Steaming to The Lindum Fayre

The Christmas Lindum Fayre is an annual event in Lincoln and usually attracts a couple of steam hauled charter trains to the city. Saturday 06 December 2014 was a day not to be missed for the steam enthusiast with not one but two locomotives heading for the city.

The first charter heading into Lincoln was Vintage Trains Limited Christmas Lindum Fayre from Tyseley Warwick Road in Birmingham hauled by GWR Hall Class no 4965 Rood Ashton Hall. Our plan was to head to Swinderby Road for our first video and photo location spot.

We arrived at Swinderby Road in good time but the ground was still white over with frost. All was going well as 4965 Rood Ashton Hall needed to be on time or at best only a few minutes late if we were to make our second location of Metheringhan station.

It was now a case of heading off to Metheringham station to catch the second charter train of the day this time The Railway Touring Company's charter hauled by LNER A4 Class 4-6-2 no 60009 Union of South Africa. We arrived at the station earlier than anticipated and had a few minutes to wait in the still freezing conditions.

As it turned out we had even more time than we thought as by the time 60009 Union of South Africa arrive it was running a few minutes late.

Our extra time in the cold was rewarded with an excellent chime as she speed through the station.

Copyright: Original post from http://steamdaysblog.blogspot.co.uk/author M Garrett

Out To See Bittern

On a cold damp December morning we set out to the East Coast Main Line to see LNER A4 Pacific 4464 Bittern hauling the Cathedrals Express from London Kings Cross to York. Following the trains progress on Realtime Trains it was making good time and would be on schedule north of Templehirst Junction where we were planning to take some video and photos.

The clouds were low so the position of the sun wasn't going to be a problem. We didn't manage to get our usual parking spot. We had about twenty minutes to wait before the Cathedrals Express was due. A few test videos were made as main line services raced along the main line.

Then a problem as a tractor with an enormous piece of spaying equipment attached seemed as if it wanted to start crop spraying exactly where we were standing although there didn't appear to be a crop. It wasn't clear whether we would have to move position. At the same time I spotted smoke on the horizon. It turned out that we didn't have to move as the tractor did a 360° turn and headed away from us down the grass verge but by this time Bittern was into view. In a panic I pressed the photo shutter button instead of starting the video. Eventually I realised my mistake and I hit the right button and started the video.

This maybe a last video of Bittern for some time as it's due to be retired from service for a major overhaul at the end of the year.

However 4464 Bittern has one more journey planned before overhaul on the 30 December 2014 with The Bittern Farewell Tour once again travelling from London Kings Cross but this time to Lincoln.

LNER Steam Locomotives

I've steadily been updating my Zenfolio portfolio with my photographs of LNER steam locomotives. These locomotives have been broken down into five main groups to make searching for a particular locomotive as simple as possible.

These five groups are as follows:

• A Class 4-6-2 Pacific Locomotives
• B Class 4-6-0 Locomotives
• K Class 2-6-0 Moguls
• D Class 4-4-0 Locomotives
• Goods Classes

These are shown in Zenfolio as indicated below.

More photographs of each locomotive will be added as these are photographed. Photographic opportunities are a little more limited as we move into the winter season.