Steam Railtours 2021 - The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express - Saturday 30th January 2021

The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express
Saturday 30th January 2021 - Cancelled due to Covid.

*Update - Sadly having published this in hope at the beginning of 2021, we soon entered another national lockdown and tours including this have been cancelled up to end of February as it stands. We hope that we can get these back up and running soon enough, in the meantime keep safe and well.

Welcome to 2021 and one of the first main line steam hauled train of 2021 starts the year off with a winter scenic day out from the north-west to the Cumbria Fells.  Travelling outwards over the West Coast Main Line via Shap to Carlisle, time will be available to explore this historic border city.  In the afternoon, we head southwards again, but via the highly scenic Settle & Carlisle line.  This will be even more special if there is snow about to enhance the breath taking scenery of the Pennines.  

The train will be hauled by a locomotive from the Carnforth steam pool. This special train will depart from Manchester Victoria at about 07:00 stopping to collect passengers at Bolton and Preston. We enjoy a fast run along the West Coast Main Line (WCML) to Carnforth where we stop for our locomotive to take on water. We climb the first severe gradient up to Grayrigg and then travel through the beautiful Lune Gorge, gaining speed for the ascent to Shap. This well-known section of the WCML has a gradient of 1 in 75 and, in the former days of steam locomotives, banking engines from Tebay were used to assist trains. After crossing the Cumbrian Fells we descend to Penrith, and then head for Carlisle. We stay in the Border City for over two hours, providing ample time to visit the castle, cathedral, museum and shops, or just to relax in one of the many fine coffee shops, restaurants or bars.

We leave Carlisle and begin to climb as soon as we join the Settle & Carlisle Line, one of the best known and best loved stretches of railway line in Britain. We stop at Appleby, for our steam locomotive to take on water. The route then climbs through Kirkby Stephen towards the highest railway summit in England at Ais Gill, 1,169 feet above sea level. We pass over tall viaducts, including the famous one at Ribblehead, and through tunnels. There are magnificent views across the Fells and to the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

We should have a fast run out of the hills through to Settle before we stop for our steam locomotive to take on water. We continue through Hellifield and Clitheroe to Blackburn, where we stop to set down passengers. We then head for Bamber Bridge and join the WCML at Farington Junction and make our way towards Bolton, where we stop to set down passengers. Shortly after 19:00, we arrive at our final destination of Manchester Victoria, and the end of a truly marvellous day.

Steam Hauled by one of these available locomotives;

35018 British India Line [SR Merchant Navy Class]

45699 Galatea [LMS Jubilee Class]

46115 Scots Guardsman [LMS Royal Scot Class]

Station	Outward	Return
Manchester Victoria	07:00	19:08
Bolton	07:45	18:42
Preston	08:15	18:40*
Blackburn	-------	17:54
Carlisle	11:30	14:15

HERITAGE RAILWAYS 2021 - PART ONE - GWR REGION

With no exhibitions able to go ahead during this lockdown we look ahead to better times when hopefully we can visit some more of our Heritage Railways. We have regularly featured some of the Southern Heritage Railways which I have enjoyed such as the Bluebell Railway, Swanage Railway, and Mid Hants Railway to name a few. Now we are going to venture onto the Great Western Railway heading West from my location near Heathrow and have a look at a few locations along the way, some of which are accessible from the National Rail network (or close by at least).

Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway
https://www.chinnorrailway.co.uk/

Originally known as the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway Company, the railway was largely promoted by local land owners following the failure of the planned extension of the Wallingford branch through to Watlington. Construction of the branch as a Light Railway, commencing from the Great Western Railway Station at Princes Risborough. 

The heritage services are now accessible from the reinstated platform four at Princes Risborough which is also served on the Chiltern Line out of Marylebone towards Aylesbury and Birmingham Snow Hill. Chinnor station is found on Kiln Avenue, a reminder of the Lime/Cement works that continued here long after the passenger services ceased.

Cholsey and Wallingford Railway
https://www.cholsey-wallingford-railway.com/

The original branch platform five at Cholsey station is now used by the CWR, and trains connect there with Great Western Railway stopping services on the Great Western Main Line between Reading and Didcot stations.

Most services on the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway are currently hauled by the resident diesel locomotives with visiting steam locomotives for special events. Trains run on weekends and bank holidays between April and September, and at Halloween and Christmas. The railway's web site has details of operating days.

The original Wallingford railway station and the last segment of the line have long been built on, and the old station site is now crossed by Beeching Way. The line now terminates at a makeshift station which is the railway's headquarters on Hithercroft Road (formerly known as Old Moor Lane). The new station is adjacent to the site of the maltings that kept the line alive into the preservation era. The maltings were demolished early in the new millennium and replaced by housing, releasing some extra land to the railway. The CWR plans to build a permanent station when resources are available.

Swindon and Cricklade Railway
https://swindon-cricklade-railway.org/

The Swindon and Cricklade Railway Preservation Society was formed by a group of enthusiasts in November 1978 to reconstruct and preserve a section of the Midland and South Western Junction Railway that ran from Andover, Hampshire, to Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Unlike the previously mentioned heritage railways this one is just outside Swindon and not directly accessible from the national rail network, but we have regular connections to Swindon and the country park at Mouldon Hill would be a short bus/taxi ride away. 

The volunteer-operated railway has reopened three stations: Hayes Knoll, Taw Valley Halt and Blunsdon, the headquarters of the line. Hayes Knoll features a restored signal box that is operational during special events and a running/restoration shed. The length of the restored line is a little under 2.5 miles (4.0 km).  The line extends north to South Meadow Lane (a few hundred yards from the site of a proposed Farfield Lane halt) near Cricklade, and south to Taw Valley Halt which is the southern limit of the railway, giving direct access to and from Mouldon Hill Country Park. In the future, this will be superseded by a larger station in the Park itself. 

JANUARY 2021 - EXHIBITIONS AND SHOWS, OPEN DAYS STILL IN LIMBO

The New Year is with us but very little has actually changed on the entertainment and hospitality front as 2021 is heralded in. Looking at the diary of shows they are all being cancelled, one or two are offering a 'virtual show' via Facebook or YouTube but that's not what we were after and appears that 2021 begins the way 2020 had ended without too much hope on the horizon for a reprieve.

Would have been looking at the annual Bristol O Gauge Group (Bogg7mm) exhibition which is traditionally held at the end of January each year, at the University of the West of England (UWE) near Filton. The Bristol group chose to cancel this and will attempt to create an event for January 2022 including seeking out alternative venues if necessary. Sadly this news is common with nearly all the other events in the early part of 2021 having already been cancelled, mainly due to the University policies having changed and the halls are being used for campus needs to incorporate social distancing.

With Greater London and the most of the home counties moving into Tier 4 over the Christmas period it was no surprise that the regular meetings and open days for Hillingdon Railway Modellers are also still unable to be held in the Church Hall. We are struggling to find any events for the next few months that have not already been cancelled, some virtual shows which are nice and covered by You Tube or Social Media but fails to give me the same feeling that is found when attending live events, seeing things up close, and being able to discuss things with the expert modellers. 

2021 Railtours
Difficult to know what is happening on this scene as many things change quickly with regards to the Tier System that the Government have put in place, for I am in Tier 4 so unable to plan or go anywhere for the time being. We will keep a watchful eye on the calendar for 2021 and hope that they can keep running some steam tours around the country. 

Statesmanrail run a series of tours from different locations into and around the Settle - Carlisle route.

While there is another departure at the end of January run by the Railway Touring Co, Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021 [PRAYING THIS YEAR IS MORE FUN THAN THE LAST]

Oh yes it's time to kick off another year, a big welcome to 2021 and may it be twelve amazing months for you and yours, unlike the year we have just seen go by for many of us.

Can we just agree that the last year has not really gone to plan at all so might be best to just leave it be and move on. Been unable to attend any of the regular open days and running nights at local railway clubs, so quietly been adding to my small N Gauge collection at home, which is growing nicely now with a few additions and my Xmas gift to myself of a GWR railcar that I have wanted for ages. Still need a place to give everything a good run but we do what we can with a test track at home. Hopefully would be nice to have some events and exhibitions to enjoy as well as visiting heritage railways and therefore the plan for 2021 will be to indulge in that more. While also considering a change of scene might do me the world of good and would be looking at a move down towards the south coast depending on how work turns out. While this blog has outlived its original remit, which was to highlight and focus on my late father's models, I do enjoy it and plan to keep it going for as long as I can with hopefully more news and events throughout the year as well any more days out I can manage. Still need to rearrange trips to places like Swanage during 2021/22 now that the line is connected to Wareham and they might begin to run a service from the main line which would help my plans to get there by Train. Must arrange a few days away in York when it becomes possible and a trip to the National Railway Museum plus hopefully Blaenau Ffestiniog would be great ideas for long weekends away this year. We also expect to see more of friends and family as well given the past year and an almost complete cancellation of activities then. All this would help if work was better for me too, and if I can get back to enjoying life rather than the grind of train strikes and commuting. Whatever happens make it fun, enjoy life as much as you can and be entertaining too in all you do.

Hope you enjoy a wonderful year throughout 2021.