‘The East Coast Main Line from Kings Cross to Edinburgh’ – Part 2, York to Edinburgh, by Stephen Gay, 7th November 2023
7th November 2023 Meeting
Our November meeting saw Stephen Gay visit for the ninth time for this presentation of ‘ECML Part 2 York to Edinburgh’ which carried on from where we left off on his last visit.
Our first photo was of the halfway spot sign between London and Edinburgh, near Thirsk. We saw DP2 (though in its LMR days at Camden), a regular on Kings Cross to Edinburgh expresses until its accident at Thirsk. Views were seen near Northallerton with a few other shots around the area, then moving on to Darlington with a few shots of The Railway Brick Engine formed of 185,000 Hard Accrington Bricks, although it can be seen from the road but not the railway! Through Durham with its fine viaducts and cathedral, Chester-le-Street which is still open despite being mentioned in Flanders & Swann’s ‘Slow Train’ song about closed stations. Passing Tyne Yard we saw a Class 325 4-car Post Office Train, then passing Anthony Gormley’s ‘Angel of the North’ with just Stephen’s wife and the statue in the frame.
At Newcastle we saw plenty of photos of the King Edward Bridge, the Castle, the intricate pointwork on the approaches then on to Manors which was a shadow of its former self. Next was Morpeth with its turnback siding, Alnmouth where The Aln Valley Railway will have its own platform sometime in the future. We then saw the ‘Across the Border’ sign, which is now dismantled, hopefully being repaired as we speak! We then saw the Penmanshiel Tunnel memorials to the two men buried beneath the collapse. Reston was the next stop which only opened this year, and an occasional Azuma stops there. We then went to Dunbar and saw the old layout with one platform and the up to date one we have now with two platforms and then finally into Edinburgh.
An attendance of 25 thoroughly enjoyed Stephen’s perambulations and welcome his return in 2025.
Rob Davidson, Branch Secretary