37419 at Ryecroft
37419 stands at Ryecroft with the 7M53 Bridgwater - Sellafield flasks on Thursday 25th July 1996. The number of people in attendance indicate that there was a bit of a flap on - one of the wagons was running hot. The men in yellow jackets are the fire brigade, those in orange are railway personnel, and the bloke in the suit (bottom right) is a reporter from the local paper. The train had arrived at Ryecroft at about 17:15, the fire brigade and railway staff turned up at about 18:20, and this picture was taken at 18:45. The reporter was first on the scene (apart from us photographers), and we spent some time talking to him while he waited for the emergency services to arrive. Eventually the train was authorised to move and diverted into Bescot where it arrived at 20:50. The errant wagon was removed and spent a day or two on Bescot TMD being repaired. The story ran in the next evening's paper, although if I recall correctly not as the shock-horror tale that we feared. Much has changed with the operation of these trains in the intervening years. No more brakevans, no more runner wagons, and every train double-headed as a matter of policy.