Two Very Royal Appointments...

Hi everyone. Well, what a day, a few hours of waiting for a steam train with nothing in between! Today, the "Midlander" railtour, organised by Tyseley-based 'Vintage Trains Limited', was due to run between Birmingham and London Euston with LMS Princess Royal Class 4-6-2 No6201 "Princess Elizabeth" at the head. The outward run would see the Princess departing from Birmingham New Street, forming the first steam-hauled express to leave the station since Steam Day's! She would then head down through Coventry and then onto the West Coast Main Line at Rugby before continuing to Euston. At Euston, there would be another first; "Lizzie" was the first Princess Royal Class Pacific to come into the station "to the bufferstops" since the Days of Steam! Two very triumphant firsts for preservation! The return run would take a simpler route, speeding along the WCML through Rugby before arriving at Nuneaton. From Nuneaton, "Lizzie" took the Leicester to Birmingham line back to Tyseley; where the train terminated. With "Lizzie" passing both of my two nearby mainline stations in one day, I couldn't resist going out to see her! Catching an early train to Coventry, I checked out the possible filming angles before finding a good position at the south end of Platform 1. Sure enough, as the crowds watched in awe, the Princess roared around the corner, across the junction and through Platform 2 with Black Smoke bellowing from her chimney. I managed to get the shot below whilst trying to film as well...

Within 30 seconds the huge pacific had been and gone, leaving Coventry in a cloud of black smoke. Many people argued the reason why so much smoke was coming from the chimney, many in fact coming to the conclusion that it was because the 'Blower' was apparently switched off. I'd just like to say, sorry gents, the lack of Blower would not cause the smoke. You would realise from the sound of 6201 that actually she was working well and the draught up the chimney would be more than enough to push the smoke up; let alone a blast of steam from the Ejector. Also, in many of the pictures/videos taken of 6201 today, wether nearby or in the London area, there is often alot of smoke. It is therefore easy to come to the conclusion that the coal was a very "smokey" type; a far cry from the "smokeless" stuff that is often used on some railways today. Whatever the reason, we all know that it looked fantastic and we also know that many would have found reason to complain if you got no exhaust at all in your images! Anyway, back to me, returning via the Local train to Bedworth; a Class 153 Railcar as usual; I headed home. "Lizzie" would spend over 3 hours in the Capital and so wouldn't be returning anytime soon. For the evening shots, I chose Nuneaton where the regal Princess is seen arriving below...

On arrival at Nuneaton, about 30 minutes before "Lizzie" arrived, I tried to find another suitable location. By now, with the time reaching 7:30pm, the sun was low in the sky and the risk of "glare" was increasing by the minute. After checking with the station staff, my calculation that "Lizzie" would arrive through Platform 2 was deemed to be correct. However, nothing ever goes according to plan! The Princess was booked for a 1-minute stop at Nuneaton; though nobody, even the station staff, could work out what the point of this was! As time passed, crowds began to gather on either end of Platform 2, simply in the hope of seeing No6201, let alone filming or photographing her. Meanwhile, myself and a few other photters had set-up on the short Platform No1, reducing the risk of glare as we had our backs to the sun. This, on the video camera's LCD-screen looked to be a very pleasing location. (In fact, I had used this location a few months before whilst filiming double-tendered A4 Pacific No60019 "Bittern"; see seperate post). However, at the last moment, the announcement came; "The Steam Train Will Arrive at Platform 1 To Take Water In 10 Minutes Time". With that, we all quickly shifted across to Platform 2, deep in thought as to why 6201 would be taking water again. Afterall, she carries around 5000-gallons of water and she had only had a Water Stop about an hour prior. Everyone suspected a severe problem. However, when "Lizzie" arrived, she gleamed brightly as her safety valves feathered and, with that, all was well...

The reason for the untimetabled water stop was that, during her booked stop an hour or so before, the water pressure had not been sufficient to fill "Lizzie" in the allocated timeslot. Therefore, rather than dare to hold up anything on the WCML, it was decided to get the loco to Nuneaton where, once in Platform 1, the train was safely off the busy London to Glasgow line. In the end, "Lizzie" left around 30 minutes late but, with a full tender. I must admit, though a bit of a hold up for those on board, the Water Stop was a bit of a God-send to us! Afterall, we had only planned to see the 4-6-2 for a minute or so, therefore, the chance to see her simmering at the head of her express in the glorious evening sunlight was fantastic and greatly appreciated! The public, not just enthusiasts but families too, turned out in force to see one of Stanier's masterpieces back on her home ground. Soon, filled up and with a green signal ahead, "Princess Elizabeth" cautiously departed Nuneaton for Tyseley. The crowds of people on the train waved to us all on the platform and, I must say, so many people waved back! Theres something about a steam train that brings out the best in people; particularly when they get to see it for free! In fact, the Guard of a Pendalino passing on the Fast Line to Glasgow was hanging from the window just to catch a quick snap of the beautiful Princess. Unbelievable! Below, click "Play" to view my video footage of the day...

Soon, with her voice echoing on the horizon, "Lizzie" was out of sight and off back to Birmingham. In fact, rumour has it that the Princess will be heading Vintage Trains' two "Shakespeare Express" runs tomorrow between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon. (Don't quote me though!). So, if you're free, why not go over and take a ride behind her! I can very much recommend the "Shakespeare" and at only £20 per Adult for a return ticket its well worth it (value like this is usually unheard of on main line steam trains! Click HERE for details). I must extend a vote of thanks to Tyseley (and VTL) for running this trip; I vastly enjoyed spotting it! I hope you have enjoyed reading my post and seeing No6201 in action; she truly is a Stanier Masterpiece. Thank you for reading folks. Good Evening...