BENTLEY DRIVERS CLUB FORUM

The sun came out so I hitched up the dog and went for a walk. Just where the route passes nearest to the railway tracks (I live on the right side, but only just!) I encountered one of the London Midland and Scottish railway's finest, 45699 Galatea, towing just her support carriage. She was doing about forty, in almost complete silence, just making that creamy sort of whispering that steam engines in good order do. The location was on the West Coast main line just to the north of Shugborough tunnel at about 15.30 hrs today.

What a bonus!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IBBNXSu-Kjs

45699 Galatea, Jubilee class main line steam locomotive, built Crewe, April 1936.

Ah yes magic, the 3 beats from the 3 cylinders. A steam loco has all the four elements, fire, water, air(steam vapour) and earth (coal).

Wonderful to see, and hear. All from a gallon of water and a bucket of coal. Well, perhaps a bit more engineering than that, but it still stirs the soul !

Not such a good walk today. No steam engines and the dog and I got caught in a hailstorm.

Today's walk brought forth, at exactly the same spot, 46233 Duchess Of Sutherland, travelling north on the West Coast Main Line. Built at Crewe in 1938 she is one of the most powerful class of steam locomotives of the London Midland and Scottish railway and was designed to haul the Royal Scot from Euston to Glasgow.

Here, her 40,000lb tractive effort lifts 12 and a diesel away from York. The driver catches a slip very nicely at 3min 15secs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMVBdtw ... 24.6393115

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TFG1RrhbdkM

Just found this on YouTube, Galatea taken about three minutes before my viewing on 20 March.

Mine is bigger than yours.




Gresley UI Beyer Garrett, ex LNER, worked most of his life loose banking coal trains up the Silkstone Common Bank.
The two stokers/firemen were choked in the tunnel. Also seen puffing as "William" on You Tube.