60009 Best remembered moments

How about a thread for your best moment of 60009... there's still time to get another! No negative comments about her retirement, just one post with your most memorable moment, a photo, video, performance log, story, whatever...

Here's my favourite of 60009 in 2013 when it worked the WCME series.


https://www.flickr.com/photos/iancawthorne/8438063791/

 

1993 - BR Scottish Region as it still was used Number 9 for several weeks for footplate training. I managed to see a couple of the runs while in Scotland for a photo charter at Bo'ness.

Three of the pictures are Number 9 at Larbert passing the splitting distant signal now installed outside the Scottish Railway Museum at Bo'ness and a few days later ambling through Perth station in the morning to pick up it's train from one of the bays. The icing on the cake had to be the shot at Hilton Junction an opportunity which happened purely by chance but was with permission and supervision from local management.

Scott

 

I've only ever seen No. 9 a handful of times in steam, got very used to seeing her cold at Bridgnorth on my Valley visits!

My best memory and photo of her is probably passing Wadborough in June, the first time I'd ever seen an A4 running on the mainline, a location I've done with 5043 & 70013 but the weather wasn't quite what I'd hoped for during those two occasions. A very gloomy afternoon with a downpour in Worcester thankfully resulted in the blue skies appearing for her passing. At this time I didn't think if I would get another chance of her on the mainline but she did return just over a week later albeit with a diesel attached. But at the time had the below shot been my final photo of her on the mainline then I was happy.

As a side note another memory of her was during a trip to the NRM just after the gathering of all 6, Mallard was still lined up with the exports, Bittern was cold in the yard and No. 9 had arrived as part of a tour, not bad going for a non A4 gathering day! Although No. 7 is my favourite of the A4's (just love the livery) it can't be denied I will miss seeing 60009 out and about, she will be a much missed locomotive.

 

Mine must be in late 70's, and a railtour from Newcastle that was supposed to have No 9 to Aberdeen if I remember correctly, instead we got another Deltic, which had the ass whopped off it for the rest of the day. No 9 was a failure on shed.

 

Not a photographic moment but when she flew down from Whiteball at almost the ton. In fact the loco's speedo did read 100 before the regulator was shut.

 

Remember that day well. When we were overtaking nearly every car on the M5, there was a sense that something special was happening.

 

A freezing cold calm winters morning in the Fens .

 

Will probably do a compilation video when she eventually ‘retires’.
A couple of recent videos of her in action:



Sapperton:

 

60009 with her owner. The day I took this, I noticed there was a film crew present - which I studiously avoided. I have since learned that said crew were making a piece for the programme "Impossible Railways", which will air again on 'Yesterday' on 31/08 (it's also uploaded to DailyMotion, I note).

Then there's this one: damned cold that day (2012-12-08), and working The Lindum Fayre to Lincoln.

 

The first time I saw her...at York (aged 12) working this northbound....
https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/60s/641024jr.html

 

(oops - broke the one post rule!)

 

What should have happened with 60024 after its tour to Exeter in 1966 - my best main line steam shot to date (Scan of hard copy - hence the funny bit at the top)

 

Forgot about the Lindum Fayre. As you say it was damn cold but gave me one of my favourite views of 60009.
She was stopped at a signal at Sleaford North Junction and eventually set off in fine style. Lots of steam, not only from the loco but also the rolling stock!
It’s the second clip in this video (fast forward the first clip, it’s rubbish):

 

I've only a few videos of her and my favourite is when she ventured to Cornwall. I'm hoping she makes it to Plymouth on 1st December 2018, probably the last time down this way.

 

My favourite memory of Number 9 is in fact one of my favourite steam memories generally.

If I recall correctly, it was the SVR Autumn Gala in 1994.

Number 9 was taking a northbound train consisting of the Teak set on the Saturday.She was working tender first. Night had fallen. I was looking out of the front droplight on the right hand (east) side, immediately behind the streamlined front of the locomotive.

We had slowed for the then 5mph restriction at Sterns. A green light from the brake van further back down the train was the signal to the driver that the train had passed the restriction. A chime whistle from Number 9 pierced the still air in acknowledgement.

The A4 was really opened up as the climb to Eardington summit began in earnest. As we passed over Hay Bridge I looked back as the train came round the sweeping right hand curve away from Sterns. A train of sparks from Union’s chimney was landing on the roofs of the second and third carriages before bouncing and dancing onwards onto the fourth and fifth, and so on.

It is a mental image of pure beauty I will never forget.

Another of my favourite memories is of Taw Valley, also on an autumn gala, on the same section of line, on the open fields of Eardington in the dead of night, but that would be a story for another thread!

 

Here is some of my footage that I have got of 60009 on the mainline over the years? Enjoy.

Kind Regards

Andrew

 

Managing to get a footplate ride on 60009 from Aberdeen to Perth in late 1966.

 

In the mid-70s, she would come to RAF Leuchars for the annual Open Day. She would be dragged onto the base by our diesel shunter and parked at an off-loading ramp. She was as big a draw as the aircraft in the static display and quite a few aircrew re-lived their childhood when they stood on the footplate.

 

Some of my shots of 60009 .

 

4/8/12 at Crewe. After Northbound over S&C and Southbound over Shap. Great run over Shap in heavy rain. My 8th and last run on the mainline behind nr 9.