WCML Chaos affects Carlisle. The Loram 37, Freight and Flopsie get through. 24 June 24

WCML Chaos affects Carlisle
Wires down at Law Junction
Freight gets through.
Flopsie brings more Stock for store at Upperby TMD
Loram gets one 37 through Carlisle (out of two that set off)!
24 June 24
I'd expected another relatively quiet Monday with a couple of 'special' freights due at Midday and later in the afternoon.
At first nothing seemed wrong with the Trains at Carlisle station.
The Cement empties passed through en route to Clitheroe.
Then the WCML descended into chaos!
Pendolino Alison arrived - but didn't depart on time. A word with platform staff established that the wires were down at Law Junction near Motherwell. A critical junction both on the West Coast Main Line and on various lines to the north and across the Central Belt.
After a long wait trains seemed to get moving. Well Avanti trains did and the Avantis and TransPennine Edinburgh trains were ok once past Carstairs and Midcalder Junction.
Avanti started to run trains for Glasgow via Midcalder Junction, reversing to get to Glasgow Central. Effectively following the route used during last year's blockade at Carstairs. Delays of over an hour for passengers heading to Glasgow!
One TransPennine unit scheduled to Glasgow Central followed TPE's normal standby - the train was terminated at Carlisle and waited (blocked?) in P3 until that unit's scheduled time to return to Manchester Airport!
At one time only Platform 1 was available for both north and southbound Anglo-Scottish traffic.
Southbound trains were less affected - mostly only due to delays getting to Glasgow and displaced crews.
6K05 Carlisle to Basford Hall Engineer's train ran. And what a train - a long string of Plasser MFS-D and MFS-SB Material Conveyors - not too long that it wouldn't fit in a long loop! Very impressive especially as it was running via the Settle & Carlisle line.
We'd expected a 'test' train from Derby heading to Slateford depot at around noon. In fact, at first, it was noted to have been cancelled at Stenson Junction. A few hours later the word on the grapevine was it was running again some 4 hours late. Apparently a pair of Class 37s had set off but one failed almost immediately and had to be returned to Loram's depot. The train was also supposed to run up and down the goods lines from Upperby Junction to Citadel via Currock Junction and Peterill Bridge junction a couple of times.
What came in was Loram's leased Class 37 recently painted in Red and White, its first visit to the Border City in that livery. It was meant to go to Slateford via the Sou'Western and then intriguing lines south of Glasgow and the Central Belt but instead ran after Dumfries straight to Slateford.
Somewhat beforehand Locomotive Services Class 37 Flopsie appeared with a Mk3 sleeper in a lined Pullman livery and 4 ex-Caledonian Sleeper Mk 2 coaches. The loco was to run round the stock before heading back to Upperby Junction and the LSL Dept. Of course all interest in Flopsie faded once the Loram 37 arrived!
#carlisle #wcml #Class 37 #railwaystation #traindelay
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