60009 Best remembered moments

On the first day of the ELR 'Spring' gala 2018 in gale force winds and with thick snow lying all around. The train was almost deserted and I foolishly had me head out the window listening to her devour the climb up to Heywood.

 

Thinking back to October 2003 , what about the day that 60009 worked the Chandlers Ford Phoenix for the reopening of Chandlers Ford station? I was lucky, I got an invitation for doing all the service alterations for the engineering works building the new station platform. The time keeping was pretty poor from Alton via Guildford and Basingstoke to Andover. During the waterstop at Andover, John Cameron got on the footplate. The departure from Andover was completely different with a much sharper exhaust and the maximum speeds were up around the permitted 75mph very quickly.

The other highlight was Charlie Dimmock (who lives in Romsey) wearing high heels and nearly falling over at Chandlers Ford station when trying to plant a tree......

Later in the day, the weather closed in, and this was the best photo of the day. Originally the train was to have been worked by 34016 Bodmin.

Cheers, Neil

 

Being about age 7/8 and going chasing No9 during some sort of running in turns on the SVR, this would be in (I think) February 1991/92. Made such an impression on me as a young lad. I know No9's always been a Scotish engine but as a young lad growing up in the '90s, to have it based down the road in Shropshire, that was rather special.

 

"Copping" her and all her sisters (eventually) Doncaster/Leeds/Wakefield 1958-62.

 

I will always remember my Dad taking me to see No.9 on the first steam working out of Kings Cross in 1994. My Dad decided we should go to Finsbury Park to avoid the crowds at the Cross. We arrived early at FP but the crowds were already there. We managed to get some spaces on the Platform though. Eventually a chime whistle signalled her approach. Repeated use of the whistle gradually parted the crowd which was right up to the edge of the platform and there she was appearing from the gap, chime whistle blasting, regulator opened up with vigour. An awesome display for my first steam experience in London.

The other occasion that stays with me is a Daylight Railtour which acted as a Loco swap for the MHR and SVR Galas. 73096 worked the outward leg and 60009 the return trip. Some of the passengers left the train at Cheltenham to visit the GWSR. Arriving at Cheltenham to catch the return trip we strolled on to the platform not expecting 60009 to arrive for about half an hour. A chime whistle in the distance made us all scramble for our cameras. No.9 rolled in early with Bryan Dudley Ward in the driving seat. What followed was a superb run along the Golden Valley and up Sapperton bank.

Of course there was also the excellent Great Gathering at York when she was reunited with her surviving sisters. A breathtaking moment for me when I walked into the Great Hall and saw them all together.

A big thank you from me to John Cameron and his support crew staff for keeping her in steam for so many years. I will miss her.

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

Who can forget John Cameron's pride on Royal Train duty when hauling the Royal Train over the Waverley Route on 9 September 2015 to mark the official re-opening of the line to Tweedbank on the day when HM Queen Elizabeth became the longest reigning monarch within the UK. The train at Galabank Jn :

 

As my only experience of travelling behind 60009 was a week ago today I'll say that. Still gave a good account of herself and actually quite like that she'd been left weathered.

But also seeing and cabbing her at The Great Gathering was a great memory as well as was the whole event. I'll be seeing her again at the Bluebell but may look out for some of her remaining mainline trips to have a final run.

 

One of the only memories I have of Union of South Africa was it powering up Sapperton a couple of days ago, with that awesome chime whistle blaring. Absolutely covered my head with soot!

 

If I am allowed a second post on this thread, there is only one contender for my personal best photo of 60009, which you can see on page one but that train to Peterborough in 1994 was also a very special moment. I arranged to visit a friend near King's Lynn in Norfolk on that day and made a point of travelling from King's Cross via Royston rather than going from Liverpool Street. I shan't forget the crowds at King's Cross and the sight of an A4 on the head of a train, which is something I never thought I would see. I caught a train to Hitchin so I could watch it pass through before then catching a train to Cambridge and on to Norfolk. It was an incredible experience when the chime whistle sounded and Number Nine passed through on its former stamping ground. I'm too young to remember much BR steam and never saw any LNER loco in the flesh until my parents took me so see Mallard in Clapham museum, but on that day in 1994, I understood much better than ever before why LNER fans are so enthusiastic in singing the praises of the Gresley pacifics

 

That's the one. Made cleaning the tender a lot easier though!

 

So many memories of 09, first railtour with her when a nipper. A memorable evening at Didcot with 09 and Scotsman spending most of the evening up on the plate with the lovely marhalin listening to all her stories with the loco

And recently the loco running past glinting away down near castle cary


Thank you for allowing us to learn and enjoy union in all her glory Mr Cameron, I for one cannot thank you enough
Matt

 

Kings Cross station on the evening of October 24th, 1964. With some friends went there to see 60009 return with the RCTS/SLS organised 'Jubilee Requiem' special. The train duly arrived with quite a crowd at the platform end to welcome it. With No. 9 gently simmering away someone enquired of me "Why are all these people gathered here?" My reply was "Take a good look at that - pointing to No. 9 - because you will never see another one of these here." Happily, I was proved wrong.

 

Sent this to my brother via WhatsApp. He laughed and said "I used to get sick of seeing that so often down the brickyards!"

The Nene Valley was heaving today - and all because of this engine. I was chatting to a couple who'd driven down from Cheshire to get as many rides as they could behind her.

 

What I can only describe, as a brilliant weekend spent linesiding on the Nene Valley for 'Union of South Africa'.

 

...and what I can only describe as an excellent nine minutes and 39 seconds of viewing! A great showcase for No.9, thanks so much for sharing it.

 

Not a memory that happened, but what was the European RailTour about that "would" of seen no9 go through various European countries? It was mid-00s I think it was proposed. I remember all the publicity from it, sure there was a leaflet / poster made for it.

 

Yesterday's efforts from filming 'The Talisman', including the locomotive dominating Doncaster at full regulator with Steve Hanczar at the controls, just metres away from where she was built 81 years ago. A blissful memory of a fantastic runpast that I won't forget for a long time.

 

That Doncaster pass is something special.

 

That was superb, thanks for posting. My poor little laptop couldn't quite cope with 4K though, very swish!

 

Living close to the SVR as a kid I had plenty of trips behind her - one summer the SVR ran it everyday alongside Taw Valley, with a black 5 or 8f as the smaller loco!

My first standout memory of 60009 though was on the SVR in I think 2005. A diesel had failed between Arley and Bewdley and no 9 was dispatched to rescue it. On arrival at Kidderminster she was now very late for her own working and we set off for Bridgnorth in some style. Helped by the fact everything else was waiting for us we ran the length of the line in just over 40 minutes, with a somewhat liberal interpretation of the line limit I suspect. The climb of Eardington was quite unlike any other I've ever had on the SVR before or since, regulator through the roof, ash raining down, making a noise I have only heard her make on the mainline - the acceleration phenomenal.

My second favourite moment was on the Scottish Lowlander, diving around the Glasgow suburbs, through junctions (surprising waiting passengers) and then accelerating smoothly up to 70mph, followed by the effortless cruising down the Glasgow South Western (all when window hanging was less frowned upon!). An incredible day, with a remarkable loco - I will miss her.