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See Four A4s at Shildon on October 19-20!

Following the arrival of repatriated No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower and No. 60010 Dominion of Canada from North America last week, agreement was reached on Monday October 8 for a third A4 to join them imminently.

Leading photographic chatter organiser 30742 Charters has booked main line certified No. 60009 Union of South Africa to join the pair for a line-up of all three surviving A4s in British Railways Brunswick green livery.

If sufficiently people decide to join the charter, sufficient funds my be raised to add a fourth A4, in the former of BR express passenger blue-liveried No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley, currently based on the nearby North Yorkshire Moors Railway, for the event.

The planned line-ups of three of four A4s will be exclusive to those who have paid to attend the charter.

While the public can visit Shildon free of charge, the charters on both days will be staged after the museum closes on 4pm. Only then will the locomotives be moved into place.

The event is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion which seems unlikely to be repeated.

The National Railway Museum will shortly being work on cosmetically restoring No. 60010. It will have original 1937 valances fitted and be repainted in LNER garter blue livery.

Only then will it join next year’s planned line-ups of all six surviving A4s at the NRM and Shildon.

Although the current paintwork is visibly decayed in places, it will be the only chance to have three BR green A4s lined up together, or all four in BR livery, if Sir Nigel Gresley comes.

NRM director Steve Davies, who has masterminded the repatriation of the two A4s from North America, said “What is particularly magnificent about them is that that are in a time warp from the sixties, with no modern-day modifications for main line running.

“They are as if they have just been withdrawn by British Railways.”

The NRM had originally planned a three-A4 line-up at Shildon for September. However, delays in North America meant that the pair were a month late in coming home to Britain.

30742 Charters then stepped in. John Cameron, owner of No. 60009, agreed to waive the steaming fees for the showpiece line-up.
As it stands, will be two evenings at Shildon in the yard with the iconic
line-up.

The event will run until 10pm on each day and floodlighting will be provided.

The organisers will try to deploy burning rags to bring life to the scene, and apply headboards as appropriate.
The cost of attending the charter is £60 per evening or £110 for both.

Participants are asked to send an extra donation cheque if they want No. 60007 to be added to the line-up.

It would be hired on the same basis as No. 60009, with movement costs only charged. If sufficient money to hire No. 60007 is not raised, the extra donation cheques will not be cashed.

AS previously and exclusively reported on this site, the NRM is to have LMS Princess Coronation Pacific No. 6229 Duchess of Hamilton towed on the main line by a Deltic from York to Shildon in the coming weeks to line up with the two A4s.

*Anyone who would like to participate in the unique 30742 Charters event is asked to email mail.30742@btinternet.com

There must be an absolute commitment to attend, with the cheque following the next post once confirmation is given.

Heritage Railway magazine editor Robin Jones said: “This charter is one of those events that will probably never occur again. Miss it – and not only will you miss out, but you will probably regret it for the rest of the life.”