As Christmas fast approaches, this would be my last outing of 2023 to film steam on the mainline. And there would be no better way to see the year out than to witness the world famous LNER A3 pacific, 60103 ‘Flying Scotsman’ take on the notorious 2 mile long 1 in 37.7 Lickey Incline between Bromsgrove and Blackwell.

After a year celebrating the centenary of ‘Flying Scotsman’ this would be the final railtour for the A3 before going on display at Shildon for the remainder of the year. The trip, organised by The Railway Touring Company, ran 1Z37 Cambridge to Worcester Shrub Hill. At Worcester the loco would be serviced and turned before returning to Cambridge via the Lickey Incline with 1Z38 Worcester Shrub Hill to Cambridge. 60103 would come off the train at humberstone Road in Leicester and the train would continue diesel hauled to Cambridge.

The last time ‘Flying Scotsman’ hauled a railtour up the Lickey incline was on 29th of May 1965 when the loco (in its LNER guise as 4472) hauled the R.C.T.S (East Midlands Branch) “East Midlander” railtour, with 1x68 Clapham Junction to Nottingham. It was banked by D6943 between Bromsgrove and Blackwell. Fast forward 58 years and the A3 gets another run at the Lickey Incline, this time banked by West Coast class 47.
With local newspapers advertising that Scotsman was visiting the area I anticipated hundreds, if not thousands of people to descend on the Lickey Incline so getting there early was essential. I arrived ealry enough to film 60103 descend the bank on its way to Worcester.
The return from Worcester was held at a red signal after stoke works junction meaning the A3 would be working very hard with assistance from the 47. Once the unit in front cleared the section, the loco was able to have a run at the bank making a hell of a racket as it came past Vigo.

Filmed in 4k.
13/12/23

#mainlinesteam #flyingscotsman