On 25th February 2012 70013 'Oliver Cromwell' was out on what had originally been planned as the last of four Winter Cumbrian Mountain Expresses but so popular did these trains prove that more have been added later in the year.
Unlike the first one that we recorded, this one was running north over Shap, returning south over the Settle - Carlisle line rather than the other way round; much better from a sound recording point of view.
We started our day at Shap Wells where the weather seemed fine with just a light breeze blowing in the right direction to carry sound from the motorway away from us for a change but, of course, by the time the train was due the wind had increased and it even managed to rain a little. Typical!
Perhaps it was the light rain causing the rails to become greasy that caused 70013 a little trouble with slipping just above Scout Green as you can hear as the recording begins. Or maybe it was a flange greaser? Whatever the cause, the slipping soon stops and 'Oliver Cromwell' sounds to be doing fine on the gradient as it passes with 12 well filled coaches behind the tender.
Due to the wind, we didn't hear the loco at all until it was above Scout Green but that wind did carry the sound back to us and it was well over the summit before the sound faded away. Not a bad recording to start the day

For the return from Carlisle we headed to Greengate Bridge at Wharton near Kirkby Stephen to take advantage of the dry stone walls there to shelter our microphones from the strong wind.
I've made a few recordings here over the years and have often heard the loco before it reaches Kirkby Stephen but while waiting this time it took me a while to realise that the faint roar I could hear was actually 70013 approaching. It took even longer to realise that the sound I was hearing was coming from much further away and 70013 must have been somewhere near Griseburn over 6 miles away when we first heard it.
This track begins as the loco reaches Kirkby Stephen but, by this time, we had already been recording for almost 8 minutes!
Passing our recording spot the Brit sounds to be going really well on the gradient and soon reaches Birkett Tunnel. Due to the strength and direction of the wind, we didn't expect to hear anything after that but some sound did come back for a little while as the train heads for Ais Gill. Another excellent recording.