Fifty years since steam locomotives were ousted from the national network, this evocative form of traction still remains popular. Daniel Puddicombe revisits the Fifteen Guinea Special.
A SHRILL whistle sounds and we’re powering towards the Cumbrian hills. Black clouds of smoke and steam drift past the windows and the beat from the locomotive’s three cylinders is clearly audible as we build up speed in order to take on the fearsome shap summit on the West Coast Main line.
The date of August 11, 1968—the day of the last steam passenger train in Britain— is to rail enthusiasts what October 24, 2003 —when Concorde touched down for the final time—is to aviation fans. These events have similarities: thousands flocked to heathrow to see Concorde come in from the USA, thousands lined the route of the final steam run and tickets to travel on both occasions were vastly inflated compared with a normal trip.
The final run was called the Fifteen Guinea special and was named after the price of tickets. At the time, there was uproar; adjusting for inflation, tickets cost about £230 in today’s currency. ‘There was a lot of indignation—what a nerve British rail had for charging such a steep price and taking our steam locomotives away from us,’ remembers richard Newman, who was onboard. 1T57—the reporting code given to the train —ran from liverpool lime street via Manchester to Carlisle and back, via the picturesque settle & Carlisle railway. Four locomotives were used in turn throughout the day, three of which survive in operational order to this day.
Denne historien er fra September 05, 2018-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 05, 2018-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Happiness in small things
Putting life into perspective and forces of nature in farming
Colour vision
In an eye-baffling arrangement of geometric shapes, a sinister-looking clown and a little girl, Test Card F is one of television’s most enduring images, says Rob Crossan
'Without fever there is no creation'
Three of the top 10 operas performed worldwide are by the emotionally volatile Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, who died a century ago. Henrietta Bredin explains how his colourful life influenced his melodramatic plot lines
The colour revolution
Toxic, dull or fast-fading pigments had long made it tricky for artists to paint verdant scenes, but the 19th century ushered in a viridescent explosion of waterlili
Bullace for you
The distinction between plums, damsons and bullaces is sweetly subtle, boiling down to flavour and aesthetics, but don’t eat the stones, warns John Wright
Lights, camera, action!
Three remarkable country houses, two of which have links to the film industry, the other the setting for a top-class croquet tournament, are anything but ordinary
I was on fire for you, where did you go?
In Iceland, a land with no monks or monkeys, our correspondent attempts to master the art of fishing light’ for Salmo salar, by stroking the creases and dimples of the Midfjardara river like the features of a loved one
Bravery bevond belief
A teenager on his gap year who saved a boy and his father from being savaged by a crocodile is one of a host of heroic acts celebrated in a book to mark the 250th anniversary of the Royal Humane Society, says its author Rupert Uloth
Let's get to the bottom of this
Discovering a well on your property can be viewed as a blessing or a curse, but all's well that ends well, says Deborah Nicholls-Lee, as she examines the benefits of a personal water supply
Sing on, sweet bird
An essential component of our emotional relationship with the landscape, the mellifluous song of a thrush shapes the very foundation of human happiness, notes Mark Cocker, as he takes a closer look at this diverse family of birds