End of the steam era...

[Harvester]

I believe there is a photo somewhere of the Black 5 being watered from a hosepipe at Windermere, due to the water column being out of use.
Can’t remember where I saw it though.

The turntable at Windermere was also out of use towards the end of steam, with locos usually going tender first in the down direction along the branch.

 

[Andrew1395]

It was just a slow, steady decline. Often just short trip freights, infrastructure trains, light engine movements, plus (mainly) assorted railtours. The last steam movements I photographed around Todmorden & Bolton seem to have been on 26 June 1968, but in early to mid-July, I was on a family holiday in Cornwall.
75019 did a trip working from Carnforth on 3 August, and the last of all (apart from railtours) seems to have been 48519 on a ballast working at Rose Grove on Sunday 4 August 1968.

The unluckiest loco at that period seems to have been Black 5 no. 44888 - specially cleaned and towed to Derby for the Works Open Day on 31 August 1968 - but failed to survive into preservation.

Wasnt 8F 48493 the last engine in steam not working specials (railtours) and that worked the last ballast leaving Lostock Hall to Farrington on 4 August?

 

[D6968]

The turntable at Windermere was also out of use towards the end of steam, with locos usually going tender first in the down direction along the branch.

The image I’m thinking of shows the Black 5 tender first, I really wish I could remember where I saw it!

 

[Harvester]

Wasnt 8F 48493 the last engine in steam not working specials (railtours) and that worked the last ballast leaving Lostock Hall to Farmington on 4 August?

The last engine in steam not working specials is claimed to be 45212. After working the 20:50 Preston-Blackpool South on 3rd August, it returned LE from Blackpool and was put on carriage heating duties for the sleeper coaches. It then continued with station pilot work at Preston into the afternoon of 4th August.

 

[52290]

Wasnt 8F 48493 the last engine in steam not working specials (railtours) and that worked the last ballast leaving Lostock Hall to Farmington on 4 August?

These photos I took late in the afternoon of Sunday 4 August 1968 show 70013 on Lostock Hall after working one of the specials and 48493 preparing to work the ballast train you refer to (although I think to nearby Farington and not Farmington as my own spell checker also seems to insist!).

 

[Bevan Price]

This was 48519 at Rose Grove in mid-afternoon of Sunday 4 August 1968.

 

[Gloster]

I found a thread on the Cumbrian Railways Association chat line and, unless I have missed something, the last steam worked WTT freight train (not departmental) was 6P52 14.55 Heysham Harbour to Carnforth on 3 August. The loco was 75019 running tender first.

 

[70014IronDuke]

I found a thread on the Cumbrian Railways Association chat line and, unless I have missed something, the last steam worked WTT freight train (not departmental) was 6P52 14.55 Heysham Harbour to Carnforth on 3 August. The loco was 75019 running tender first.

That's a new one on me. ISTR reading the last freight was a trip working from Rose Grove - but I can't remember where to. I certainly saw an 8F on a mineral train from Padiham on the morning of the 3rd. But I left there around noon for Carnforth.

 

[Harvester]

I found a thread on the Cumbrian Railways Association chat line and, unless I have missed something, the last steam worked WTT freight train (not departmental) was 6P52 14.55 Heysham Harbour to Carnforth on 3 August. The loco was 75019 running tender first.

The Railway Observer (Oct 68) reported this, adding that it was believed to be the last steam hauled BR freight working. 75019 was observed passing through Hest Bank tender first, at 16:00 hrs on Saturday 3/8/68.