Great clips of a sadly missed Loco Austin! I'm amazed to see the regularity with which Blue Peter hauls 13 coaches unassisted, and NO trailing diesel! It will be great see her back on the tracks alongside the other LNER pacifics once again. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks. Ken
Really looking forward to seeing her again Ken although I doubt if we'll ever see her on 13 coach trains again given current restrictions. I had a run behind her from Carlisle to Ayr a few years ago, she flew up Beattock as though there was no bank at all!
+acw71000. Wow, that must have been spectacular Austin! If I'm not mistaken Blue Peter is the most powerful steam passenger Loco in the country at something like a tractive effort of 40,430 lbs, and with these performances, I'm not surprised! Having looked at many of your videos, I've noticed that 6201, 6233 and Tornado seem to have regularly handled 13 coaches, so maybe there's some hope for the future workings of Blue Peter! We can always hope Austin, thanks once again! Ken
Yep. On a tractive effort basis she is marginally the most powerful over the Princess's and Duchess's. On testing it was found to get the best economy from the A2's they had to be worked hard on heavy trains, that's when they really come into their own. My understanding is that they had the highest British mainline tractive effort with the exception of the LNER Mikados, the LMS/LNER Garretts and the Big Emma Lickey Banker. It's the engine you want with a heavy train on a dirty night over the hills. I always think of them as the unsung heroes of the ECML.
Many thanks Ken, you are right about getting a backlash, some folks are very particular about getting all the miniscule details correct! In the latest 'Steam Railway' there is an article on 60532 and how they hope to have her restored again. A rich loco owning businessman is possibly interested!
Great stuff Austin and thanks for the memories of a sadly missed loco. Great performances from Blue Peter showing off all her 40430 lbs TE with 13 on! Hope I got that TE correct or I'll get a backlash! Ken
Thanks Ryan, I had a run behind her from Carlisle to Ayr and she absolutely flattened Beattock!! I think 6024 has always been overloaded on her forays oop north.
Back again Austin, for another Blue Peter "fix"! Even tho your clips were shot in VHS, the sound is remarkably loud, and although the images are not up to today's standard, they were as good as they could be in those days, and are a great record and tribute to a great Loco! Ken
Cheers Ken, it's very true, we can only film using what is available at the time and it is a record in the same way old cine film of the early railways is. I do think the sound was better at that time though mainly because it wasn't as compressed as present day equipment tends to do
Hopefully when Flying Scotsman gets back on the rails next year, we will see an A1, A2 and A3 together. Like we saw the A4s and hopefully Mallard will get back to mainline running. If I win the Euro millions it will happen.
Excellent video! I was reading about Blue Peter just a couple of weeks ago after seeing a photo of her in the '80s and wondering where she is now. It would be nice to see her on the mainline again, when time and finances allow. On a different topic, will you be out for the Cotton Mills this Saturday or are you heading to the ECML to see Tornado?
Blue Peter is an A2. Think smaller driving wheels and smokebox, but am I right that this whistle Blue Peter uses at the start of the video sounds very similar to Flying Scotsman's whistle today? I'd say Blue Peter and Tornado are cousins. ^^
It would be one engine that loads of people would be happy to see restored
Great clips of a sadly missed Loco Austin! I'm amazed to see the regularity with which Blue Peter hauls 13 coaches unassisted, and NO trailing diesel! It will be great see her back on the tracks alongside the other LNER pacifics once again. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks. Ken
Really looking forward to seeing her again Ken although I doubt if we'll ever see her on 13 coach trains again given current restrictions. I had a run behind her from Carlisle to Ayr a few years ago, she flew up Beattock as though there was no bank at all!
+acw71000. Wow, that must have been spectacular Austin! If I'm not mistaken Blue Peter is the most powerful steam passenger Loco in the country at something like a tractive effort of 40,430 lbs, and with these performances, I'm not surprised! Having looked at many of your videos, I've noticed that 6201, 6233 and Tornado seem to have regularly handled 13 coaches, so maybe there's some hope for the future workings of Blue Peter! We can always hope Austin, thanks once again! Ken
Yep. On a tractive effort basis she is marginally the most powerful over the Princess's and Duchess's. On testing it was found to get the best economy from the A2's they had to be worked hard on heavy trains, that's when they really come into their own. My understanding is that they had the highest British mainline tractive effort with the exception of the LNER Mikados, the LMS/LNER Garretts and the Big Emma Lickey Banker. It's the engine you want with a heavy train on a dirty night over the hills. I always think of them as the unsung heroes of the ECML.
Many thanks Ken, you are right about getting a backlash, some folks are very particular about getting all the miniscule details correct! In the latest 'Steam Railway' there is an article on 60532 and how they hope to have her restored again. A rich loco owning businessman is possibly interested!
Thanks, hopefully we may see her run again sometime
Fabulous footage Austin - many thanks for sharing. My only S&C out and back was with 60532 in 1999 - splendid engine.
Great stuff Austin and thanks for the memories of a sadly missed loco. Great performances from Blue Peter showing off all her 40430 lbs TE with 13 on! Hope I got that TE correct or I'll get a backlash! Ken
Thanks David, and wouldn't it be nice to see her back again now we have an A1 too.
Thanks Ryan, I had a run behind her from Carlisle to Ayr and she absolutely flattened Beattock!! I think 6024 has always been overloaded on her forays oop north.
It will be great to see this lok in action again!
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it
beautiful, thankyou.
Back again Austin, for another Blue Peter "fix"! Even tho your clips were shot in VHS, the sound is remarkably loud, and although the images are not up to today's standard, they were as good as they could be in those days, and are a great record and tribute to a great Loco! Ken
Cheers Ken, it's very true, we can only film using what is available at the time and it is a record in the same way old cine film of the early railways is. I do think the sound was better at that time though mainly because it wasn't as compressed as present day equipment tends to do
Thanks Steve, imagine a line up in a few years, A1.A2.A3 and A4!!
Thanks Andrew, working your way through my old catalogue eh!
Very nice loko and train. Thumbs up!
Thanks, glad you liked it.
Another first Austin, you've managed to upload SVHS onto widescreen HD ...superb results of this magificent machine...5* Bob
Thanks, me too. Had a few exciting trips behind her.
Thanks Bob, you can't beat a bit of digital trickery!!
@and60007 Thanks, it would be great to see her working with 60163
Hopefully when Flying Scotsman gets back on the rails next year, we will see an A1, A2 and A3 together. Like we saw the A4s and hopefully Mallard will get back to mainline running.
If I win the Euro millions it will happen.
Nothing that a few million can't sort and the desire to put her back into working condition, but there are several other A4's out and about
douse any one remember the 60532's Blue Peter TV program special from Edinburgh to kings X then it at the big Blue Peter badge on the front?
Yeah it was a shame but she ran for a good few years afterwards. Be great to see her back one day alongside 'Tornado'
Lovely machine, soon to be back or so I understand.
Now part of the Jeremy Hosking fleet and is currently under overhaul. It will be wonderful to see her in action again
Excellent video! I was reading about Blue Peter just a couple of weeks ago after seeing a photo of her in the '80s and wondering where she is now. It would be nice to see her on the mainline again, when time and finances allow.
On a different topic, will you be out for the Cotton Mills this Saturday or are you heading to the ECML to see Tornado?
@acw71000 Yep. its a shame shes stuffed and mounted as it were.
Not for long chap.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you then. Quite a few engines you could spend the cash on too!!!
Blue peter has got to be brothers with 60163 tornado surely
Same designer and similar in appearance
Blue Peter is an A2. Think smaller driving wheels and smokebox, but am I right that this whistle Blue Peter uses at the start of the video sounds very similar to Flying Scotsman's whistle today?
I'd say Blue Peter and Tornado are cousins. ^^