The Gathurst - Arpley Speedlink can drop an interesting mix of traction, it depends on what SP has to hand, a lot of the time it drops a 25, even a 40 in their final years but can occasionally drop a single Chopper like in this case, 20193 passing the site of the long gone Bamfurlong Station. I was wandering back to my loco and decided to snap a shot of 47377 on the bridge coming out of Walton Old Sidings with an MGR bound for Yorkshire. Sometimes it's ok for a Top Link driver to slum it, I'd just stabled 47374 at Bamfurlong Sidings having coupled up to a rake of hoppers. We had a half hour fester before heading out for the possession down Newton Cut. I'd taken Petrolea off SP and was followed by 47366 running ten minutes behind. We'd both had the foresight to nip to the chippy on the corner of Taylors lane and grab some fish & chips for the wait, already got extra food with me for later and the long slog of sitting in the cab all night while P-way do their thing... 86420 Races through Acton Bridge with a Glasgow/Edinburgh - Poole service.
Sometimes there is beauty in the everyday, I was doing a bit of overtime and ended up getting sent down to Crewe to work one of the station pilots (talk about punishment) and had just stabled a rake of Mk2 coffins, walking back to my steed it just seemed to catch the evening light just right, even on the shadow side, so I grabbed the trusty Zenit and took a shot.
20071 is seen heading south past s#icide crossing with the 6P81 Deepdale to Warrington Arpley Speedlink job.
A pair of 40s power through the storm passed Teignmouth working a Pathfinder charter from I think Leeds? Taken circa 1981
Now here is something interesting. Last Saturday, LMS Stanier 8F No. 48151 was at the head of a Hertfordshire Railtours express from Worcester to Blackpool. Another driver has tooken it on the stretch from Preston but soon fell ill around Layton, seemed to be food poisoning. As yours truly was the only other known person that knows how to drive Stanier Steamers (due to my volunteering work up at Carnforth Steamtown), I was dispatched to Blackpool to take over on the legs to and from Lostock Hall (where the Eight-Freight would be serviced) and the Blackpool - Preston leg on the return. Brought my camera aswell, because why wouldn’t i? A bit blurry (and had to climb up a wall to get this) of a shot of the locomotive, awaiting its journey up to Lostock Hall at the hands of yours truly. A more clear shot of this simmering beauty. Took a shot of the controls so you can see how complicated it is! Believe this was us outside Poulton, don’t fully remember as I was more focused on keeping pressure than shots hence why there is a lack of them
I'm surprised that the Blackpool North Gestapo branch didn't escort you off property... For those not in the know with the joke, the legendarily arsey platform/gateline staff at BPN even refused access for people invited to a locomotive naming ceremony which took place at the station a few years back, they eventually relented to a degree but it just sums them up.
86402 leaving Crewe with a Glasgow and Edinburgh bound service from the south coast. The Pacer refresh & re-engine scheme was coming along well, at Winwick we see 142008 and another unit heading for Wigan after having some work done down at Derby. 142008 is sporting the new GMPTE variation of the Regional Railways livery and the unidentified unit on the rear is in the smart looking Regional Railways livery, the new name for the "Provincial" sector. Going for a Repaint: 142034 and 142007 climb away from Wigan Wallgate bound for Derby and a refurbishment which will see their engines and/or transmissions replaced as well as an interior refresh and of course new paint jobs, 034 is expected to be outshopped in Regional Railways livery, the new name for the Provincial sector and 007 will be coming back in the new GMPTE livery, a variation on Regional Railways which is mostly shades of grey and a lot duller than the bright orange and brown of the original. A Provincial liveried and Network NorthWest branded 142 is sat in the bay platform at Wigan North Western with the 17:34 service to Liverpool Lime Street via Newton-le-Willows. A twice per day service just to keep drivers familiar with the diversionary route between the WCML at Golborne and Chat Moss.
An archived photo, from December of 1985 47489 glides through the snow working a Liverpool Lime Street to Carlisle service.
According to my records on this date in '88 I went for a bash on a Man Vic - Blackpool "Club" train since it had some decent motive power on the front in the form of 37220, got a few interesting snaps from the Leyland area. 47551 thrashes south with a Liverpool bound working, I could hear it coming so quickly managed to get a shot from my seat. We were being held for "something" so I moved to the centre door and popped my head out to see if anything was going on and spotted 87009 heading north, he was on a single yellow, we departed a few seconds later. 87009 is held just north of Leyland, opposite the BL factory. I believe there was some signalling issue, we passed through on what I assume was a yellow based on our speed. This was a quick photo as we made our way passed them, as we pulled into Preston on P1 the 87 pulled in simultaneously on P3 having made up the distance pretty quickly.
