60009

I would agree with your first statement. However I am not sure to those you are not enthusiasts the public see any difference between No 9, 6233 or say 46115 or 35018 (eg a big steam loco).
N0 9 has done (and without its issues would have been even more ) a vast amount of work this year because of a shortage of large (75 mph) locos and the fact the support crew seemed prepared to handle many trips, often close together. I remember talking with them at a Beaulieu Road water stop and saying how pleased I was it was not shiny and looked "real". They said it was because with so many trips and all the other work between trips, they often had no time left to clean it.
I for one would thank them for all their efforts in allowing so many tours to operate with steam.

 

Agreed.

 

The premium comes from those who ride on the trains - not from those who merely stand at the lineside.

 

As I understand it the locomotive has been inspected by representatives of a group that really know these engines well and it will not be a "quick fix". Much work is judged to be needed so the answer is very much a piece of string.

 

If it was "Mallard" you could charge a FS premium, SNG is just another A4, nothing iconic about it to the general public.

 

I didn't say it would be a "quick fix", merely pointing out that just because the loco is sat in Margate doesn't mean things can't be progressed ready for when it is extracted...time will tell

 

Deleted.

 

All the talk is of 60009 but bit is not unique and we have several other A4s to continue to enjoy going forward; rather, it is the 2-6-0 that concerns me. We have so few LNER engines in operable condition that the permanent loss of one type is a serious one, and it is one that Mr. Cameron acquired when there were (and probably still is) others willing to take it on. I can understand his emotional attachment to 60009 and his wish for this engine to have the equivalent of a "viking burial" but I do wish he would let someone else pick up the baton in the case of the K4.

 

Yes, it will certainly be missed, like so many other engines that have been retired to museums and exhibition sheds.

My philosophy is .... enjoy it while you can. Nothing lasts forever.

 

I think it's a reasonable assumption that she'll be at the ELR steam gala so that's where I'll be saying my farewells.

 

I'm planning to be on one of the runs in the spring and hoping that 60009 will be fit to work it.

 

Plus a 9F and two Merchant Navys...

 

The latest issue of Steam Railway hints at a Scottish "last hurrah" for No 9. An article on p9 quotes John Cameron as saying No 9 "will certainly do a last run in Scotland before it retires." It also states that the boiler certificate extension runs until 22/4/2020. One always has to take SR's pronouncements with a pinch of salt, of course, and RTC will be rather busy with GB2020 during April, but maybe there's room for a some kind of farewell tour over the Easter weekend (engineering works permitting, of course)?

 

What is the plan for No9 (and the K4)'s storage given that the planning permission Cameron received specifically excluded the railway side of things?

 

We are not Mr Cameron!!!!

 

Elsewhere I note that Hosking is looking to buy Springburn depot ......


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It occurred to me when I read this morning of Mr Hosking's Scottish ambitions that he and Mr Cameron should perhaps have a chat with each other.

 

And Britannia and possibly the 42xx?

 

He already has an A4 in storage, why would he want another????

 

4270 has got another 4 years IIRC, no reason to think it shouldn't last the length of its ticket.