Up and out early into a grey but sweltering Lancaster morning. The station was just waking up to another weekend of disruption on the West Coast Main Line, with people turning up for trains which weren't running. Stirred into action by the sound of 66193 rattling through with some empty wagons. Had expensive but welcome coffee and waited for the 08:50 train, one of the few that travel via the Cumbrian Coast. It was well-loaded, with plenty of enthusiasts on board. Considering it was due to arrive a full hour before gates opened at the former Steamtown site, it was clearly going to be a busy day. Arrived at Carnforth and followed the crowds via the Station's Heritage Centre where a number of trade stalls had been set up, and out of the rear of the station. A little way along the road was the gated entrance to a rusting footbridge which we'd tried to access years back - but today it was open, and we were soon on the bridge trying to figure out what the etiquette around queueing was likely to be. In the event, we were just waved through with a cursory glance at our tickets. Perhaps in the current climate none but the journalists and professional photographers could afford the steeply priced 'early bird' entry fee. So, inside the site a full hour earlier than expected I set about exploring.
Immediately on entering, people were flocking to the steam shed - and perhaps understandably so since there were some truly fine examples of preserved locomotives here to 'celebrate' the 40th anniversary of steam's demise in the UK. Perhaps most significant was 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' veteran of the final steam railtour in 1968. The plans to restore the loco to mainline running are a little behind, but it looks set to perform in the anniversary year. It's hard to imagine that this loco is only a few years older than many of the diesel engines which regularly grace this page. As more punters arrived, the competition for photographic angles became as usual, rather heated. The idea that thousands of fairly socially deficient types could play nicely and observe polite turn-taking never quite works out that way. Wandered further into the vast yard to escape some of the ranters with their step-ladders and tripods.
And I'm glad I did. Buried at the back of the yard, lurking behind rakes of stock in various states of repair which hide it from the mainline, was a treasure trove of locomotives. These had clearly been purchased to support West Coast Railway Company's own fleet with parts and some of them were showing signs of neglect, heavy robbing and decay. However, there was much interest in such delights as a soon-to-be-scrapped 47972 and a brace of Loadhaul liveried 37s. Spent a good while having an excellent coffee, chatting and photographing the scrapline.
A wander back up the site to the turntable found the visit locomotives - including a line of DRS owned examples of each of the classes they operate parked under the huge coaling towers which have become the icons of Carnforth. EWS had sent their recently repainted for charitable purposes 60074 'Teenage Spirit' which bears the ominous 'DB Schenker' name - perhaps the shape of things to come now? A surprise here was Intercity liveried 37685, an absolute star of the show for me, not even upstaged when 55022 'Royal Scots Grey' was thunderously started up and trading horn blasts with 26010, a visitor from the Boness and Kinneil Railway. Even more locomotives were to be found lurking at the back of the sheds, some tucked away behind stock or trade stands in the building where someone had altered the sign to read 'Welcome to Diseltown'.
After a bite to eat and a final wander of the now crowded site, I left and walked back into town for a pint at the Royal Station Hotel. Nice to be in a cool place with a chance to flick through the many photographs I'd taken. Back to the station, now in blazing sunshine, to find it packed with people and a thoroughly wedged 142 sitting at the platform while the guard summoned assistance for the overcrowding. He finally persuaded enough people to wait the 50 minutes or so for the next train to be able to close the doors and leave. Figured there would certainly now be a scrum for my train at 14:55 so positioned myself and waited impatiently. Got to my booked seat with no problem, and had a much more comfortable ride than some back to Preston in a truly packed 185. The conductor announced that "passengers should have their tickets ready for inspection", followed by a brief pause as groans filled the vestibules, then "just kidding". Good to see a sense of humour still operates up here! Quick change onto another 185 which took a diversion via Wigan North Western, Crows Nest Junction and Westhoughton to avoid the engineering work at Chorley. Despite a delay at Birmingham New Street, a smooth journey back.
Attending today was an afterthought, but I'm glad it worked out because this was a cracking event, and possibly the best of the year so far - well-organised, plenty to see and lots of space to wander. The unsorted pictures are in a gallery here for the moment. The open day has been billed as a 'one-off' event. Given the excellent organisation and turn-out, I hope that's not the case.
Lost::MikeGTN
I've had a home on the web for more years than I care to remember, and a few kind souls persuade me it's worth persisting with keeping it updated. This current incarnation of the site is centred around the blog posts which began back in 1999 as 'the daylog' and continued through my travels and tribulations during the following years.
I don't get out and about nearly as much these days, but I do try to record significant events and trips for posterity. You may also have arrived here by following the trail to my former music blog Songs Heard On Fast Trains. That content is preserved here too.
