UKR "The White Rose" to York now 7th July, Deltic D9009 out,Tornado back

I agree that main line steam is a bit fragile at the moment but the customer base won't get wider by running tours that are marathons due to poor paths. The examples I quoted, with the possible exception of the Tornado Top Gear run, did not experiment with performance envelopes if you refer to locomotive performance. KX - York in 4 hr is easy for an A1, A2, A3 or A4. The key to this, as it always has been, is a good relationship between the steam operating companies and NR. Obviously there is work to be done here.

 

It is remarkable that such ad hoc planning is even possible, when NR seem to find it so hard to confirm paths for steam specials with weeks or months of notice.

Do we know what systems at Doncaster were knocked out, what was involved in getting the trains running again, and why some (such as The White Rose) were able to come up the main line from York as scheduled while others (such as 1Y88) had to be diverted via Wakefield?

 

Some great photos and videos posted in this thread, here's what I managed to get.

Crown Lakes Country Park, just south of Peterborough.

Huntingdon

 

I believe something similar was originally planned for Tornado on Pathfinder's 30th May Cumbrian Fells Express when, if my interpretation of the working timetable is correct, no water stop was planned between Barton Down Loop and Appleby. That would have equated to a distance of just a shade under 116 miles, so in the same ball park as the White Rose run, with Grayrigg and Shap thrown in for good measure. Sadly, of course, it didn't happen, but it does look as if the intention was there to square up to the challenge and exploit Tornado's longer range capability.

Instead, "super-sub" Britannia had a water stop inserted at Upperby Junction, and the extension of the working times onwards from there along the S&C to Appleby - cumulatively about 15 minutes compared with the original schedule for Tornado - reflected the insertion of this stop. Still a great run, though.

Yep, 101 miles to be exact!!

 

One I took at KGX
Not a great shot, but a record.