WITH FULL REGULATOR LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW

FOLLOWING my aborted attempt to escape northwards from Southampton on February 22, as reported last time, the way seemed clear for my first ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ (CME) of 2020 on February 29, so a 4.30am start saw the 5.16am Southampton Airport Parkway Cross Country service joined as far as Birmingham International for a connection onto the London Euston to Liverpool stopping service as far as Crewe.

However, the 5.16am is sometimes delayed by the Southampton Maritime Container Terminal to Lawley Street Freightliner, which even if it is late, always seems to be given preference. Not on this day though – instead we caught a freight terminating at Appleford and so were eight minutes late away from Oxford with the 10-minute connection at Birmingham International looking to be in jeopardy.

I need not have worried as with determined driving we were only two minutes late at International to find the Euston train shown as six minutes late which grew to 20 late at Crewe, just losing time throughout. No worries though as the‘CME’wasn’t due until 9.39am and it duly rolled in behind the usual electric locomotive No. 86259 (E3137) Les Ross. Leaving six minutes late, a good run over the 51 miles to Preston in 40 minutes 30 seconds without exceeding 93mph, against a booking of 43 minutes saw some time regained.

Good steady run with No. 35018

We were safely in the loop at Carnforth in good time to await the appearance of No. 35018 British India Line to take us forward.

After a long wait during which time I began to wonder if I