Our curious new train.

Our train service in Arnside is quite good. We have several service each day to and from Manchester airport. They are modern diesel railcars. And we are promised more when the new franchise comes in.

There are a number of secondary services using older, less comfortable diesel railcars. But with the new summer timetable we have an additional and rather odd service.

This runs from Carlisle to Preston right round the Cumbrian coast. The odd thing is that it has four "refurbished"old fashioned carriages. The type where you have to open the window using a leather strap and reach outside to open the door. Remember those? But even odder is that these are hauled by two huge Type 35 "Growler"Diesels - the kind used to pull the nuclear waste trains. There is one at the front and one at the back. This is apparently because it would be difficult to move one engine from the front to the other end at Preston for the return journey.

Anyway, we are going to try for the four minute journey from Arnside to Silverdale from where we will walk back. Whether the conductor will have time to collect our fares is another matter.
Arnside,type 35 diesel engines