Prototype Wensleydale Railway

[Rob Pulham]

More movement on the branch today, in the form of 37250. I heard the horns sound at an occupational crossing on the far side of the village, so I just had time to pop up and grab my phone to take a few photos. I am sure many will disagree but I must say that I don't like this livery at all.

Edited to correct the number typo - Thanks Cliff

 

[richard carr]

Rob

Yes I disagree, I really like Dutch livery.

Richard

 

[Rob Pulham]

Hi Richard,

I was pretty sure that someone would like it. I think the reason that I am not keen on it that somehow it seems too modern to be 'heritage' to me but I suppose it must be.

 

[richard carr]

Rob

I agree with that, it was such a short lived livery it is hard to believe that it is now considered heritage.

I think it suited a lot of diesel locos, 31s, 33s, 37s, 47s and 56s, thinking about it, that is probably all it ever appeared on.

Triple grey freight was another favourite especially with Transrail branding.


Richard

 

[LarryG]

It always looked to me austere and anemic, but the diesel enthusiast probably feels differently. At least it's a livery that goes with its rebuilding.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Rob

I agree with that, it was such a short lived livery it is hard to believe that it is now considered heritage.

I think it suited a lot of diesel locos, 31s, 33s, 37s, 47s and 56s, thinking about it, that is probably all it ever appeared on.

Triple grey freight was another favourite especially with Transrail branding.


Richard

Now funnily enough I do like the triple grey. No accounting for taste.

 

[Cliff Williams]

A slight typo there Rob, looks nothing like split headcode 37025.....it is 37250

 

[LarryG]

Large Logo....Undoubtedly made for the Class 37'2 in my book.

 

[richard carr]

Funny what we all think, I don't like large logo suits a 37 at all.

Richard

 

[Rob Pulham]

A slight typo there Rob, looks nothing like split headcode 37025.....it is 37250

Oops!! I will edit and correct the clanger.... or as Eric Morecombe famously said "all the right notes" etc.

 

[Rob Pulham]

Apologies because this post is going to turn into a bit of a rant.

Today we had an alarming near miss on the railway. Like many heritage railways during the lockdown, ours has been the subject of a lot of trespassers using it as a circular walk through the village. Adults are bad enough but we have one couple who regularly bring their children along, one of whom is disabled. Of course if the kids get out and wander onto the railway thinking that it's alright to do so and there is an accident, it will be all the railway's fault....

We have tried pointing out the error of their ways to some of them but it's fallen on deaf ears!

Today we were just finishing lunch and looking out of the dining room windows over looking the railway and we saw an older bloke with a golden Labrador without a lead wandering along. Suddenly he started scrabbling down the embankment opposite the house and climbed into the field.

Wondering if he was alright, we stood up to see what was going on and moments later a train came past (one of the 'new' Pacer units that the railway has acquired). As if the near miss wasn't bad enough, the guy was now in a field containing sheep and new born lambs, with a dog not on a lead. To get out of the field without trespassing back on the railway, he had to go through someone's garden. Thankfully he achieved this without further incident or his dog bothering the sheep.

Let's hope that at least one person has learned that railways are dangerous places for pedestrians.

 

[simond]

No need to apologise.

happy ending, maybe a letter to the local rag might alert a few more muppets?

 

[Rob Pulham]

No need to apologise.

happy ending, maybe a letter to the local rag might alert a few more muppets?

Chris has sent an email to the leader of our Parish Council who is going to put something in the village newsletter. The Parish Council are having a bit of a tussle with the railway company over brush clearance and fires, so trespassers on the railway from the village, don't really help strengthen the council's case.

Oddly, the P.C. are complaining that the railway PW crew are cutting the brush back (rather than leaving it to become overgrown; which I might have understood as an argument) and that they are not getting notice of them burning the cuttings?

Apparently they are complaining that burning the cuttings is causing pollution, which is a bit rich considering that we are probably the only house in the village which doesn't have a wood burning stove.

 

[simond]

Not sure if this will help, but there is a National strategy to manage line side vegetation

https://assets.publishing.service.g...ail-vegetation-management-review-document.pdf

 

[Osgood]

Play it carefully Rob, or the next thing you'll have some of that wonderful galvanised palisade fencing between you and the rail......

 

[Rob Pulham]

Thanks Tony,

We are firmly on the side of the railway on this one. We talk regularly to the PW gangs and they are always muttering about the parish council....

After the irritations of the day we had this visitor to the railway last night. A pair of them live in an owl box just beyond the embankment, we see them regularly but usually on the wing.

 

[Rob Pulham]

The Barn Owl came out to play a little earlier this evening so I had the opportunity to get some better photos.

Lastly an arty shot as it had enough and flew away

We also had visits from a pheasant and a couple of partridges today.

We have nicknamed the pheasant Big Blue as he and his flock of ladies regularly empty our bird feeders. He's got to the stage where if there is no food out he sits on the fence and squawks until Chris goes out and fills the feeders.

 

[Rob Pulham]

The evening before last we had a most beautiful sunset here in Wensleydale so I thought I would share it with you.

 

[Caggers]

Love the pictures Rob.

 

[Rob Pulham]

We had something a little different down the branch this afternoon or rather it went up the branch last week but I only caught sight of the rear cab window as it disappeared out of view. We thought it odd that it didn't return (usually most 'trains' go up the branch and return the same day). We have had quite a bit of works train traffic on Monday's of late but much of it has been seen before so I haven't posted any photos.

They look to have been working their way back from Redmire surveying the branch because it had already passed our house on the way to Bedale when I became aware of it and popped up to take a look.

By good fortune it had stopped a couple of hundred yards away and after marking up the ground, (when the machine made a series of loud beeps) it then reversed to about 20 yards beyond the house on the Redmire/Leyburn side. More beeps more marking up and it reversed direction again heading back off towards Bedale.

I reckon it must be sat in the passing loop at Bedale station now, because just before 5pm we had the Class 20 featured previously, come past light engine heading to Leyburn/Redmire.

There are a few detail shots of the bottom end on my flickr site.