n87-1306ss
Shap 21-2-87 (SUN) 40122 (D200) stands on 9L61 near Shap waiting to lift rails. We knew a bloke called Wilf who worked at Speke and he supplied us with TOPS information for a while. The only problem was, that it was a long way from home and it was a long way to anywhere after getting the information. It was alright when the departmental Class 40s were still active but the last one had been stopped and D200 was the only Class 40 left. TOPS said it was at Shap so we went to Shap and found it. It was a full weekend blockage on the WCML and so we stopped overnight, starting in the M6 services at Penrith until the police woke us up to find out what we were doing and then we drove to Shap to warm the car up and tried to sleep there in sub-zero temperatures and no blankets. Oh what fun! The next day we were up early to find the train , which wasn't far away. We slept better the next night, when we got home. 37059 was also lifting rails and they combined the loads to work to Penrith in "Top and tail" mode where the rails were unloaded on Sunday evening.
n87-1306ss
Shap 21-2-87 (SUN) 40122 (D200) stands on 9L61 near Shap waiting to lift rails. We knew a bloke called Wilf who worked at Speke and he supplied us with TOPS information for a while. The only problem was, that it was a long way from home and it was a long way to anywhere after getting the information. It was alright when the departmental Class 40s were still active but the last one had been stopped and D200 was the only Class 40 left. TOPS said it was at Shap so we went to Shap and found it. It was a full weekend blockage on the WCML and so we stopped overnight, starting in the M6 services at Penrith until the police woke us up to find out what we were doing and then we drove to Shap to warm the car up and tried to sleep there in sub-zero temperatures and no blankets. Oh what fun! The next day we were up early to find the train , which wasn't far away. We slept better the next night, when we got home. 37059 was also lifting rails and they combined the loads to work to Penrith in "Top and tail" mode where the rails were unloaded on Sunday evening.