37401 departing Ravensglass on October 29, 2018

After the 37s finished in the Valleys, I thought there wouldn’t be any more days out like that again. However, it all changed in 2015 with the introduction of Northern’s Carlisle to Barrow/preston services using locomotive-hauled stock instead of DMUS, with the added bonus of Class 37s being in charge along the most photogenic Cumbrian Coast. These services lasted until the end of 2018 and this was my second ‘happy time’ of railway photography. I absolutely loved driving up to Cumbria and never grew tired of all the hard miles put in.

I could have included many sunny scenic shots in my 10 Pictures selection, but instead here is a silhouette of 37401 Mary Queen of Scots charging northwards away from Ravenglass with 2C33, the 15.31 Barrow to Carlisle, which incidentally was the final shot of my last visit to the area on October 29, 2018. Closing my eyes, I can still hear it now for a few minutes, before shutting off for Seascale.

To a lesser extent, the Anglian top-and-tailed trains between Norwich and Great Yarmouth/ Lowestoft was the only other regular Class 37 stomping ground, but it was a real pain to get to from where I live so I only managed a handful of visits to see them until they too ended, almost a year later, on September 21, 2019.