A bright, frosty
morning with a sharp, northerly wind. Two of the usual locos were on
duty. There was the majestic LMS pacific “City of Carlisle” in
the care of Driver Wilson. As to be expected, this loco was in
immaculate, highly polished condition, though a speck of dust was
noticed on the boiler cladding. The second was the well-worn 4-4-0
from “o'er the border” with its less polished and more flaky
paintwork, North British No. 495. A surprise arrival was the
appearance of a completely new loco. This was Chris Newton's model of
a Great Central 2-8-0 heavy freight engine. Some of the paintwork was
so fresh that Chris had placed the loco next to his domestic log
burner the night before to speed up the drying process. The model
recreated perfectly the essence of a non-glamorous, unassuming
workhorse of the B.R. Period. The driver appeared to be justifiably
pleased with his new steed and can be very proud of his achievement.
The only hiccup in its performance was as a result of a blocked spark
arrestor, which impaired steaming until cleaned. A super loco indeed.
One little reminder for Chris: it's an O4 not an A4 !! The Duchess
performed faultlessly, as usual, which is more than can be said for
the Glen, which seemed to be suffering from five blocked spark
arrestors. Hopefully a good day was had by all.
Paul: "My Tender on the Atlantic Can Hold This Much Coal!"
Two of Today's Runners
Front: Chris Newton's LNER O4
Back: Dave Wilson's LMS Duchess "City of Carlisle"
Article by Paul Malin (NBR)
No comments:
Post a Comment