The Railway Dog

Category: Main Line Steam

  • Happy New Year

    A Happy New Year to you all! Whatever you’re doing this New Year’s Eve let’s hope for a good 2022. On December 31st 1994, I found myself in Whitchurch, Hampshire awaiting the arrival of a very special train hauled by Southern Railway Merchant Navy Class steam locomotive 35028 ‘Clan Line’; The Auld Lang Syne run by rail tour company Flying Scotsman Services.

    The Railway Magazine dated October 1994 was of the opinion that this tour was part of the best ever programme of steam specials launched since the end of steam on British Rail 26 years previously. It’s amazing to see that steam, now complimented with heritage diesel and electric traction, is still very much in evidence on the main line in the UK.

    Clipping from The Railway Magazine October 1994

    Whitchurch was chosen for a scheduled stop on the tour so that passengers could celebrate the New Year complete with piper on the station platform. I do remember getting lost on the drive to the station, so was pleased and relieved to get there in time to see the celebrations and record this video:

    The next morning I was up in time for the drive from Dorset to Wiltshire to watch Ivatt Class 2 No. 46521 and British Rail Standard Class 4 2-6-4T No. 80079 working a Didcot to Kidderminster special through Swindon. Originally rostered for 5029 ‘Nunney Castle’ the pair of substitute locomotives were called in following the Castle’s withdrawal from the main line duty roster by the Special Train Unit (STU) after she unbelievably ran out of coal while working a London Paddington to Stratford-Upon-Avon Shakespeare Express excursion on December 18th 1994. The locos coal consumption being very heavy and its performance poor resulting in very late running was criticised by the STU and would be ‘actively pursued with the owners and the Great Western Railway Society’.

    I remember arriving at Swindon Railway station just as the New Years Day special was approaching in the near distance and managed to get some wobbly shots of the arrival and departure from both ends of the station as can be seen in the video below.

  • Gresley A4’s and The Great Gathering

    Six LNER A4’s in one place – a feat probably never to be repeated again

    Prior to the 75th anniversary of the world record speed run by LNER A4 Pacific 4468 ‘Mallard’, I imagined there would be some kind of event to mark this achievement, possibly a return to steam and a celebratory rail tour. What the NRM actually devised was something few people can honestly have imagined and when it was announced two of Mallard’s sister locomotives long since exported from these shores would be reunited with the other four remaining GB based members of the class, I was very keen to be among the visitors to view the spectacle. Not since 1966 and the days of British Rail steam have so many A4’s been together in one location at the same time. Expecting the line up to be very popular (but I didn’t quite foresee the huge crowds who would turn up to share in the celebrations), I took advantage of booking an early doors photo pass which would allow crowd free photography before the museum opened for business at 10am on 4th July. In the event some of the thirty or so people who had booked the same ticket made it their first ambition to stand in front of the gathered locomotives from the get go. This I found a little frustrating. Surely the small group could have been managed in such a way that people were held back enabling clear shots of the line up prior to letting us roam amongst Mallard and her sisters? But with a little patience (that not everyone exhibited, it must be said) I think I managed to achieve what I set out to do. Although, that was a close thing as after two hours of happily snapping away, the SD card in my camera suddenly decided it didn’t want to be read and refused to allow my camera to play back the photos I had taken that morning, or let me to take any further shots. I was mildly annoyed to say the least. Attempts at copying the image files to CD via a couple of photographic outlets in York failed to rescue the photos and it wasn’t until I got home a few days later that I was able to transfer the majority of the images to my computer one by one with only around ten images deemed unrecoverable. I was pleased that most of the photographs I took survived – a sample of which can be found in the gallery below.

    A selection of A4 video below, beginning with 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ going full pelt with The Shakesperian rail tour on 11th October 1997. This working, organised by Steamy Affairs, ran from Cleethorpes to Stratford-Upon-Avon, although I have no note as to where I filmed the train!

    Yoshi takes an interest in No.9 on a visit to Weymouth Station in 2019

    60009 ‘Union Of South Africa’ recently retired from active service following the discovery of a small crack on the driver’s side outer firebox wrapper near the foundation ring, and a perforated small tube. It was considered that repairs would be unviable because of the short time left on 60009’s boiler certificate – which is due to expire in April 2022 – and the intention of her owner, John Cameron, to retire the locomotive anyway. 60009 will like sister locomotives 60008 ‘Dwight D. Eisenhower’ and 60010 ‘Dominion Of Canada’ be placed on static display, although as yet her final resting place has yet to be confirmed. In happier times, the video below shows Number 9 working on the main line in 2019.

    The last video selection for this entry features 60019 ‘Bittern’

    60019 Bittern masquerading as lost sister locomotive 4492 ‘Dominion Of New Zealand’
    4468 ‘Mallard’ on static display at the National Rail Museum, York – 14th February 2009
    4468 ‘Mallard’ at The Railway Museum, York and the commemorative plaque she carries on her bodyside

    This is a revised post previously uploaded elsewhere in 2013 – that seems a very long time ago now – thanks for reading.

  • The Duchess – Stanier’s Masterpiece

    6233 Duchess of Sutherland heads The Royal Duchy rail tour at Whiteball on 1st September 2019

    I was intending on visiting a dear friend today, which would have entailed passing through Eastleigh and, of course, allow a cursory glance at the railway works and stabling points around the station area. But, as I have a lurgy, I’ve taken a rain check, claimed the sofa and have Peter Jackson’s new Beatles documentaries on the TV instead. Yoshi is, as I write this, forlornly whimpering as one of his toys has rolled under the TV stand and out of reach of his paws. Or perhaps he’s just not happy with Paul McCartney’s out of tune wailing.

    As we don’t have any new adventures to share, we’ll ‘Get Back’ to the archives when we chased one of my favourite steam locomotives, LMS Princess Coronation Class No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland to Devon. The ‘Duchesses’, in both their streamlined and un-streamlined forms, were arguably one of the most striking passenger locomotives ever built. They were also amongst the most powerful and efficient. The class demonstrated the particular genius of their designer, Sir William Stanier and influenced the British Rail Standard designs of the 1950’s.

    On September 1st 2019 Duchess of Sutherland was in charge of The Railway Touring Company tour ‘The Royal Duchy’. Yoshi was just over eight months old at this point, but he gave his approval with a few barks as No. 6233 stretched her legs over the Devon Banks. Forgive the final couple of shots – but proof that little was wasted on this day out!

    In August 2008 the locomotive visited Weymouth hauling Steam Dreams ‘Sunny South Special’. Obviously, it was far from sunny, as the video below shows. For this tour No. 6233 carried ‘The Cathedrals Express’ headboard, a strange choice perhaps given the lack of cathedrals in the county of Dorset. Because of delays en route the tour arrived in Weymouth around an hour late. The Duchess was scheduled to haul both the outward and return legs which required a turning move so that the locomotive was facing the right way round for its departure from Weymouth and ascent of Bincombe bank. Assisted by West Coast Railways Limited Class 47 No. 47 245 Duchess of Sutherland returned from turning and servicing at Yeovil Junction promptly and the hour deficit was cut to 41 minutes.

    To compare the original streamlined design, below are some photographs of sister locomotive No. 6299 Duchess of Hamilton taken at The Railway Museum in York earlier this year.

    Streamlined 6299 Duchess of Hamilton

    Another time, I’ll share video of Duchess of Hamilton taken in 1996 out on the mainline prior to her cosmetic overhaul to represent the Princess Coronation Class in streamlined form for static display, but right now, I have to help Yoshi find his lost tennis ball.

  • Steam Days

    The weekend just passed ( 20th and 21st November 2021 ) Yoshi and I ventured out to see the Saturday morning ‘The Lickey Banker’ railtour run by Vintage Trains and hauled by GWR 4073 Class No. 7029 Clun Castle. Running from Tyseley Steam Trust to Worcester and return the trains were organised to take in the ascent of the Lickey Incline near Bromsgrove. This is the steepest sustained mainline railway incline in the UK with a gradient of 1 in 38 for a continuous distance of two miles. In years gone by trains often required the assistance of a banking locomotive at the rear of the train and indeed, the intention was that both the morning and afternoon trains on the 20th November 2021 would have the been supported by GWR Pannier Tank No. 9466. Unfortunately the tank loco was unavailable, so Clun Castle ( and later on the afternoon train; LMS Pacific 6233 Duchess of Sutherland ) tackled the bank unaided.

    Later the same day, we were in Chester to see the departure of The Railway Touring Company tour ‘The Cheshireman’ hauled by LMS Stanier Class 5 No. 44871 on its return journey to London Euston.

    Photograph courtesy of @da_buckley967

    Finally, on Sunday 21st November 2021 during a trip to Tonbridge, Kent, we witnessed rebuilt SR Merchant Navy Class 35028 Clan Line heading the outward RailAid Pullman running from London Victoria to Dover Priory. Originally allocated to Clan Line and LNER A1 60163 Tornado, the Merchant Navy was accompanied by Class 67 67024 in a livery to match the Belmond British Pullman coaches. This was a special charity rail tour run as part of RailAid with proceeds going to The Railway Children.

    A fabulous weekend with great company!