Home»All my photos»2021 Railway Photographs»BIL heads south on the S&C 22 May 2021

The first CME from London for a very long time, and my first steam in eight months. More waiting was involved: the train was two and a half hours late into Crewe from Euston and my breakfast was not served till Preston. Then we flew past Carnforth behind electric No 86259: we had lost the northbound leg as the steamer had gone ahead of us to Carlisle in the hope of starting the return journey more or less on time.

Things looked up when we saw Merchant Navy No 35018 British India Line on the centre road facing south, and by the time I reached the south end of the train she was coupled up and we left only 12 minutes behind schedule. At Petteril Bridge Junction, we found ourselves sandwiched between Tornado coming off the Tyne Valley line and a Statesman Rail working off the S&C. Then it was 32 at Cumwhinton, 42 at Howe & Co, and 56 after Low House before the slack through Armathwaite. On in the fifties to Appleby where we arrived 15 minutes late.

We reached 54 at Ormside but were down to 36 at Griseburn before recovering to 44 at Smardale viaduct. By Kirkby Stephen we were down to 33 and we went into Birkett tunnel at 28. We made it up to 38 along Mallerstang but struggled again up the last few miles with a minimum of 31 at Ais Gill summit, having lost another 5 minutes from Appleby.

We rattled down Ribblesdale with the brakes on almost continuously, as our 13 coaches would have happily propelled us down the hill at well over the speed limit. After watering at Hellifield and tangling with then dmu at Horrocksford, we went through Whalley at 35 and were still doing 32 at the other end of the viaduct. The gradient gradually took its toll and we went through Langho at 28 and eventually entered the tunnel at 19.

The Merchant Navy left us at Preston after another fair to middlin performance. But it was great to have a day out behind steam again, and to have more to look forward to as the year goes on.