Celebrities bring in the crowds

WITH THREE ‘celebrity’ hires, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s (NYMR) four-day Autumn Steam Gala proved to be an all-ticket sell-out. Guest stars A1 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado and GWR 4-6-0 ‘Saint’

No. 2999 Lady of Legend contrasted with Gcr-based LMS 8F 2-8-0 No. 48305 at the event from September 23-26. The timetable saw 89 trains, including freights, plus banking from Grosmont, while the ‘Saint’ acquitted itself well on its unaided 1-in-49 climb to Goathland.

Steam tram No. 8 Lucie was on pilot duty at Levisham Station as one of the pool of 12 engines which the NYMR had to draw on during the gala.

Andrew Southwell The truncated 2021 season of ‘Jacobite’ trains has come to a close, with autumn trains offering different perspectives, especially as LMS Stanier ‘5MT’ 4-6-0 44871 was unusually turned to face south for the last few weeks. With the sun setting on Dail Liath, it skirts the shores of Loch Eil with the 16.55 Mallaig-fort William on September 29.

Richard Lillie Visiting from Didcot, GWR 4-6-0 Saint 2999 Lady Of Legend works hard on the 11.37 Grosmont-pickering as it departs from Goathland on September 24.