Hello and welcome back, it has been two weeks since I got back from my holiday and due to time taken to edit all the photos and write this update and other distractions (World Cup) it has taken this long for me to finish the update. As you have proably guessed from the title I took a trip up north to the S&C. I had wanted to go photting on this section of line for ages but never got round to it. It would have been nice to have gone a few years ago to get a bit of variety to the traction but the scenery more than makes up for it.
One word for you, Sunny. I picked probably the best week of the year so far to head off on holiday, it was wall to wall sunshine with temperatures in the mid to high twenties all week and was superb.
I have split the week in a few parts to spread it out a bit instead of one monster update.
Lets start with probably the most famous viaduct on the route, Ribblehead. I managed to phot 66089 heading North over the viaduct on 6S69 Gascoigne Wood – New Cummnock. It is a bit of a trek from a spot you can park but is well worth the effort to see the viaduct in all its glory.
Shock, Horror its my first multiple unit photo on the website. This location shows 156438 heading South just about to enter Blea Moor tunnel. I don’t normally bother with units but as the scenery is so nice and also the fact that there are long spells with no trains I was happy to photograph them.
Here is the view from the same location looking the other way towards the tunnel. In this view 66558 exits Blea Moor tunnel heading North with 4S11 Drax – Killoch. This location is only 200 yards or so from Dent head viaduct but unfortunatley during my visit one of the pillars was covered in scaffolding and sheets which reall spoiled the shot but I did find a loction nearby.
You can’t really see the viaduct in the shot, you can just make out the retaining wall over the top of the coal hoppers but I still think it is a nice shots with the hills in the background. Here we have 66170 heading South with 6E85 Hunterston – Drax. Thats for the final shot for this episode, check back soon for part 2.
