Fowler weather: rain on ‘SCot’S’ parade
Not that it was to know, but West Coast chose a spectacularly horrible day for Scots Guardsman’s first trial run after overhaul. The Fowler/Stanier 4‑6‑0 set out from home base at Carnforth for an ‘engine and van’ trip to Hellifield and back on July 30, a date on which there was such a deluge of rain that the Settle‑Carlisle was severed by a landslip at Arten Gill.
That didn’t affect the ‘Scot’ of course – other than it being deluged upon – but it did mean trouble for the day’s ‘Dalesman’ with British India Line.
Although the northbound run to Carlisle passed off without incident, No. 35018 found its return over the ‘S&C’ blocked; what followed though was the railway at its best.
With the ‘Dalesman’ stopped at Appleby, the ‘Merchant Navy’ ran forward to Kirkby Stephen, crossed over, and went back to return the train north to Carlisle. Meanwhile, the pair of Class 57s that had hauled the diesel leg between York and Hellifield ran via Shap to Carlisle, from where they picked up the ‘Dalesman’ to run the long way round back to York. OK, there may have been three hours or more of delays – but everybody got home. How’s that for a recovery?
Luckily for those whose memories of the ‘S&C’ being severed for months north of Appleby a couple of years ago are still fresh, the Arten Gill landslip was shovelled away almost as quickly as it had arrived.
‘Guardsman’, meanwhile, has made its first moves on the ‘big railway’ in almost exactly two years. It’s not quite properly back yet though; a loaded trial is still needed.