Скачать или смотреть 60103 Flying Scotsman awakens Birmingham Moor Street! The Shakespeare Express | 21/2/26

Today’s video is the last of 3 videos covering LNER A3 Class 4-6-2 60103 (4472) Flying Scotsman on its February loan period to Vintage Trains, which has seen her operating all over the West Midlands. She was seen hauling a second day of Shakespeare Expresses with Vintage Trains, put on due to demand; the trips operated from Birmingham Snow Hill to Stratford upon Avon three times, via Shirley and Henley in Arden. 60103 is probably the most ‘exotic’ loco to have donned the Shakespeare Express headboard of recent times so it was great to see her out and about and again with minimal diesel assistance. The weather for the day was a bit changeable as always but the predicted rain largely held off.

The video begins at Birmingham Moor Street station for the ECS move from Tyseley Steam Trust; I took the 8:34 service from my local to Moor Street, and set up at the end of Platform 1. 60103 is seen coasting into the platforms quite slowly, before opening up spectacularly into the steeply graded tunnel up to Snow Hill. Following this, I returned home for breakfast and then drove out to Wood End, where I chose the bridge on Wood End Lane just after the station. 60103 is loudly seen making light work of the 8 mile 1/150 gradient to Earlswood, passing through at some pace with whistles galore and the 47 doing nothing. For the later run, I took the train to Bearley and walked over to a little-known foot crossing I've been meaning to test out for a while; this is Sillesbourne Crossing near Edstone Aqueduct, between Bearley Junction and Wootton Wawen. I was hoping for a slightly more impressive performance here given the crossing is at the foot of the 1/150 gradient all the way to Earlswood but 60103 wasn't doing any great speed with the regulator ajar. Afterwards, I headed home.

Thank you to everyone involved in this video, including Vintage Trains, 60103 and her team, and WMR for getting me about. I hope you enjoy as I did and I hope 60103's visit to the Midlands has been enjoyed and appreciated by everyone!