45407 The Lancashire Fusilier roars up the S&C! The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express | 28/2/26

Описание: Today’s video is of LMS Black Five Class 4-6-0 45407 The Lancashire Fusilier on a rare solo outing! She was hauling RYTC’s “The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express”, which runs regularly at this time of year. The standard itinerary for WCMEs was followed, with the tour starting electric hauled in London Euston, travelling up the West Coast Mainline to Carnforth via Milton Keynes, Crewe and Preston. At Carnforth the real show started and the 86 backed off the train to be replaced by 45407. The Black Five then took the tour up Shap to Carlisle for a small afternoon break before charging up the tough Settle & Carlisle line via Appleby, facing tough climbs such as Ais Gill. After, she watered at Hellifield and took the train to Preston via Blackburn, where the 86 took the train back to London. 45407 is not such a common locomotive to see operating on the mainline without her shed mate 44871, so this was a real treat and a different twist to the usual 34067 Tangmere. The weather for today was mostly cloudy with patches of rain.

I started out from my local at 8:26, intending to travel first to Oxenholme Lake District via Carlisle. Upon arrival at Oxenholme however, a 30mph speed restriction on the northbound platform forced a rethink; I therefore headed back up the line to Penrith North Lakes with ‪@harnettyrailways‬, who had the same idea. Here at Penrith, an Avanti bowlage risk cleared in just enough time to see 45407 belting through at full cry with the regulator cranked open and a lovely whistle. Following this, I continued to Carlisle, where 45407 is seen having detached from her train and ready to begin the runaround, which again is rarer these days as it tends to be done as a full train ECS turnaround with the diesel. 45407 is seen making some manoeuvres here with her support coach before I headed to the pub briefly with ‪@danielstrainsukofficial9133‬ ‪@THrailwayvideos‬ @ehsteamvideos. I then took the 13:37 Northern service to Appleby, hoping for 45407 to be giving it the beans in preparation for the climb to Ais Gill, and indeed she was, putting in a very impressive performance that was just about sufficient for me to get the earlier service back to Carlisle! At that, I headed home.

Thank you very much WCR, RYTC and 45407 and her crew for their work making today happen and thank you Avanti and Northern for getting me about. Thanks also to everyone’s company today and in particular for ‪@danielstrainsukofficial9133‬'s on board updates! I hope you enjoy as I did.