Steam engine trip to Carlisle

HOW nice it is to be accorded the proper respect due to a celebrity. The other day people waved and smiled at the mere sight of me. All day long they kept it up, and smiles were never far from their faces.

Naturally enough, it was not really me they were saluting. No, it was the big puffer up front. Or, to use a more technical term, the locomotive. We were on board the Waverley summer steam service, and that’s what the sightseers were doing, waving at the Waverley.

Or, for those with a particular turn of mind, they were greeting the historic locomotive 46115 Scots Guardsman, built in 1927 and famed for its starring role in the 1936 Night Mail GPO documentary film.

Such enthusiasm is easy to understand, for a steam locomotive at full rattling pelt is one of life’s more inspirational sights, in part because the effort involved is so visible, all smoke, fumes and purposeful pistons.

On board, the traveller is not so aware of the locomotive. On our trip to Carlisle, we were right at the back on the way out, and the loco was a long way off, only to be glimpsed if there was a bend in the track. We were near the front for the homeward leg, and the smoke was more apparent, billowing past the window, like the most cheerful special effect imaginable, except this was for real.

We were travelling with the Railway Touring Co, which runs steam trips to Carlisle and the coast throughout the summer. We had the “fine dining” option, so breakfast was served with champagne, followed by a ploughman’s lunch, then four-course dinner. Of the meals, breakfast and dinner were best, especially the latter, with the lunch being a touch low-key, but not in a way that spoilt anything.

Our trip took in the Settle to Carlisle line, so after passing through Leeds, Shipley, Bingley and Saltaire, we approached Keighley, Skipton and then the Yorkshire Dales. This is where the scenery really begins, and the stretches over the Ribblehead Viaduct and then across Cumbria to Appleby and on to Carlisle are pictures of loveliness.

The weather was grey and unhappy for the trip out, and not much better for the two hours or so we had to explore a damp Carlisle. Without any sun, the city veered towards the dismal, although we did enjoy exploring the cathedral, the second smallest in England, and the local Starbucks (the 27th smallest in England, although I may just have made that bit up).

The sun was roused for our return, and as we settled down to our starters, spirits lifted. Sunlight splashed across fields where playful cattle dashed, and fantastic vistas opened up as inky glowering horizons did battle with the late-showing sun.

The train stopped at Appleby to fill up with water, and the little scene that unfolded there turned into one of the day’s highlights. This pretty station, with its iron footbridge and flower borders, was a perfect picture in the sun. Excited men middle-aged and beyond gathered at the far end of the platform to watch the locomotive take on water. They looked like the oldest primary school trip in the world, transported by the restorative power of steam.

Then it was back on board for three more courses and the final stretch to York. And the lookers-on were still waving at the end of our 12-hour day.

• The Waverly will run every Sunday until September 5. The vintage carriages will be hauled by a pool of historical locomotives. The train will depart York Station each Sunday at 8.58am.

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