Snowdrift at Bleathgill

Here's a photograph of an old LNER 20 ton plough. It's almost in need of as much maintenance and restoration as me eh?

I put it in today to remind me of the good old days of icy Pennine winds as I'm sweating and sweltering in tropical heat here. Thirty three today - and that's before you get in the car.

Somewhere back in a cardboard box in England I've got a video called "Snowdrift at Bleath Gill" which would be great to watch today. You can read all about it here. Maybe it's even been issued on DVD now - I hope so. It's a real classic and in one scene near Stainmore I recognise my grandfather's wellies and cap!

Bleath Gill was a cutting just on the west side of Stainmore Summit. There was a draughty signal box there that I never remember being in use, but when winter winds howled over the fells it was a great place for snowdrifts. And the winter of 1947 when the film was made was the daddy of them all.

20 ton ploughs like this were used to re-open the line. The practice was rather dodgy - basically you backed off a few hundred yards with the plough and a couple of locos and charged. Then you hung on for dear life as you hit the drift like a stone wall.

Eddie - I once saw some lovely pictures of this kind of ploughing in progress out in rural Michigan somewhere. Have you seen them?