Flying Scotsman

Mine was in 1978 when I happened to be spending a couple of weeks in the north west of England and went to see the Eric Treacy memorial trains which featured 4472, 35028 and 92220. Two years later, I travelled on one of the first "Cumbrian Mountain Expresses" with the motive power being 5305 to Skipton and 4472 from there to Carlisle. In those days, Scotsman did not have the same superstar status that it enjoys today - just one of Carnforth's pool of main line locos.

I have made the effort to photograph it when it has run on the main line not too far from home - notably its one and only trip around Kent. I also have had one further trip on the main line behind it courtesy of an old schoolfriend who had two tickets for the British Pullman which he could not use. These were the days when Scotsman was owned by Tony Marchington and was painted in apple green while nonetheless running with double chimney and smoke deflectors. I must admit, I was never that keen on this inauthentic combination, but not sufficiently so to decline the offer of a spin round the Surrey Hills while my wife and I enjoyed an excellent meal - and all for free!

 

Not sure when TBH probably sometime late 70's round the Cumbrian Coast possibly on a Santa Special and then various times in the early 80's possibly on CME's and others, two stick in the mind a CME when she was the Hellifield-Carnforth motive power and they used to run the stock down the Blackburn line for the loco to drop onto and she couldn't for a very long time get the stock moving back into Hellifield station, and a second posh thing we went on, I assume for some anniversary or something from KX to York where we had to go dining and I hated the asparagus soup!

 

Me and my mate, Wakefield Westgate "Up" Platform end 1959/60 ish as 60103 rolled in on a Leeds-Kings Cross. "Can we cab it please?" "Sure". I can still feel the heat from the open firedoors!

 

Can someone please explain that post to me?

 

Original post was Misspelt ( or maybe written phonetically as) 'Yark' ,

 

When did that become impossible? VT took 6233 to York on 17th June 2022, then on to Newcastle and all the way back to Tyseley on 18th.

 

I first saw it on 9th May 1964 when it hauled a special north to Edinburgh through my local trainspotting ECML location at Longhirst in Northumberland. I'd started the hobby only a couple of weeks before. A gleaming Union of South Africa, still in BR service at the time, hauled the return south that afternoon - my first 'streak'. A3s were still common locally on both freight and passenger then and I loved those distinctive blinkers and the way they gave an aura of strength and power to the locomotives. I praised Alan Pegler for ensuring that Flying Scotsman survived alone amongst its class, and appreciated the attempt to display a 'correct' livery, but even then I understood that I wasn't seeing the loco as it ran under the LNER, despite the colour of the paintwork, or the number it carried. I dubbed the conversion 'Peglerised'. At the time it was the fashion to decorate any preserved loco in the livery of a past existence, mainly to set it apart from all the other BR black or green steam locos that were common on the network, so it served a purpose, indicating to the general public that this unfamiliarly decked-out engine was 'special'.

I'm still not a fan of that insipid green of the LNER, especially on Tornado, which would have been turned out in Express Blue had it been built as a direct follow-on from the later members of the class, and I love the BR livery with deflectors 60103 carries, which is correct for its final years in service. It looks as I remember them, as a memorial to all the other A3s I saw in those days, albeit that their greenness was masked by a cloak of dirty, greasy grime, with the cabside number cleaned with an oily cloth for identification.

I was hauled by 4472 on the Journal Steam Special from York to Carnforth in July 1977 (Deltic 55002 from Newcastle), again on a Scarborough Spa Express in July 1981 and finally as 60103 on a Fife circular in 2021.

4498 & 4472 at Carnforth, 3 July 1977.

 

Slipping a little off topic. Apart from 4472 and 4498, 10A Carnforth was host to a galaxy of other stars that weekend in 1977.

 

And all except the 231K are currently operational.

 

Surely the mooted facilities at Darlington could be a way to prepare / dispose, as well as giving a stabling point for stock.
And if FS is unavailable, a great way to make use of Tornado, on a repeat itinery.

 

My first photo was on 15/08/1978 at Arnside with a Cumbrian Cost Express ,the first year of these trains I think. My first sightings were going over the G C R bridge at Rugby when it was allocated to 38c Leicester GC. That would be 1952/3.It didn't stay long at 38C ,not popular ,erratic steaming I was told .

 

Aware this is also going off topic but I'd love to see another Ivatt mogul in something similar to that maroon livery because that looks absolutely beautiful

 

Worth noting GNR saloon No. 397 next to the German Pacific. Fully restored and a main-line runner at that time, I believe. Later sold for use as a restaurant in Newcastle. We must be grateful that it survives, but I can't help but feel that it wasn't the best outcome

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Probably one of my favourites from the Pegler days. On it's way to Norwich at Belle Isle in the days before pallisade fencing and CCTV, 6th June 1968

 

I think the engine is now back in that awful inaccurate livery on the Lakeside Railway.

 

That's a lovely photo John, and especially of the London skyline back then.

 

Thanks, the entrance to Kings X goods and top shed also looks very different today.

 

In my mind, I first saw Flying Scotsman at Bressingham, but I don't believe that's true, and I certainly can't find any evidence of it ever having been there. Must be confusing it with Cromwell or Royal Scot