Highlights of steam’s return

FURTHER to Chris Milner’s interesting article (November issue), a couple of personal reminiscences if I may. I well remember going to Tyseley to see and the Bulmers Pullmans arrive from Hereford on a bright October afternoon in 1971. Little did I think then that 50 years on we would still be photographing and riding behind steam on the main line. A remarkable achievement. There have been many highlights over the past five decades – several of them covered in the article. My personal favourites have been: a Bulleid Pacific out of Waterloo (1992), breaking the ban on steam on the third-rail network and with 2000 people on the platform at Bournemouth at 11pm to greet the train; an ‘A4’ out of King’s Cross (1994); record-breaking assault on Grayrigg and Shap (2010); and, possibly the best, a ‘Castle’ No. 5043 beating the previous record time (set by another ‘Castle’ No. 7029 in 1964) for a nonstop run from Plymouth to Bristol (May 2014).

Ray Churchill, a regular driver for Tyseley at the time, described this as the most emotional train he had ever driven, not least because the ashes of Bill Rundle, who had been the fireman on the 1964 trip and who had sadly passed away the previous year, were put into the firebox on the ascent of Hemerdon bank.

Incidentally the Railway Performance Society has published a booklet called ‘Preserved Steam on the Main Line – the first 50 years’, which includes a number of articles by our members covering a variety of locomotive performances across the length and breadth of the network. It can be accessed through the Society website: www.railperf.org.uk. Frank Price

Secretary, Railway Performance Society