SCOTTISH ‘STREAKS’ AT 100MPH

The BBC coverage of Tornado’s 100mph reminded me of the summer of 1963, when I was just out of school and two of us went on two ‘Rail Rover’ trips to Scotland. On one of these, during a run from Aberdeen to Perth, I logged ‘A4’ No. 60034 Lord Faringdon at exactly 100mph on the descent to Stonehaven. The log was published at the time ‑ in Railway Magazine I believe ‑ and the publication was critical of me and the crew for the speed. I was born about 200 yards from Heaton signal box and one mile from the shed (52B), and I grew up with these great engines. When a few ‘A4s’ went to St Rollox, Glasgow, to work the three‑hour expresses to Aberdeen, we went to Scotland to say farewell to our old friends. Some of the St Rollox crews were notorious drinkers, and we had some hair‑raising runs on their ‘Standard Fives’. Of course, at that time about 95% of these engines were badly maintained, especially since nobody seemed to have a clue about how to look after Gresley’s three‑cylinder machines. Dave Wilkinson, by email