West Coast Main Line Carnforth to Carlisle
17th February 2008

Traffic on the WCML has changed dramatically since the early 1980s. In those days virtually every train over Shap was electric loco hauled. Freight traffic included mail, newspapers, oil and chemicals. As British Rail became "sectorised" in the late 1980s a lot of freight went over to diesel haulage. In recent years coal and intermodal traffic has dominated, mostly hauled by class 66 diesels. Scheduled daytime passenger trains are split beween diesel units and electric Pendolinos, so locos can be few and far between. In addition photographers have to contend with new electrification masts, fencing and signs!

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One of the first locos to receive EWS red livery was 56057, seen here in the Lune Gorge dragging failed 87007 on the 14.37 Carlisle-Euston 14/7/96
One of the first locos to receive EWS red livery was 56057, seen here in the Lune Gorge dragging failed 87007 on the 14.37 Carlisle-Euston 14/7/96
 90150 sweeps past Greenholme with a northbound Freightliner 7/6/96
90150 sweeps past Greenholme with a northbound Freightliner 7/6/96
 87007 cruises up to Shap summit with 87030 and the 14.40 Euston-Glasgow in tow 16/7/96
87007 cruises up to Shap summit with 87030 and the 14.40 Euston-Glasgow in tow 16/7/96
 An amazing spectacle at Greenholme as 37191/214/255/178 pass with a rail train 7/6/96
An amazing spectacle at Greenholme as 37191/214/255/178 pass with a rail train 7/6/96
56123 passes Docker with the Deanside-Wisbech petfood train 28/6/96. Yes the sky really was that dark!
56123 passes Docker with the Deanside-Wisbech petfood train 28/6/96. Yes the sky really was that dark!
 56007 hauls a timber train near Oxenholme 7/9/96
56007 hauls a timber train near Oxenholme 7/9/96
 56059 climbs Shap bank at Greenholme with HEA coal hoppers 30/8/96
56059 climbs Shap bank at Greenholme with HEA coal hoppers 30/8/96
 60095 passes Sedgwick with Jarrow-Stanlow empty tanks 8/6/96
60095 passes Sedgwick with Jarrow-Stanlow empty tanks 8/6/96
87004
87004 "Britannia" whips up the snow at Docker with the 06.30 Euston-Glasgow 27/12/96
 56083 heads north at Docker with coal empties 12/11/96
56083 heads north at Docker with coal empties 12/11/96
 With the snow capped Lake District fells in the distance 86207 passes Meal Bank with a Virgin Cross Country service 19/2/00
With the snow capped Lake District fells in the distance 86207 passes Meal Bank with a Virgin Cross Country service 19/2/00
 87101
87101 "Stephenson" worked a train of covered car transporters on 8/6/96 seen at Fowl Ing, near Oxenholme
37109 hauls the daily Carlisle-Crewe engineers train near Penrith 7/5/04
37109 hauls the daily Carlisle-Crewe engineers train near Penrith 7/5/04
 RES 90016 approaches Oxenholme with a short mail train 12/6/96
RES 90016 approaches Oxenholme with a short mail train 12/6/96
 Unique Transrail blue 37116 was a regular visitor to Cumbria during 1996, seen here at Beckfoot 16/7/96 with a short engineers train
Unique Transrail blue 37116 was a regular visitor to Cumbria during 1996, seen here at Beckfoot 16/7/96 with a short engineers train
 In multiple 56072 + 56032 hurry north from Oxenholme with a lengthy engineers train at 7am 19/6/03
In multiple 56072 + 56032 hurry north from Oxenholme with a lengthy engineers train at 7am 19/6/03
A lucky hole in the cloud afforded this shot of 56058 on the petfood train at Well Heads 9/7/96
A lucky hole in the cloud afforded this shot of 56058 on the petfood train at Well Heads 9/7/96
 With the Howgill fells covered in snow 37255 passes Docker with a ballast train 22/12/96
With the Howgill fells covered in snow 37255 passes Docker with a ballast train 22/12/96
 In the mid 1990s several locos emerged from overhaul in light grey undercoat prior to receiving a repaint in EWS red livery. Here 56041 passes Sedgwick with a coal train 21/9/96
In the mid 1990s several locos emerged from overhaul in light grey undercoat prior to receiving a repaint in EWS red livery. Here 56041 passes Sedgwick with a coal train 21/9/96
 60008 heads through the Lune Gorge with coal empties 28/5/00
60008 heads through the Lune Gorge with coal empties 28/5/00
20304 + 20305 pass Lambrigg with a Bristol-Newcastle railtour 14/9/96. This was the site of the 2007 Pendolino crash.
20304 + 20305 pass Lambrigg with a Bristol-Newcastle railtour 14/9/96. This was the site of the 2007 Pendolino crash.
 86241 passes Rowell with the evening mail train for Bristol 8/5/97
86241 passes Rowell with the evening mail train for Bristol 8/5/97
 60041 passes Well Heads with the Irvine-Burngullow china clay tanks plus a couple of vans, 9/5/97
60041 passes Well Heads with the Irvine-Burngullow china clay tanks plus a couple of vans, 9/5/97
 90132 passes Shap Beck with an intermodal train 11/4/97
90132 passes Shap Beck with an intermodal train 11/4/97
© 1998-2010 David Dockray - All copyrights rest with the Author
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