Pendant Man
So, the final day on what has been a disappointing weekend for me. My fault that I wasn't able to get into position to really get the shots I wanted. Here we see Britannia on her way back from Rawtenstall. The railway line running from Heywood to Rawtenstall is nearly 16 miles in length, but from Ramsbottom onwards to Rawtenstall, it is a single track. As such, a "pendant" protocol is run from here onwards. This pendant is handed by the signalman at Ramsbottom giving exclusivity to whatever engine is running. The pendant is returned on the return from Rawtenstall. and so the process continues. a disadvantage of the single track is that only one train can arrive at Rawtenstall, the lack of a turntable means that engines can pull the right way going towards Rawtenstall, but the have to "pull" coaches the other way so the Engine is facing towards the carriages, not the most photographic of positions to be honest. It is what it is I suppose.
The Britannia loco was the engine chosen to pull the funeral cortege of King George VI (Queen Elizabeth II Father). At the time, it was perhaps the newest Loco in the U.K. It was built in 1951, so comparatively speaking, "a modern engine." It was withdrawn from service in 1966, presumably due to the prevalence of Diesel alternatives. It was built in Crewe and passed into several ownerships, including Pete Waterman, a music producer of some note during the 1980's.
Pendant Man
So, the final day on what has been a disappointing weekend for me. My fault that I wasn't able to get into position to really get the shots I wanted. Here we see Britannia on her way back from Rawtenstall. The railway line running from Heywood to Rawtenstall is nearly 16 miles in length, but from Ramsbottom onwards to Rawtenstall, it is a single track. As such, a "pendant" protocol is run from here onwards. This pendant is handed by the signalman at Ramsbottom giving exclusivity to whatever engine is running. The pendant is returned on the return from Rawtenstall. and so the process continues. a disadvantage of the single track is that only one train can arrive at Rawtenstall, the lack of a turntable means that engines can pull the right way going towards Rawtenstall, but the have to "pull" coaches the other way so the Engine is facing towards the carriages, not the most photographic of positions to be honest. It is what it is I suppose.
The Britannia loco was the engine chosen to pull the funeral cortege of King George VI (Queen Elizabeth II Father). At the time, it was perhaps the newest Loco in the U.K. It was built in 1951, so comparatively speaking, "a modern engine." It was withdrawn from service in 1966, presumably due to the prevalence of Diesel alternatives. It was built in Crewe and passed into several ownerships, including Pete Waterman, a music producer of some note during the 1980's.