle-Skipton, Keld Farm 850 Lord nelson Maunsell
850, outward leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express, Carlisle-Skipton, Ais Gill Summit SD775967 With the bulk of Wild Boar Fell in the background SR 850 'Lord Nelson' approaches Ais Gill leading the outward leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express from Carlisle to Skipton. After battling the eighteen miles or so of almost continuous 1:100 from Appleby 850 is still going well as it approaches the summit at nearly one thousand one hundred and sixty-nine feet making its the highest point on the S & C. It is not evident in this photograph but there were hundreds of photographers in an ark either side of me at this popular spot many of whom dashed to their cars after the train had passed with the same idea as us, to get ahead of the train again as it had a water stop at Garsdale station! There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/0CmKCG9W2J0 Keywords: 850 outward leg of Cumbrian Mountain Express Carlisle-Skipton Ais Gill Summit SD775967 850 Lord nelson Maunsell
850, outward leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express, Carlisle-Skipton, Ais Gill Summit SD775967 A broadside of 850 'Lord Nelson' at Ais Gill summit going well after climbing 'the long drag' up from Appleby. Passengers onboard had enjoyed steam haulage from Carlisle that would finish at Skipton for 4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley' to take the return train to Carnforth. 850 was one of just sixteen members of the class built at Eastleigh in 1926. Initially, their performance was poor but Maunsell persevered with his design and after a number of major adaptions they finally ended up producing the power expected of them. Under British Railways the locomotive became a Class 7P and carried the number 30850 being withdrawn in 1962 and is the only example preserved. There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/0CmKCG9W2J0 Keywords: 30850 Lord nelson Maunsell 850 Cumbrian Mountain Express Carlisle-Skipton Ais Gill Summit SD775967 S & C Settle and Carlisle The long drag
850, outward leg of Cumbrian Mountain Express, Carlisle-Skipton, Dent SD763878 At last, some sunshine! A second photo stop with water also being taken on at Garsdale enabled us to get past 850 again after seeing it at Ais Gill. Passing Garsdale made us realise how popular this BR operated charter was with hundreds of cars parked around the station with even more photographers in attendance! We managed to pilot the Austin 1100 to Dent where we walked a little north of the station towards Rise Hill tunnel that is out of view in this photograph behind 850's exhaust. Lord Nelson leads the outward leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express on the gentle downgrade to its destination trailing a uniform set of Mk. I stock. Today, this view is all but impossible due to the embankment being heavily overgrown and the fells in the background being forested. Notice Graham's Sony TC-153SD cassette deck laying in the grass to the bottom left of the photograph. This was the one that I aspired to as it had Dolby but was double the size and weight on my own new TC-525 unit. I visited exactly the same spot some seven months later in not such great weather but the motive power was pretty impressive, see..... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30022686221/x46229-cumbrian-mountain-express. There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/ffyAo-w7eqE Keywords: 30850 Lord nelson Maunsell 850 Cumbrian Mountain Express Carlisle-Skipton Dent S & C Settle and Carlisle The long drag SD763878
Dent Station Signal Box (MR, 1891) Looking very smart Dent signal box stands just south of the station. The Midland box was built in 1891 and on the day of our visit, it was switched out. It was officially closed some six months after this photograph was taken. It was demolished with the timber burnt on-site during 1984. The low building behind the box is known as the Snow Huts originally built as barracks for construction workers. Today, the buildings have been refurbished and are used for holiday accommodation recently featuring in an episode of the All-4 series Four in a Bed. Keywords: Dent Station Signal Box Midland Railway MR
Sign, Dent Station A slightly misleading sign at Dent station. Yes, the station is the highest station in England at one thousand one hundred and fifty feet above sea level. However, when this photograph was taken in 1980 it was not as it was closed! BR shut the station in 1970 as part of its deliberate, coordinated and synical running down of the Settle and Carlisle line dragging it, we all thought, towards inevitable closure. However, as we are all aware this did not happen with Dent station being reopened on 14.08.86. The sign exists today but has been redesigned and now having the actual altitude as part of the wording. Keywords: Sign Dent Station
40036, up coal empties, Dent SDS764876 40036 leads a long rake of mixed and empty coal wagons on the approach to Dent station taken from the road bridge. Notice the tall Dent distant signal towards the rear of the train. The signal remained pulled off as were all the arms controlled by Dent box as it was switched out. 40036 was in service for another two years before withdrawal and cutting up at Swindon Works that was completed by September 1982. Today, this lovely open view of the wild fells is somewhat compromised by rampant tree growth, ably illustrated in an image taken by Martin Loader (Hondawanderer), see.....http://www.hondawanderer.com/40145_Dent_2020.htm coincidentally, also of a Class 4o and some forty years later! Keywords: 40036 up coal empties Dent SDS764876
40047, down freight, Dent station An absolutely superb mixed freight from a bygone era passes through the closed Dent station. I would have thought that this would be an unfitted freight given the vintage of the wagons in the consist but close examination of the rear of the train does not indicate a brake van. 40047 is leading the train on the final part of the more gentle climb of the fabled 'Long Drag' from the south with just a few miles to the summit at Ais Gill. I had haulage behind 40047 in March 1984 when it was one of the locomotives working The Conway Crusader railtour along with 50018 'Resolution'. The locomotive was withdrawn in late 1984 but lingered on eventually being cut up by January 1986 at Doncaster. Notice the cars parked in the former station car park, of particular interest, is a Fiat 124 (or, is it an early Lada version?) behind the Rover SD1, the inevitable Mini and a Scimitar GTE parked by the fence at the rear. Keywords: 40047 down freight Dent station
Cast sign, Cowgill (note-Dent Station & GR) I don't normally take photographs of road signs but this one is interesting. It stands in the village of Cowgill at the eastern end of Dentdale at a junction where the road off to the left climbs steeply up to Dent station and then across the moors to Garsdale. The reason for my interest in the sign is that it still points out Dent station despite it having been closed some ten years previously in 1970. Of course, it has subsequently reopened in 1986 as part of the wider renascence of the S & C. Notice that particular arm of the sign has been replaced by a crudely attached section grafted to the stub of the original that has a different font. Even though it shows the station as being a relatively short three-quarters of a mile away what it does not state is that in that distance the road climbs nearly five hundred feet with an average gradient of 17% (c. 1:6) with some sections being a lot steeper than that! Using Google Street View today reveals that the sign is still in place complete with its six figure gridreference on the circular topping piece. Keywords: Cast sign Cowgill Dent station
Horton Signal Box (MR, 1875) In happier times Horton signal box stands in the afternoon sunshine looking smart and well maintained. It was a Midland Type 2b design from 1875 and located on the up side of the line a short distance off the southern end of Horton in Ribblesdale station. Note the remnants of the former cattle dock to the left of the steps. After falling into disuse but still containing its frame and leavers it was damaged by fire in April 1991 and demolished soon afterwards. This now leaves a long block section between Settle Junction and Blea Moor. Keywords: Horton Signal Box
Horton in Ribblesdale Station (Closed 1970, reopened 1986) With the platform clock reading six-thirty Horton in Ribblesdale station looks a little run down and in a rather parlous state. At this time, that station had been closed for ten years and was derelict. However, happier times lay ahead with the station reopening in 1986 and the building being converted into a private residence. The owners have renovated the building in a sympathetic style with it maintaining its original features including, at my last visit in 2014, a working clock, see...... https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/30016458779/x16-horton-ribblesdale-station Keywords: Horton in Ribblesdale Station Midland Railway
4498, return leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express, Skipton-Carnforth, Giggleswick SD793638 With 850 'Lord Nelson' having worked the outward leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express as far south as Skipton earlier in the day 4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley' was charged with the return working to Carnforth. In the late afternoon sunshine, under some lovely fluffy clouds and with the fells in the background, the locomotive and train make a fine sight as it accelerates away from Settle Junction at Giggleswick. The streamliners were never famed for both their exhaust displays and their sound with both of these characteristics belying the fact that the locomotive will be working hard climbing the long section of 1:100 at this location. There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/VhLK2dutJaM Keywords: 4498 The Cumbrian Mountain Express Skipton-Carnforth Giggleswick SD793638 Sir Nigel Gresley
4498, return leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express, Skipton-Carnforth, Giggleswick SD793638 In such a superb location in the Yorkshire Dales, I could not resist another photograph of 4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley' leading the returning Cumbrian Mountain Express. The locomotive is seen working hard past Giggleswick with the Skipton to Carnforth leg. I appear to have crouched down ensuring that I have included the field of wild buttercups blanketing the foreground that breaks up the otherwise sea of green! There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see...https://youtu.be/6_Xi_KxRICo Keywords: 4498 The Cumbrian Mountain Express, Skipton-Carnforth Giggleswick SD793638 Sir Nigel Gresley
850 & Gresley support coaches, Skipton-Manchester Liverpool Road (for Great Railway Exposition), Nappa SD858536 In the pre-internet years getting gen on moves and workings was a lot more hit and miss! Therefore, how we knew about 850 'Lord Nelson' working from Skipton to Manchester Liverpool Road remains a mystery? It is seen here passing Nappa just south of Hellifield leading two Gresley Teak coaches; a relatively easy load. Earlier in the day, 850 had worked the outward leg of The Cumbrian Mountain Express from Carlisle to Skipton so finished its day operating this train that we had seen a number of times as it traversed the S & C. Keywords: 850 Lord Nelson & Gresley support coaches, Skipton-Manchester Liverpool Road (for Great Railway Exposition), Nappa SD858536
850 & Gresley support coaches, Skipton-Manchester Liverpool Road (for Great Railway Exposition), Nappa SD858536 A 'going away' shot of 850 'Lord nelson' leading two Gresley LNER teak coaches as it descends from Hellifield at Nappa. On the rear of the coach, the headboard from the morning's Cumbrian Mountain Express is seen attached next to the tail light. The coaches were being taken to Manchester Liverpool Road in association with The Great Railway Exposition that was part of the Rocket 150 celebrations in and around Liverpool and Manchester. I am not sure about the heritage of the rear coach here with its observation platform, can anybody advise? Keywords: 850 Lord Nelson Gresley support coaches, Skipton-Manchester Liverpool Road Great Railway Exposition Nappa SD858536
850, Gresley coaches, Skipton-Manchester Liverpool Road (for Great Railway Exposition), Goose House Bridge SD690236 After being held somewhere in the Blackburn area 850 'Lord Nelson' is captured again hauling its two Gresley coaches from Skipton to Manchester Liverpool Road as part of the Rocket 150 celebrations. It is seen in the dying evening light approaching Goose House bridge a short distance north of Darwen. The line here was singled a short time after this photograph was taken having no passengers services at this time probably as a precursor to closure by BR. However, this did not take place and in recent years a passenger service has been re-introduced along with some new station openings and the line has been redoubled in its entirety. Keywords: 850 Gresley coaches Skipton-Manchester Liverpool Road Great Railway Exposition Goose House Bridge SD690236 Lord Nelson Rocket 150
Bill Jupp, Graham, Jurgen & girlfriend, brew up, Eccleshill Quarry entrance SD690236 After a long day's gricing and with the last train having passed for the day we have a much-needed brew up before heading for home, a journey of some two hundred and eleven miles. In this photograph, Bill is obviously saying something amusing, as was often the case, whilst Graham prepares a brew by having probably just lit the primus stove. As can be seen, it would be a bit of a crush in the Austin 1100 for five of us and all our kit! This spot, at the entrance to the former Eccleshill quarry, is still very similar to this but trees have grown up a lot more blotting out the background. The entrance road is now wider and set to see a lot more traffic as the waste management and recycling company SUEZ have just been awarded permission to construct a large energy recovery facility on the site of the old quarry. Keywords: Bill Jupp Graham Jurgen & girlfriend brew up Eccleshill Quarry entrance SD690236.

Images 1-18 of 18 displayed.