The new A1 -It's finished

[User]

 

[Globalti]

Thanks for that link, I'd been searching around as I knew there must be a website. Looks fascinating, I'll have a good look at that later.

I used to live in a cottage about 50 yards from the East Lancs Railway, so used to get some intersting engines chuffing past. On one day the Nigel Gresley was on the line and my neighbour said to me "Aye - it were that engine called Nigel Dempster!"

 

[Arch]

Ay, saw her at the NRM a couple of months back (oh, yes,the weekend I got dumped, I remember), anyway, she was a rather nice pale blue then (seen at the top of the webpage actually), which I thought was unusual, but nice - I'm a bit sorry she's gone green, although I know that's the more authentic. I'd have thought, since she's not actually connected to a railway company, they could have been a bit more adventurous in colour...

 

[Rhythm Thief]

Nice link, I remember the first articles about that project when it was still at the "perhaps we could ...?" stage.

 

[Globalti]

Yes, primer. Green seems to be the traditional colour in Britain for big noisy smokey machines - my Land Rover is green.

 

[Arch]

I think the grey/blue was just undercoat, wasn't it?

So it seems, but I liked it....

 

[marinyork]

Argh, I just cycled back from York last weekend. I'm going to have to go back now! Anyone go on one of the test runs?

 

[Arch]

Argh, I just cycled back from York last weekend. I'm going to have to go back now! Anyone go on one of the test runs?

No, but I think I heard her whistling at the station - King's Manor is quite close to the station as the crow flies...

I think they should have gone austerity, and painted her matt black. The Bulleid Q1 at the NRM is in austerity black, and looks so much more brutal and workmanlike than the shiny green things around it. We're far enough remeoved to think of steam engines as all shiny and clean, and forget what workhorses they were.

 

[spandex]

It is about time the A1 was finished!

 

[Rhythm Thief]

We're far enough remeoved to think of steam engines as all shiny and clean, and forget what workhorses they were.

That's why I'm not particularly interested in the preservation scene as a rule (although steam engines still send shivers down my spine when I see them setting off with a heavy load). I prefer looking at pictures of them in the 1950s and 60s, when they were all grimy and working for a living.

 

[tdr1nka]

I can't be the only one who thought they had sneaked in a major road improvement without anyone noticing

BTW I'm with Arch, paint the choo choo black!!

 

[Arch]

BTW I'm with Arch, paint the choo choo black!!

That would, of course, give a fair number of enthusiasts heart attacks. I've heard of people describing an engine in the wrong shade of green "a montrosity". I'm all for historical accuracy, but I think you need to be flexible. Anyway, liveries change over an engine's lifetime, not to mention most of the working parts - The Flying Scotsman probably doesn't have a single original rivet left by now. Kicking up a fuss over the difference between GWR green and BR green is daft.

We should have more green trains now. Blue's ok, but the garish 'First' pink is horrible.

I actually dreamt I was taking nephew Oli round the NRM the other night - he was about 5, and I was having the best time, explaining things. I was quite sorry to wake up. Still, not long until he's old enough to appreciate that sort of thing.