WITH FULL REGULATOR LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW

I BOOKED on the Railway Touring Company’s (RTC) ‘Cotswold Venturer’ on February 22 in the hope that I would get a final run on the main line behind John Cameron’s magnificent A4 class Pacific No. 60009 Union of South Africa before its retirement in April.

However, events conspired against me as Network Rail was still trying to complete the remedial works at Eastleigh following the freight train derailment on January 28 – plus a landslide had closed the diversionary route via Romsey near Dean, which would have been used by Cross Country trains.

The National Rail Planner wasn’t keeping up with this and I was given four different journey options over consecutive days until it settled on buses as being the only way north from Southampton Airport Parkway. Not wanting to risk this, I emailed the RTC office and staff kindly transferred my booking to August 22, by which time life would hopefully have returned to normal.

However, all was not lost as the indefatigable ‘Shireman’and my old friend David Sprackland were both on the train and have kindly sent me details of the performance of‘No. 9’.

Steady running

I have covered the outward journey in some detail and so Shireman takes up the story:“After meeting some familiar fellow enthusiasts on Slough station, we watched the very weathered No. 60009 drift in. Load 11 with nothing on the back but a tail-lamp. Unfortunately Standards were at the front. My carriage was the fourth from the front on the outward, but ninth back on the big climb in the evening. C’est la vie. Like