DIDCOT TO REUNITE ‘SCOTSMAN’ AND ‘UNION’ FOR PERHAPS THE LAST TIME

Two of the preservation world’s best-loved LNER ‘Pacifics’ - ‘A4’ No. 60009 Union of South Africa and ‘A3’ No. 60103 Flying Scotsman - could make what might be their final appearance together, at Didcot Railway Centre on August 26-28. The Great Western Society already has Flying Scotsman as a confirmed visitor to Didcot for the Bank Holiday (see page 25), but as this issue of Steam Railway was closing for press, GWS officers were finalising arrangements with ‘Number 9’ owner John Cameron to bring the ‘A4’ to Didcot. Prospectively, the two BR green ‘Pacifics’ will line up together outside the shed, run in tandem on the centre’s demonstration line, and feature in one or more night photography sessions, organised by Timeline Events. With the ‘A4’ to be retired to a permanent museum existence in 2019, the GWS is keen to make the most of what, in the words of spokesman Adrian Knowles, “could be a last opportunity to bring these two pedigree racing machines together, in an authentic engine shed environment.” The society is exploring the possibilities for extending the visits by both engines through the following week.