‘ABERDONIANS’ SHIFT TO 2021 AFTER STONEHAVEN ACCIDENT

Tornado’s diary may, until recently, have been crippled by the slowly unfolding tragedy of coronavirus – but now a much more sudden one has curtailed the ‘Aberdonian’ season altogether.

On August 12, a High Speed Train was derailed at over 70mph by a landslip near Stonehaven. Three people died in what was Britain’s first accident to kill a passenger on a train since the Lambrigg derailment in 2007.

In the aftermath, ‘bustitution’ is taking place – and as I write, the line is still shut.

In all this, the fate of a couple of charter trains is hardly the biggest issue – but with no railway to run on, the remaining two ‘Aberdonians’ from an originally planned 2020 season of six have been pulled. That on September 10 is now planned to run on April 3 next year; September 3’s has been cancelled outright.

All this makes No. 60163’s debut after a renewed makeover into Brunswick green (SR509) not that train, but September 12’s ‘Queen of Scots’ – a trip originally devised to bring the ‘A1’ south after the end of its northern season.

However, instead of tagging neatly on after the ‘Aberdonians’ and using

No. 60163 one-way, by the time you read this, this should have taken the Peppercorn engine north – then back on the same day – all things being equal.

Start point was York with modern traction, before the ‘A1’ was due to come on at Carlisle for a run via Beattock to Edinburgh. The return planned was via the East Coast Main Line.

It may not be what was originally planned for the ‘Queen of Scots’, but the new variation does keep light engine mileage down and, in the words of the A1 Trust’s Graeme Bunker, “mitigates the financials, broadly speaking”.

The new itinerary also, Graeme says, “allows for the ongoing closures in Scotland and, I would suggest, gives everyone a really good day out with over 300 miles of steam.”

It’s just desperately sad that such tragedy stands behind it.