RTC 2024

As they promised, Riley’s have turned out 44871 in time for the 10th Feb, and with some lovely Blue plates as well!

 

Ralph this is a screen shot off Facebook. It’s been zoomed in to cut the frills off the edges and focus on then blue plates. It’s not the actual shot

 

If it has been cropped, why leave so much sky at the top?

 

Because I did it in about 10 seconds, just for quick use on here. Not because it was supposed to be a masterpiece.

But as you obviously cannot abide that thought, and that everything has to be just so for you I’ve attached the full photo

 

It's newsworthy on two counts which is the main thing. 1 It's ready for next week's train and 2 Ian Riley has enough confidence in the Jacobite running that he's given it a blue front numberplate and a 65J shedplate

 

Not entirely convinced myself it’ll do next weeks job. Riley’s said they’d got it ready as promised, but the promise was for the Gloucester job. So they’ve stuck to their side of the bargain. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll go straight on the CME job.

But yes I agree ref the Blue bits! Which look very good. Hence my original pic being zoomed in, unfortunately some people couldn’t hack that!

 

Are you really Chris Packham?

 

Let’s get the bloke from Reid to back it up slightly and we’ll wait for the light to be a bit more favourable, I kind of get your point Ralph but come on, can you not understand why there might be reasons for just a quick grab and go photo?
I really don’t think your going to be to chuffed about being held up whilst a massive bloody steam loco’s being manoeuvred out of someone’s work shop whilst your held up on the way to Morrisons and there’s some prat trying to get the perfect phot for some old fart on an obscure railway forum somewhere are you?

 

Oh for heaven’s sake. It’s a bit of news, not an entry in a photo competition.

 

Can we stop squabbling? Or go back to squabbling about the sizes of cabside numbers and such like. I will just point out that it wasn't me who originally queried the format, nor did I say I couldn't abide it.

 

The London to York and Chester runs are confirmed as Black Five hauled.

 

Yeah I never said anything otherwise. I was commenting on the “Harnetty” suspicion it would be on the CME

 

44871 sounded good this morning on the York trip. Not sure how it looked, thick fog where I was but at least it meant the air cons weren't visible!

 

Sun just managed to get through the fog at Arlesey and the drifting exhaust obscured most of the "coffins".
Stanier Black 5 44871 at Arlesey with a Kings Cross - York special by KING COBRA 92, on Flickr

 

Working hard away from the Stevenage pick up at Bridge Road, Stevenage, appearing out of the morning fog...

 

Black 5 44871 steams north along the ECML at Langford in Bedfordshire, heading to York on “The White Rose”

 

44871 going nicely up Stoke Bank near Little Bytham .No thrash, but gained 3 mins from Peterborough' to Grantham according to RT .Diesel on the back doing nothing. Photo attached.

 

Powering through the fog at Watton-at-Stone and pacing through Grantham:

 

Well the sun was rapidly burning away the fog at home 10 miles away, not so at Bragbury End just south of Stevenage!