The Flying Scotsman and a Landslide

One of the privileges of our perch on top of the tower is of course the view of the railway line and its traffic.   Today at 1708 as darkness was descending I stood on the viewing deck and watched The Flying Scotsman flash by, hauling the Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express.   Here it is a few minutes earlier crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct heading south towards us -

click to enlarge

Our web camera on the Ribblehead Station Master's House allowed the world to see it live and with sound - 

The locomotive is a bit blurred in this still image as she is picking up speed after the 30 mph limit on the viaduct.   Notice that the safety valves have lifted since the viaduct and excess steam is drifting across the field of view.

As the train passed Settle it was that little bit darker and raining quite hard.   The firebox glow was reflected under the steam cloud - something rarely seen nowadays but a memorable feature of steam trains at night - almost impossible to photograph.   Only artists and the human memory can capture it and this old railway poster tries hard - 

Besides the fire glow the carriage windows of tonight's train were lit by the table lamps in the first class and dining carriages.

It was touch-and-go whether Scotsman would be able to use the S&C today.   The line was completely closed yesterday because of a landslide in the Eden Gorge south of Carlisle.   Even today it was single line working with a 5mph emergency speed limit at the landslide work-site.    The decision to use the S&C was only taken mid afternoon - notified to us by Friends in Carlisle power signal box but don't tell a soul will you?

This is the landslide:

Network Rail aerial picture shows the extent of the slippage, which will take a long time and a lot of money to fix.   It is actually an old slip dating back to the line's construction in the 1870s, once again on the move

Anyway, Scotsman made it past at 5mph and the passengers had the experience of the S&C, en route to London Euston.