What steam loco did I see and why?

About 12.00 today, Shap summit area, heading north with just one carriage.

I was driving, but a quick glance said faired in 4-6-2 Pacific…?

I suspect Carnforth being close, but why was it heading north?

Off to get some coal so it can get home?

Whatever it was the coach would be the “support coach” where the volunteers who accompany the train stay.  It’ll be carrying tools and spares as well as cooking and sleeping kit.

Matt,it might be the Great Britain ,it’s on tour just now.
Saw it on the Inverness-Kyle run on Wednesday.
Edit> had a lot more than a single coach though < Edit

One of these ?

This site is worth a look for anything steam train related:

Steam Locomotives On The UK Mainline

Get a few tours through my local station going out into the Peak District. Carnforth and the Settle-Carlisle line are both pretty regular spots for sitings. I remember training for the Three Peaks CX one year and finding loads more people than normal up around Ribblehead – sure enough there was a steam train due through.

According to this –

https://live.rail-record.co.uk/live.php?t=SHAP+SUMMIT&d=2024-04-19&a=&p=on&e=on&f=on&w=on&o=on&s=on&n=1022&dw=on

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U07196/2024-04-19/detailed

West Coast Railways were moving a locomotive from Carnforth Steam Town to Carlisle today. Officially an empty coaching stock move but if that were the case it’d have been done by a diesel engine.

Looking at Instagram it looks like it was a replacement engine for a railtour. Folk on railtours like to ride behind a variety of engines so they change throughout the journey. So they probably shipped one up to Carlisle which is a big station near West Coast Railway’s base with plenty of room to accommodate this without disrupting the five very delayed Avanti trains running through at the same time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C58e3KtsvSR/?igsh=MXMxNW8yMG8xYjRoaA==

It looks like what you saw was Southern Railway West Country class Pacific Tangmere, the green one in the second photo.

It looks like what you saw was Southern Railway West Country class Pacific Tangmere, the green one in the second photo.

That’s the badger.

Great Britain XVI has been on tour for the last week – from Paddington to Inverness, via the backwater called Dunblane.

Pulled all week by two Black Fives (44871 and 45407 The Lancashire Fusilier), 34067 Tangmere took over at Carlisle.

You saw this: https://www.railadvent.co.uk/events/light-engine-movement-60 which became this: https://www.railadvent.co.uk/events/great-britain-xvi-day-7

34067 Tangmere is a Battle of Britain class Loco:

34067 Tangmere (SR 21C167, BR s21C167 & BR 34067)

According to this –

https://live.rail-record.co.uk/live.php?t=SHAP+SUMMIT&d=2024-04-19&a=&p=on&e=on&f=on&w=on&o=on&s=on&n=1022&dw=on

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U07196/2024-04-19/detailed

West Coast Railways were moving a locomotive from Carnforth Steam Town to Carlisle today. Officially an empty coaching stock move but if that were the case it’d have been done by a diesel engine.

Looking at Instagram it looks like it was a replacement engine for a railtour. Folk on railtours like to ride behind a variety of engines so they change throughout the journey. So they probably shipped one up to Carlisle which is a big station near West Coast Railway’s base with plenty of room to accommodate this without disrupting the five very delayed Avanti trains running through at the same time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C58e3KtsvSR/?igsh=MXMxNW8yMG8xYjRoaA==

It looks like what you saw was Southern Railway West Country class Pacific Tangmere, the green one in the second photo.

A coal fired train is like a million landcruisers

You can’t purport to care for the environment and have an interest in trains.

**** All trainspotters.

Did i get that right?

Lol @joshvegas

More C02 than a landcruiser full of dogs

I saw Lancashire Fusilier at rannoch station one misty morning a few year’s ago. Fabulous sight and we nearly missed our own train in the hubbub. Or was it a melee’? Never sure. Anyway, out of nowhere the spotters appeared, brasher boots, tucked in socks and trousers, beige gilets. BIG cameras. The whole thing was fabulous, it’s hard to not be impressed by a live steam engine.

Poop poop!

Occasionally useful for a lift home though. This one took me back from a one way ride from Whitby on Monday and as NYMR tickets last one year it was ‘free’ save for the £3 bike ticket.

Did i get that right?

No, trains have a useful purpose. Dogs don’t.

(My interest in trains really extends to modern stuff that’s vital to getting people out of cars and reducing their climate impact. Steam stuff is just collateral to that, it would be best in a museum.)

@munrobiker

I kind of agree but train mad child means we go on heritage railways sometimes. The NYMR is also relatively reliable public transport to parts of the moors that are very difficult to access otherwise. Loads of great one way walks and rides possible.

Occasional steam trains are also useful to remind use just how noisy, dirty, maintenance intensive and unreliable the rose tinted past was.

That and the bakery opposite Pickering station sells curd cakes.

Got it so steam train tours are like pet dogs and only scum use them.

No, trains have a useful purpose. Dogs don’t.

(My interest in trains really extends to modern stuff that’s vital to getting people out of cars and reducing their climate impact. Steam stuff is just collateral to that, it would be best in a museum.)

I take my dog on the train rather than the back of a  Lanscruiser sometimes.  So thst makes him an environmentally good pup. 😎

1st class where ever possible, though.  Don’t want my fella having to suffer the the presence of peasant proles.

There’s a surprisingly large amount of steam-powered rolling stock touring the country at any one time. We’ve just had the Festival of Steam on the East Lancs Railway where we had the Sir Nigel Greseley, Britannia and Leander chugging up and down the lines for the week. Quite a sight.

I was lucky enough to be commissioned to illustrate the event posters. Its a hard life..

Could still be steam powered without being coal fired.

In the red corner – renewable electricity

In the blue corner – green hydrogen

FIGHT!!!

And in the brown corner oil…

https://www.nymr.co.uk/news/dvl-oil-conversion

Bio char derived coals are also available.

Nice work binners 👍

Cheers fella. Its a tough job, but someone has to do it 😀

While we’re on the subject of steam trains and environmental destruction, this one said ‘hold my pint’… 😂

I love it when the big dirty diesels are out

ELR summer diesel gala is always a winner, takes me back to the days of my youth 🙂

In the red corner – renewable electricity

In the blue corner …

My money’s on Thomas.

Rev W Audrey to the forum please!

Who said steam engines are the worst polluting trains?

Dreadful! Ooh Matron!

Out of idle curiosity I had a little look into it, and heritage rail operations burn 30,000 tonnes of coal per year. 2.5t of CO2 is produced per tonne of coal burned, so 75,000t of CO2 a year.

There’s 12 million dogs in the UK with a CO2 footprint of around 900kg per dog per year. Do the maths, and even compared to machines weighing several hundred tonnes burning lumps of fossil fuel for fun, the only conclusion is **** dogs.

Got it .

“Something something, I’ll decide”

ah but dog walking has many health benefits, both mental and physical, that can’t be measured in kg CO2 whereas seeing a massively polluting coal fired steam train makes about 14 men in anoraks happy.

What’s the particulate and NOx comparison? Dog eggs are not particulates, for the purposes of this discussion.

😉

I like having a heritage railway nearby, I don’t feel as bad burning (smokeless) coal for heating to keep the dog warm.

I wonder how many folk think that the wheels of diesel locomotives are powered by a diesel engine / gearbox?

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A9rotrain

Slight tangent but the aerotrain was a thing of utter beauty and madness rolled in gallic joy. What a pity it didn’t reach fruition, the prototypes are magnifique

Trains, like dogs, are great. Who doesn’t love either

Aerodynamics? Pfft!

Aerodynamique, non?