Monday 1st July 2013 (part 2)

Saturday.

On July 3rd 1938, an LNER steam locomotive, number 4468 "Mallard" powered down Stoke Bank on the East Coast Mainline and briefly achieved the speed of 126mph, and in doing so entered the record books for the fast steam locomotive in history. Those of you with a basic understanding of maths will realise that this Wednesday will be the 75th anniversary of that run, and in celebration, all remaining A4s are being gathered at the National Railway Museum in York. And we, dear reader, we to travel on the trip taking on of the six, number 4464 "Bittern" to York where she will rest beside her sisters for the duration of the gathering. Two of the locomotives there, Dwight D Eisenhower and Dominion of Canada have been brought back to England for their respective museums in the US and Canada just to be a part of this.



So, at six on a Saturday morning, Jools and I rose from our pits in the UJC, and headed over to Kings Cross where our tour was to begin. We had a bite to eat under the wonderful dome of the new Western Concourse before waiting around for the train to arrive. The roar of a diesel class 66 dragging the coaches and steam locomotive announced that the moment had come, and so the massed passengers and admirers rushed to the end of platform 4 to get a glimpse and snap of the engine before the run.



As the anniversary was so special, special permission had ben given to run at 90mph instead of the usual 75mph, so this was the one in a life time opportunity to experience A4 at real speed. So, we found our seats and settled down until 08:15 and showtime.

a whistle from the guard and we set off, trundling slowly out of Kings Cross and into Gasworks Tunnel, and then out into the bright sunshine. Soon we were accelerating through North London, past the Emirates Stadium and Alexandra Palace before we slowed down to our one and only passenger pick up at Potters Bar. Due the fact the troughs have all been taken up years ago, two stops for water were needed, but inbetween three stretches of line were cleared for 90mph running.



I won't bore you with details, but the countryside of Hertfordshire gave way to Cambridgeshire which gave way to Lincolnshire which then turned into Yorkshire. All along the route, people came out to photograph, video or just watch as we screamed past.



The all too soon it was over, and we pulled into York to be met by more crowds. We got shots and then headed over the footbridge to head to the National Rail Museum and more A4s. However, these ones were like butterflies pinned to a board; they haven't seen steam in years, decades even. Steam engines should be a living breathing thing.



After the museum, we headed to the centre of the city so Jools could visit a bead shop, I went to the Three Legged Mare opposite and had a pint;worked out well for both of us, really. We wandered around the City for a while, along the city Walls, and back into the centre where we found more old churches and lots more interesting buildings.



It was near four, and so we found a place to eat near the Shambles, and had a carvery. It was a good choice, and so we were full up for the journey back to London. Our feet were tired, so we headed back to the station so Jools could read and I could stand at the end of the platform taking shots of trains for a couple of hours. At six fifteen, the Duchess of Sutherland was passing through on her way back to the Midlands, so about a dozen of us took up position in anticipation. In time more and more people came to join us, so by the time she rounded the bend from the Scarborough line there must have been 50 of us.

Once she had gone into the station, we all walked to the other end of the station to snap her leave again some 10 minutes later. Our train was now waiting, so we climbed on board, and slumped back into our seats only to find sandwiches were being served: we passed as we were still full of carvery.



although the carriages were the same, we were being hauled by an electric locomotive, and it made shot work of the run back to London, and so in the warm evening sunshine we snoozed and watched the countryside slip by as evening turned into night and we pulled up at Kings Cross, just after ten.