Back on the 4th of January, even though the light is rubbish and the weather even worse it seemed time to get out and start recording train movements in the Northwest of the U.K January 4th found me at Kirkby Slate wharf on the Cumbrian Coast line catching 68 008 'Avenger' leading 6C51,the Sellafield to Heysham power station Nuclear working, with 68 034 'Rail riders' top and tailed on the rear. This train is always T&T due to some reversing moves to get onto the Heysham Harbour branch As you can tell the driver is one of my former colleagues who has spotted me lineside Three days later went out to lock up the workshop on a clear crisp, very cold, Sunny afternoon and bang! Slipped on the ice and landed on my butt with my left foot pointing the wrong way. Imagined it was a sprain and walked around on it for two days before I thought " maybe I ought to have it looked at?" Arrived at Furness A&E and the Triage nurse said " How have you got here?" I said ' I drove here and walked in' " Get on that trolley now, now" she commanded. Turned out I had broken my ankle in two places and I left later on with my left leg in Plaster. Hence my thread on re-mastering and revisiting my video and photos from Thailand in the 2000s and also reccomencing work on the Thai locos and freight car models in 1nM for my future garden layout. Could not get out to do anything in the torrential rain so was pretty much housebound. Luckily the wife already had a mobility scooter and a stairlift which has come in handy in the intervening weeks Anyway, Yesterday 28th of February, I decided to go down to Askam station on the chariot as the rain had nearly cleared to get 6C53, the Crewe Coal sidings to Sellafield Nuclear working. This had originated at Bridgewater in Somerset the day before Passing the classic Furness Railway signalbox at Askam was 68 007 'Valiant' with class 88 Diesel/25Kv A.C Hybrid 88 005 'Minerva behind. These two class of locos were both built by Vossloh/Stadler and are quite happy working in Multiple Today February the 29th was looking like being busy so off I went again down to the station First up was another 88, light engine this time 88 002 'Prometheus' was working from Sellafield BNFL to the Nuclear terminal at Barrow Docks and was slated to come back later in the afternoon Next a Shap Summit to Sellafield sidings Tamper move DR 73930 is a Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT Hot on its heels was another. Tamper DR 73942, also a Plasser & Theurer 08-4x4/4S-RT, was working from Guide Bridge near Manchester to Sellafield I was just about to head home for a coffee when Steve, The signaller said " Your 88 is on the way back. I've just been offerd it by Park South box, apparently it couldn't get into the dock?" There was another photographer there on the platform and I said " these lads won't be hanging about you need to be up around 1/500th second or faster for this" 143 minutes early. Linespeed 60mph ermmmm! As the light started to fail I set off once again, much to the wifes' dismay. I mainly went to get the numbers of the locos on 6K73 the Sellafield-Crewe Coals sidings nuclear working, to feed into an info and alert group we have called 'Cumbrian railgen' 88 005 and 68 007 scurried through the station, captured on the camcorder Anyway the good news is I'm back at Orthopedics tomorrow for an X-ray and the cast should be coming off. Then some physiotherapy and exercise during this crap time, In anticipation of my recovery, I have modified the rack on the back of my vintage Diamondback Mountain Bike to take my smallest Tamrac camera bag and one of my Tripods. if I'm going to be exercising I might as well make it useful Kev
Back on two feet at last and just in time word reached me that the Cumbrian Coast line had an emergency closure north of Workington due to the bridge foundations being undercut by the water.All the Nuclear services would be diverted down the Coast line and Furness lines. Busy Busy! I'm the administrator of a whats app group called 'Askam Moves' where I can update local railfans of anything unusual coming through. The diversions are in place until the end of March Kev
Superpower on 6C53, the Crewe Coal sidings to Sellafield nuclear move. Seen at Askam are three class 68s and an 88 heading three FNA-D flask wagons0 The lead loco is 68 033 'The Poppy' the DRS War mamorial loco Back to Kirkby for the first time since the accident 68 003 'Astute' and 88 002 'Prometheus'on 6C53 with the expanse of the Duddon estuary behind The same train slows down for the tight curve at Kirkby The other bonus of being more mobile is that I can access stations like Dalton a lot easier 68 004 'Rapid' and 88 005 'Minerva' on the Saturday morning 6K73 Sellafield to Crewe Coal sidings flask train Kev
With no pot on my leg I can go out in the rain without a protective boot on, Good job really as the rain was bad when the Midland Pullman HST operated by LSL passed Ulverston following its Barrow to Whitby 'Whitby Jet' railtour the previous day. The HSTs are being retired from main line passenger service in a rush despite them still being the some of the finest trains on British railways but LSL and a couple of other operators are buying some of them. They are also being exported to Mexico and Nigeria who will get many more years service out of them Mike Wylie, a former colleague of mine, was driving on this occasion 43055 was on the back and the island platform at Ulverston is evident as the two tracks join back up Tomorrow we are going to get two Nukes in the morning and then two steam locos attacking the climb to Shap on the West Coast main line ( Clun Castle is one, the other TBC) Fish and Chips at Shap Chippy for lunch and then get to have a look at loco 2 at Warcop to work out what we need to do to get it ready for traffic Looking at Number 1 end the radiator cowl is missing Tomorrow will also be the first time I'm putting some safety boots on since January Broolyn has his Hi-Vis orange jachket ready! photos to follow Kev
