Now ‘everyone wants a slice’ of Union of South Africa!

John Cameron’s decision to permanently retire his ‘A4’ class ‘Pacific’ No. 60009 Union of South Africa and place it in a museum “by the summer of 2019” has sparked unprecedented demand for the locomotive. Even though the Gresley ‘Pacific’ is still under repair at the Heywood, Lancs works of Riley & Son (Electromec) Ltd, and some weeks away from trial running, Cameron revealed this month: “The phone hasn’t stopped ringing. It seems that everyone wants a slice of ‘No. 9’. Our diary for this year is nearly full already.” On the strength of the pledge to Mr Cameron from Riley & Son Managing Director Ian Riley that the axlebox and other ‘bottom end’ repairs will be complete, and the engine ready to run “by Easter”, Railway Touring Company chief Nigel Dobbing has rewritten the script for this year’s nine-day ‘Great Britain’, bringing in the ‘A4’ for some sections of the tour (SR464). Through the summer and autumn, RTC has also booked the ‘Streak’ for runs from Paddington to Worcester (June 17), and has also pencilled in the Gresley ‘Pacific’ for tours from Paddington to the West Somerset Railway (August 26), from Victoria to Bournemouth and Weymouth (September 6) and from Norwich to Chester (September 9). Main line competitor Steam Dreams has also snapped up ‘Union’ for two short-haul trips on Tuesday July 18 - a lunchtime special over the ‘Berks & Hants’ line, and an evening run from London to Windsor & Eton Riverside. It also has the engine booked to work its ‘Cathedrals Express’ tour from Paddington to Weymouth on July 23. In addition, three steam railways have bagged the ‘A4’ for their steam galas: The Mid-Norfolk Railway (June), Nene Valley Railway (September) and East Lancs Railway (October). Union of South Africa hasn’t turned a wheel in anger since September 2015. Axlebox problems have kept the ‘A4’ on the sidelines since then - but John Cameron’s legacy plan to commit both ‘No. 9’ and his ‘K4’ class ‘Mogul’ No. 61994 The Great Marquess to the new visitor centre he plans to open on his farm at St Monans, Fife, by the summer of 2019, has created ‘star attraction’ status for the ‘A4’. The boiler certificate for The Great Marquess expired in May 2016, and the locomotive is now already considered to be ‘retired from active service’. After visiting the Heywood works of Riley & Son in mid-March to see how the repairs to his ‘A4’ were progressing, John Cameron told Steam Railway: “We’re still on track to see ‘No. 9’ back up and running again by Easter, just as Ian Riley promised. “It has always been a very popular engine, but I guess that now we’re into the final two years of its active life, the tour companies and enthusiasts are determined to get a share of it while they can. I don’t think we’ll have too many problems selling ‘No. 9’s’ remaining trains.”