| Extensive track renewal appears to be ongoing between Penrith and Shap on the West Coast Main Line just now. Its encouraging to see money being spent on the railways. This regime of weekend line closures has lead to Virgin and others taking advantage of their path allocation on the Settle and Carlisle Line. Virgin Trains' flagship, the £24M tilting Pendolino capable of 150 mph, was designed for use on the WCML and as such is electrically powered. While running on non-electrified routes, such as the S&C, they have to be "dragged" by a diesel loco. Virgin have a number of ex-BR Class 47's (Brush Type 4) which were specifically sourced for the job. These have been refitted and re classified as Class 57's. They have been outshopped in Virgin livery and are fitted with appropriate coupling gear which the Pendlino sets use when running in multiple. During WCML closures they can be seen dragging the Pendolinos over the S&C and remind me of a parent in their forties - and trying to look cool - dragging a recalcitrant teenager to a careers interview for their own good! I've often thought it would be nice to get a shot of a Pendolino being dragged over the Settle at a random location like Dent Head Viaduct or Blea Moor Tunnel. The outfit certainly adds colour to the drab Yorkshire landscape! There are also some Duncan Hill/EWS/Imerys Quidhampton-Workington shots thrown in for good measure. |
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