#Black5 #Steam #Christmas
The Railway Touring Company would once again close their program for the year with a series of tours to York for the Christmas Market, the final two being over three days 16th & 18th December, running on two different routes and sharing motive power between Black 5 no.44871, Duchess no.6233 'Duchess of Sutherland' and a WCRC diesel. Thursday 16th December would see a tour run Cambridge-Peterborough-Lincoln-York and return with an early morning steam hauled ECS from Southall to Cambridge. Saturday 18th December would see a tour from London Kings Cross to York and return via Stevenage, Peterborough and Lincoln.
With light at a premium at this time of year and timings for the southern end of the ECML being very early or very late, added to the return of 18th December tour being diesel hauled, I decided to stay local and focus on the outward leg of both tours. We start at Knebworth for 44871 on Thursday 16th and the steam hauled ECS from Southall to Cambridge, unusually for steam routed on the fast line. Alas it was all to good to be true and the diesel was positioned behind 44871 and we see the pair somewhat coast through the station at just after 6am on the way to Cambridge.
Moving on to Saturday 18th December and 6233, I arrived at Welwyn North with some 15 minutes to go to check Real Time Trains and find 6233 was in the loop at Digswell just the other side of the viaduct! So a rushed set up resulted in a less than optimum video as wee see 6233 work away through the station towards the first pick up point at Stevenage. Running 10 minutes early I gambled that she wouldn't leave the Stevenage pick up early and heading back to Bridge Lane just north of Stevenage to try and grab a bonus shot. I arrived just as 6233 pulled into the station and we see a short while afterwards 6233 working hard away from the station, the road mercifully and unusually quiet behind me, two shots in just over twenty minutes not a bad way to conclude my 21st and final video 2021!
All that remains is to wish all my viewers and subscribers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, stay safe and with luck we will be back in 2022 with the usual mix of main line steam and heritage railway visits. Thanks for watching!
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