LNER A4 4-6-2s
60007 Sir Nigel Gresley (4498)
An LNER A4 far away from home territory! LNER A4 4-6-2 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley passes through Dawlish working the 1Z32 0751 Guildford - Kingswear 'Dartmouth Express' on 19th April 2014. Currently undergoing her 10 year overhaul, hopefully it wont be too long before we see the BR Blue A4 back on the main line again! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8L6oR9TSuI
An Eastern Region interloper in the West Country! Returning from Kingswear, LNER A4 Pacific 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley banked by ex-works Class 25 25185 pass Britannia Crossing with the return 1Z33 1645 Kingswear - Guildford 'Dartmouth Express' on 19th April 2014. Currently the subject of a 10 year overhaul, hopefully it wont be long before we hear and see a BR Blue A4 on the main line once again! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygbwJXZo6RY
60009 Union of South Africa
Leaving Plymouth for the final time, LNER Class A4 Pacific 60009 Union of South Africa heads the 1Z11 1700 Plymouth - Bristol Temple Meads 'Plymouth Christmas Market' railtour on 1st December 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ery-O0_n48U
LNER Class A4 4-6-2 60009 Union of South Africa + 66106 climb Goodrington Bank at Oyster Curve as they head the 1Z27 0800 Bristol TM - Kingswear 'Torbay Express' on 15th July 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALIaRDLROCI
LNER A4 4-6-2 60009 Union of South Africa is turned on Churston Turntable having arrived at Kingswear with the down 'Torbay Express' on 15th July 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCS-AWTXPEk
LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific 60009 Union of South Africa + Class 66 66106 pass Britannia Crossing with the return 1Z28 1650 Kingswear - Bristol Temple Meads 'Torbay Express' on 15th July 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVUK8D-3Q6c
LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific 60009 Union of South Africa storms through Evesham Station with the 1Z24 0808 Paddington - Worcester Shrub Hill 'Cotswold Venturer' on 26th August 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWdR880O4bY
An Eastern invader! LNER Class A4 4-6-2 Pacific 60009 Union of South Africa passes Haresfield Loop near Standish Junction with the 1Z52 1634 Worcester Shrub Hill - Paddington 'Cotswold Venturer' on 26th August 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSJk4OfUTmg
Goodrington Bank is always a challenge for steam railtours with its tortous 1 in 65 gradient, and on 21st August 2005, LNER A4 Pacific 60009 Union of South Africa came to grief with the 'Torbay Express.' After several attempts to restart, with one almost succeeding, our errant A4 is rescued by 7827 Lydham Manor, which had left its train at Churston. Was this the first ever Manor & A4 pairing? But with even the 'Manor' slipping, the train is restarted, a credit to the crews of the Dartmouth Steam Railway. Hard to believe that this was filmed 12 years ago - Great Western to the rescue! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5dGVvoOqFk
60019 Bittern (4464)
A very unusual combination, and possibly the first time ever an A4 and 'Brit' have double-headed, well certainly in the far west anyway! LNER A4 Pacific 4464 Bittern + BR Standard 7MT 4-6-2 'Britannia' Pacific 70000 Britannia absolutely storm Hemerdon Bank with the 1Z28 1611 Plymouth - Paddington 'Mayflower' on 15th September 2012. This was definitely one of the fastest ascents of Hemerdon Incline I have witnessed to date with a 7MT & 8P/6F combination, making the power equilivent to a class 15! Wow!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRdUXaPnm8g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRdUXaPnm8g
In an unusual Pacific pairing, LNER A4 4-6-2 4464 Bittern pilots BR Standard 7MT 4-6-2 70000 Britannia at Exminster with the 1Z28 1611 Plymouth - Paddington 'Mayflower' on 16th September 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPpbXcn47H8
LNER A4 Pacific 4464 Bittern, in the iconic LNER Garter Blue livery, looks superb as it leaves Kingswear with the return 1Z28 1650 Kingswear - Bristol Temple Meads 'Torbay Express' on 7th September 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIiayLbBtxg
LNER A4 4-6-2 Pacific 4464 Bittern with a beautifully restored rake of LNER / Great Northern Railway teak coaches storms Eardington Bank during a 30742 Photo Charter organised by Martin Creese on 27th March 2012. Hard to believe this was almost 5 years ago! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trKvi6MiEg4
LNER A4 4-6-2 Pacific 4464 Bittern is seen hauling a beautifully restored rake of LNER / Great Northern Railway teaks on the Severn Valley Railway on 27th March 2012. This was filmed on day 2 of a two day photo charter organised by Martin Creese for 30742 Photo Charters and was believed to be the first time a LNER Garter Blue A4 had been paired with a complete rake of teaks in over 60 years. Certainly one of my personal favourite charters to date! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Vp3s2LFn9k
This was believed to be the first occasion since Nationalisation that a LNER A4 Pacific in Garter Blue livery hauled a complete rake of LNER teaks, and we see 4464 Bittern at work on the Severn Valley Railway during a 30742 Photo Charter organised by Martin Creese on 26th March 2012. Certainly one of my all-time favourite photo charters that I have been on to date! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kioyg12VtHw
In a curious combination, we see GWR 'Castle' 4-6-0 5029 Nunney Castle + LNER A4 Pacific 60019 Bittern double-head as they climb Hemerdon Bank working the 1Z30 1615 Plymouth - Paddington 'Mayflower' charter on 11th September 2010. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDIcto3Q8gM