Prototype Wensleydale Railway

[Rob Pulham]

We had a proper 'Heritage' train come down the line today. Topped and tailed by a 33 and 37

In other news, Chris is still trying to get more hedgehogs to come visit, she just hopes they can read...

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

In other news, Chris is still trying to get more hedgehogs to come visit, she just hopes they can read...

Who - the train crew?

 

[Rob Pulham]

As a welcome change from the blessed Pacers which keep trundling past we had another 'proper' train on the branch yesterday (and presumably right through until Sunday)

For once I manged to get photos of it out and back.

 

[Rob Pulham]

I was correct in my guess that we would have proper trains all weekend, yesterday and today we have them hauled by the class 37 which appears previously.

 

[Richard Gawler]

These photos are the first time I have seen the brackets holding the ploughs onto a 33. Also I the ploughs and cab front are different shades of yellow.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Today was a first for me on the branch, still loco hauled trains but todays loco was the Class 14. Which I have seen before but only on works trains not as a service loco. And I did manage photos of one of the return trips, which was more than I did the last two days with the Class 37 hauling the trains.

 

[Rob Pulham]

We had a bit of unusual activity on the branch this afternoon. We had a Ro/Rail crane fitted with a hedge trimmer operating on the line.

 

[Rob Pulham]

This year's Polar Express started running again this weekend and yesterday Chris managed to get a decent video of it.

 

[Rob Pulham]

In the last couple of days we have seen the Bubblecar finally emerge from the workshops. We last saw it in early march 2020 when it was involved in an accident with a falling tree limb.

I managed to get a couple of photos as it came passed this morning.





Call me biased but this is so much more 'Heritage Railway' than the Pacers we have had for the last couple of years on most services.

 

[Rob Pulham]

It's time for the Wensleydale Railway Polar Express again. This year it's started earlier and has more coaches than in previous years.

The first couple of runs had either the resident class 33 or 37 on one end with Black 5 Lancashire Fusilier on the other but over the weekend the loco has been a guest class 47 - 47701

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Are the headlight and bell fitted to the Black V just for the 'Polar Express'?

Call me biased but this is so much more 'Heritage Railway' than the Pacers we have had for the last couple of years on most services.

Another decade or so Pacers will become heritage units..... not that I would want to ride on one by choice. I've ridden on enough when commuting from Keighley to Leeds when they formed the Morecambe trains or as a stand-in for a Skipton EMU train failure. Then it was a case of cramming a 4-car EMU of rush hour passengers packed to the gunwales into a 3 car Pacer! It was easier to wait in the bar for the next train.....

However, Pacers must have been a life saver for some heritage railways, especially where they were donated in full operational condition which provided them with a 12'' to 1' ready to run train.

Half of one resides at Airedale Hospital....

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Dave,
Yes the light etc. Is designed to fit on the lamp iron, so quickly removed. They usually do a couple of runs between Christmas and New year without the lamp fitted.
Last year they also had magnetic vinyls on the tender saying Polar Express but they don't seem to have survived.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Those of you with longer memories will recall my mutterings earlier in the thread about not being too keen on 37250's Dutch Yellow and Grey livery. Well happlily for me back in May they repainted her for the Keighley Diesel Gala in Maroon and gold EWS livery.

Although I have seen her come past a couple of times neither were when I had enough warning that I had a camera at the ready. Today having seen her go up towards Leyburn light engine I was ready when she came back.









Sadly the next one is slightly blurred

 

[Ressaldar]

Great pictures Rob, just a pity it isn't a split headcode version like 37057 - awaiting delivery of one.

regards

Mike

 

[Jordan]

Wisconsin Central livery quite suits some British diesels, doesn't it?

 

[Dog Star]

Wisconsin Central livery quite suits some British diesels, doesn't it?

Yes, that Bachmann paint job looks the bees knees.

 

[Osgood]

Yes, that Bachmann paint job looks the bees knees.

Nothing like them.

 

[Yorkshire Dave]

Wisconsin Central

Exactly what I thought....

...then there is the Genesee and Wyoming class 66

 

[Rob Pulham]

It's Polar Express time again and I got a nice photo of Black 5 45212 this morning passing the back of the house.

It's the first time 45212 has been used on the polar Express as the last couple of years it's been The Lancashire Fusilier

 

[Rob Pulham]

Earlier in the thread in post #66 posted photos of the Railway's resident Class 14 on a passenger working. until this morning while I was downloading the photos from the Polar Express I had completely forgotten that I had taken photos of the railway's other class 14 during their Gala weekend. The trains was made up of quite and eclectic mix Class 14, Class 121 and the other Class 14 on the rear,