Sir Nigel Gresley On The Main Line

John Gaydon | July 21, 2015 | Europe

High Speed Pacific travels from Edinburgh to York

Oh for the days when Pacifics regularly crossed the English countryside at speeds of 100 mph or more.

The English A4 Pacifc is credited with the fastest ever speed by a steam engine. While it is peanuts compared to the modern TGV and other high speed trains, one wonders how fast steam could have gone if development continued.

The photo below on Durham viaduct occurred only a couple of weeks ago.

Watch the video at the end to see Sir Nigel at high speed. It really is worth a look!

Enthusiasts gathered to take scenic shots of the Sir Nigel Gresley as it passed over the viaduct in Durham, near the city’s station.

The restored 1937- built steam locomotive was travelling southbound from Edinburgh on the return journey to York, at the end of a three-day ‘Coronation’ round trip, during which it was open for a lunch-time tour in the Scottish capital.

Known among afficionados as simply ‘The SNG’, it ran on the main line for the former London and North-East Railway and, following nationalisation, for British Railways, until it was withdrawn from service in 1967.

The SNG is the holder of the post-war steam record speed of 112 miles per hour, achieved in May 1959.

As it made its way through Durham, steaming over the viaduct, it brought a classic nostalgic flashback of a bygone era, captured on many a waiting lens.