LNER A2 60532 Blue Peter storms through Doncaster on her inaugural run! | 13/7/24

Today’s video is a special one - after a quarter of a century out of service, 60532 Blue Peter finally hauled its first passenger train on the mainline, and what’s more the train would travel up the ECML, the former preserve of these exact locomotives! Sole surviving LNER A2 Class 4-6-2 60532 Blue Peter, recently outshopped in a beautiful lined BR Express Passenger Blue livery, would have her inaugural run as one of LSL’s private charters. Beginning at London Kings Cross it would travel north on the Hertford Loop before rejoining the ECML at Stevenage and staying on it through Peterborough, Grantham, Newark and Doncaster. She then took the route via Church Fenton from there to her destination in York. LMS Royal Scot Class 4-6-0 46100 Royal Scot was also hauling Steam Dreams’ Haywards Heath to Oxford tour, steam coming on at Willesden before travelling up the Chiltern Mainline via High Wycombe and Bicester Village to Oxford. The return travelled down from Oxford and along the GWML through Reading, before steam was took off in Willesden. I did manage to film both thankfully! Weather for the day was forecast mostly as overcast.

I started out from my local at 09:27. I’d intended to get an earlier train in order to film near Ruislip, but unfortunately just as I went to buy the ticket it jumped up by £7 so I bought a later one instead which hadn’t jumped. Because the 46100 was late leaving Willesden, I was able to get to Gerrards Cross, where 46100 is seen absolutely thrashing up the grade through the Chiterns towards Beaconsfield. After this the focus switched to 60532. I caught the 12:13 service to London Marylebone and walked over to London Kings Cross. Here the A2 is seen sat simmering in Platform 8, with a curtain on her smoke deflector as the name was being unveiled in a ceremony before departure. After this she gave us a very whistly departure which was welcome, although unfortunately one man decided his arm desperately needed to be in part of my footage of this historic occasion lol. Having said that, it was a fantastic departure. After that I headed north on the 15:03 to Peterborough. I wasn’t expecting anything amazing here but of course it was nice to get a shot of her cantering through Platform 4 at measured pace. After that I headed north to Newark. I thought I’d lost the shot due to the cancellation of my onward train to Doncaster but thankfully LNER made a nonstop train shortly afterwards call additionally at Newark and I was aware of this so I alighted to get a shot of it. Sadly the only early running LNER service known to man partially blocked the view, but 60532 was well and truly flying! After this I took the 17:51 service to Doncaster. Because the train was late, I was unsure whether I'd get ahead at all but thankfully I arrived in Doncaster around 20 mins before her. Sadly the speed run through the down fast was not to be due to the late running of services behind me; however as she came round the corner the signal flickered green so we got some fantastic acceleration through the very place where she was constructed back in 1948. Thankfully I just about managed to keep the crowds at bay by putting the tripod low down. After that my family drove me back down the M1 home, many thanks to them!

Thanks as always to everyone who made today possible, including everyone involved in her overhaul, LSL, NR and LNER. Thanks to 46100's crew and Chiltern for their part in the day, and thanks also to ‪@danielstrainsukofficial9133‬ who kept me informed of delays to LNER trains. I hope you enjoy as I did!