Steamtown Carnforth was the name given to the former LMS and
British Railways locomotive depot between 1967 and 1997. It was one of the main
railway museum sites in the country during that period, holding open days with
engines in steam at a time when they were banned from the national network. As
such, it provided a much sought-after location for enthusiasts deprived of
steam elsewhere. Today it is the base for the West Coast Railway Company, which
runs heritage steam and diesel-hauled trains on the national rail system.
In its various guises, Carnforth has been an attractive
venue for us for over 50 years. We called in a few times to see surviving steam
locomotives that were still at work in the north west of England in the
mid-1960s, usually on our way to youth hostelling holidays in the Lake District.
We got some of our occasional “steam fixes” from Steamtown
during the 1970s. Our first visit, illustrated below, was in April 1971. In
more recent times, we have enjoyed the splendid station museum and the Brief
Encounters themed tea room, as well as taking part in rail tours behind steam over
Shap and Ais Gill provided by the WCRC.
Barclay Industrial
Number 1 Horwich at Carnforth, April 1971.
Ex-LMS Stanier Black
Five No. 45407 in Furness Railway livery, Carnforth, April 1971.
Ex-LMS Ivatt Class 2
2-6-0 No. 6441 at Carnforth, April 1971.
A gleaming ex-LMS
Black Five 4-6-0 at Carnforth, April 1971.
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