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curiouswombatSo now we come to the high spot of our celebratory trip - travelling, steam hauled, the 205 miles from York to Edinburgh (and back, of course!).
This is something we had thought about a few times - and I decided this was the time to do it - and do it in style. So the plan was to travel on the Lothian Tornado - Tornado being a steam express engine built this century and something S2C had wanted to see ever since there were whispers that she was being built. We were saddened, then, to get word a month or two ago to say that she would not have finished her refit, and the train would be hauled by the Duke of Gloucester instead.
S2C was really upset, he remembered the DoG from his childhood and it had been slow and sluggish. And then he read up on her... And discovered that when she was first built they hadn't followed the design but, as they knew steam locomotives were being superceded by diesel, had just bunged all sorts of odds and ends in that they already had, rather than making the pieces as per the design, so that big parts of her were all wrong. This only became public knowledge in the late 1970s, when enthusiasts bought her remains from a scrap yard and set out to restore her - following the original plans. And what a very different engine she is now that she is as her designer intended!
The whole trip was excellent - I will put a cut
Like all steam train enthusiasts we wanted to be at the station as the engine arrived - as did everyone else travelling on the trip, and at least 100 others who envied us greatly but only had time to see the engine leave...
This is what they all want to see -
And here is my own personal enthusiast -
Took me ages to get him without a vast crowd of others! The reflections here in the nice shiny engine, showing the old British Railways logo, give some idea of the crowds.
And here is the train driver talking to the main gentleman from the company who organised the trip - who was really friendly.
Whereas this is our fireman - remember this face until later...
Finally the stewards, guides, and guard managed to herd all the people with tickets onto the train ready for the off.
As it was a special occasion I had chosen for us to travel 'Premier Dining Class' - this turned out to be first class dining in the style of the 1950s - with a gorgeous first class dining carriage of that period - it was a bit like travelling in an armchair with silver service! This is what greeted us when we got into our seats -
Linen tablecloth, silver and proper china, flowers - and a glass of Buck's Fizz.
As we prepared to pull out of York station our guide suggested we look out our side of the train as we passed the sidings at the Railway Museum... and there was Tornado, getting up steam ready for her post-refit test run!
So S2C got to see her, even if only in passing. Steam people are steam people - look at her engineer and coalman leaning out to watch Duke of Gloucester go by! On a subsiduary note, I was pleased at how well the picures I took through the windows turned out.
Just beside Tornado was an A4 Pacific - formerly called Bittern she is now, for some reason, renamed 'Dominion of New Zealand'.
One of her crew seems to actually be waving!
Once we got settled the catering staff began to serve breakfast - I meant to take photos, but forgot! Anyway there was copious quantities of toast, cereal, melon with yoghurt, then bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs, fried potato scones, mushrooms, fried potatoes... and so on! All served to us as Yorkshire sped past. Wonderful!
THere is a very differnt 'feel' to being pulled by steam to diesel of electric - there really is. S2c explained it was to do with cylinders, the way the power feeds in the size of the wheels... and there is the sound, and the occasional drift of smoke... a real experience. We also noticed, very quickly, that we were passing an awful lot of men in fields with cameras - and an occasional woman, too. We certainly turned heads!
I promised![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gillo that I'd wave to Durham for her - and thought of clodia_metelli as well.
That was taken out of the window on the other side of the carriage to our seats. There were three elderly people sitting there - a couple and their friend, a retired GP. I was glad they had her with them as the elderly gentleman didn't look to me to be a 100% certainty to survive the whole trip!
Next landmark was The Angel of the North -
Again taken out of the window on the other side of the train. A little further on we had our first stop to take on water - because, of course, all the old system for watering steam trains has been dismantled now. So we pulled into a marshalling yard which had a train wash and so a plentiful supply of water. And a lot of men with cameras!
Then on to Newcastle. This is the view forward out of our window as we began to go over the river -
Look! Look! You can see the engine!
To our side as we crossed the Tyne was the new Redheugh Bridge - a bit boring -
So I also took a picture out of our neighbours' window again -
Again the station was full of people waiting to get a glimpse of the engine - it was a bit like being royalty! This is the view as you leave Newcastle station to head north -
That is Newcastle Cathedral with its 'Scottish Lantern' spire. Despite having spent quite a few years living in 'the toon' I have to admit the cathedral is little more than a parish church when compared with Durham.
North we went, and further north. Steam trains are not meant to travel at more than 75mph on the mainline - we were cetainly doing that. S2C actually described the trip, at this point, as 'awesome!' - and I knew I'd got it right!
This is Lindisfarne castle at 75mph through our neighbours' window -
That brought back many happy memories of retreats on Lindisfarne as a student - which included bounding down sand-dunes in the moonlight, amongst other things!
And so to cross over the Tweed. Looking forward I could just snatch a picture of the railway bridge we were about to cross.
And here is the view first down river showing the road bridge and the even older bridge which is, I think, now a pedestrian one.
And out our window, looking upstream, showing 'both sides the Tweed'.
And here, at the edge of Berwick station, some elderly fortifications and some fairly elderly 'men with cameras'.
As we left Berwick the catering staff obviously thought we might be in need of sustenance - they served us with a 'light lunch' of ham, baked potato and coleslaw!
Right on time, we pulled into Edinburgh's Waverley station - again creating quite a stir. Then there was time for everyone to go and admire the Duke again. I took a few more pictures, and might well share some when I post 'Train Trip Part 2' - but for now, remember that fireman when we were in York? This is what he looked like by Edinburgh -
That one was also to show Duke of Gloucester's registration number to confirm that that was, indeed the train we were on. ote all the people reflected in the engine, too.
However, this close up shows, even better, the effect of shovelling for 205 miles -
The wonderful golden/red glow on the face of the young man visiting the footplate is from the firebox. I like that shot!
I think that is enough - for now! Coming next, more pictures of the wheels and things, and of Edinburgh, then the tale of the return journey - which was quite a tale - complete with pics of S2C and I - and more food...
This is something we had thought about a few times - and I decided this was the time to do it - and do it in style. So the plan was to travel on the Lothian Tornado - Tornado being a steam express engine built this century and something S2C had wanted to see ever since there were whispers that she was being built. We were saddened, then, to get word a month or two ago to say that she would not have finished her refit, and the train would be hauled by the Duke of Gloucester instead.
S2C was really upset, he remembered the DoG from his childhood and it had been slow and sluggish. And then he read up on her... And discovered that when she was first built they hadn't followed the design but, as they knew steam locomotives were being superceded by diesel, had just bunged all sorts of odds and ends in that they already had, rather than making the pieces as per the design, so that big parts of her were all wrong. This only became public knowledge in the late 1970s, when enthusiasts bought her remains from a scrap yard and set out to restore her - following the original plans. And what a very different engine she is now that she is as her designer intended!
The whole trip was excellent - I will put a cut
Like all steam train enthusiasts we wanted to be at the station as the engine arrived - as did everyone else travelling on the trip, and at least 100 others who envied us greatly but only had time to see the engine leave...
This is what they all want to see -
And here is my own personal enthusiast -
Took me ages to get him without a vast crowd of others! The reflections here in the nice shiny engine, showing the old British Railways logo, give some idea of the crowds.
And here is the train driver talking to the main gentleman from the company who organised the trip - who was really friendly.
Whereas this is our fireman - remember this face until later...
Finally the stewards, guides, and guard managed to herd all the people with tickets onto the train ready for the off.
As it was a special occasion I had chosen for us to travel 'Premier Dining Class' - this turned out to be first class dining in the style of the 1950s - with a gorgeous first class dining carriage of that period - it was a bit like travelling in an armchair with silver service! This is what greeted us when we got into our seats -
Linen tablecloth, silver and proper china, flowers - and a glass of Buck's Fizz.
As we prepared to pull out of York station our guide suggested we look out our side of the train as we passed the sidings at the Railway Museum... and there was Tornado, getting up steam ready for her post-refit test run!
So S2C got to see her, even if only in passing. Steam people are steam people - look at her engineer and coalman leaning out to watch Duke of Gloucester go by! On a subsiduary note, I was pleased at how well the picures I took through the windows turned out.
Just beside Tornado was an A4 Pacific - formerly called Bittern she is now, for some reason, renamed 'Dominion of New Zealand'.
One of her crew seems to actually be waving!
Once we got settled the catering staff began to serve breakfast - I meant to take photos, but forgot! Anyway there was copious quantities of toast, cereal, melon with yoghurt, then bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs, fried potato scones, mushrooms, fried potatoes... and so on! All served to us as Yorkshire sped past. Wonderful!
THere is a very differnt 'feel' to being pulled by steam to diesel of electric - there really is. S2c explained it was to do with cylinders, the way the power feeds in the size of the wheels... and there is the sound, and the occasional drift of smoke... a real experience. We also noticed, very quickly, that we were passing an awful lot of men in fields with cameras - and an occasional woman, too. We certainly turned heads!
I promised
gillo that I'd wave to Durham for her - and thought of clodia_metelli as well.That was taken out of the window on the other side of the carriage to our seats. There were three elderly people sitting there - a couple and their friend, a retired GP. I was glad they had her with them as the elderly gentleman didn't look to me to be a 100% certainty to survive the whole trip!
Next landmark was The Angel of the North -
Again taken out of the window on the other side of the train. A little further on we had our first stop to take on water - because, of course, all the old system for watering steam trains has been dismantled now. So we pulled into a marshalling yard which had a train wash and so a plentiful supply of water. And a lot of men with cameras!
Then on to Newcastle. This is the view forward out of our window as we began to go over the river -
Look! Look! You can see the engine!
To our side as we crossed the Tyne was the new Redheugh Bridge - a bit boring -
So I also took a picture out of our neighbours' window again -
Again the station was full of people waiting to get a glimpse of the engine - it was a bit like being royalty! This is the view as you leave Newcastle station to head north -
That is Newcastle Cathedral with its 'Scottish Lantern' spire. Despite having spent quite a few years living in 'the toon' I have to admit the cathedral is little more than a parish church when compared with Durham.
North we went, and further north. Steam trains are not meant to travel at more than 75mph on the mainline - we were cetainly doing that. S2C actually described the trip, at this point, as 'awesome!' - and I knew I'd got it right!
This is Lindisfarne castle at 75mph through our neighbours' window -
That brought back many happy memories of retreats on Lindisfarne as a student - which included bounding down sand-dunes in the moonlight, amongst other things!
And so to cross over the Tweed. Looking forward I could just snatch a picture of the railway bridge we were about to cross.
And here is the view first down river showing the road bridge and the even older bridge which is, I think, now a pedestrian one.
And out our window, looking upstream, showing 'both sides the Tweed'.
And here, at the edge of Berwick station, some elderly fortifications and some fairly elderly 'men with cameras'.
As we left Berwick the catering staff obviously thought we might be in need of sustenance - they served us with a 'light lunch' of ham, baked potato and coleslaw!
Right on time, we pulled into Edinburgh's Waverley station - again creating quite a stir. Then there was time for everyone to go and admire the Duke again. I took a few more pictures, and might well share some when I post 'Train Trip Part 2' - but for now, remember that fireman when we were in York? This is what he looked like by Edinburgh -
That one was also to show Duke of Gloucester's registration number to confirm that that was, indeed the train we were on. ote all the people reflected in the engine, too.
However, this close up shows, even better, the effect of shovelling for 205 miles -
The wonderful golden/red glow on the face of the young man visiting the footplate is from the firebox. I like that shot!
I think that is enough - for now! Coming next, more pictures of the wheels and things, and of Edinburgh, then the tale of the return journey - which was quite a tale - complete with pics of S2C and I - and more food...
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Date: 25/05/2011 05:19 pm (UTC)