83 years ago today since 4468 Mallard broke the world steam speed record of 126mph (+ 2 days)
- Thread starter NZBoro1
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r00fie1
Well-known member
As part of the 75th anniversary of Mallard's record breaking 126mph run in 1938, sister A4 4464 Bittern was temporarily permitted to exceed from 75mph to 90mph (144.84 km/h) on the mainline. This was to be a rare look at steam running at higher speeds since the 1960's, following recent high speed test runs.
On June 29th Bittern hauled a London-York special "The Ebor Streak" which ran along the A4's native racing ground the East Coast Mainline. The A4 is first seen at Langford in Bedfordshire running like a Greyhound at 90mph! After a high octane pursuit on the A1 carriageway, the next location is what better place to see an LNER A4 would be Doncaster.
Ending on a high note, the A4 whistles and echoes past Doncaster Works where she, Mallard, Flying Scotsman and all other LNER locos were built. With special thanks to Locomotive Services Ltd, DBS and Network Rail for this miracle run to happen. If you thought 75mph was fast enough, think again after seeing this! Seeing steam running at 90mph is a completely unmissable event and is worth the long distance and cost to film!
These shots are now featured in the DVD documentary film "BITTERN: The Need for Speed" as part of the "MALLARD 75" celebrations. Which includes an in depth look at the preparations and build up to the main events in May/June to December, along with interviews with the crews & officals at this historic event in railway preservation history. See http://www.ovpsteam.co.uk/25.html for more details. © Ryan Skinner, GreatWesternMGM