Here's what she looked like yesterday at Kintbury. I was on the platform (but not the one filming!).
(You have to wait until 1.15 before the action, and a pity about the diesel stuck on the back!)

At the risk of being lynched in GWR country - I think the Southern Bullied pacifics were the finest steam engines ever made.

At the risk of being lynched in GWR country - I think the Southern Bullied pacifics were the finest steam engines ever made. Innovative and imaginative design.

The Stanier Pacifics were. And that's from a part owner of a GWR modified Hall.

We agree OTE. Marvellous machines both spam cam and rebuild.
I remember going with my Dad to Worting Junction near Basingstoke and seeing them thundering past. What memories!
Never saw a spam can "Navy" though, I'm not that old!!
Clan Line is 65 years old and certainly not "clapped out"!

Not quite true. She under went a major overhaul that was completed, I think, in about 2006? So 65 years old is a bit missleading.

Suppose that's true for most of the restored steam trains. Must say its pretty amazing what the people who keep them going achieve as we don't have the extensive heavy engineering facilities around these days. In pure day to day operability terms Stanier engines probably couldn't be beaten - the ongoing heritage from Swindon's Mr C. Nevertheless, in terms of sheer exuberance, and excitement - the Bullied stuff has it every time. Having a few years on Biker1 I can remember the Merchant Navy class and saw the Golden Arrow a few times from an Aunt's garden - worth being naughty to be sent out there!

That he managed to build them in the War was also astonishing - but someone did suggest that the design owed a fair amount to managing scarce materials during that period. If that's so, its real engineering, making something out of nothing.

This isn't a complaint, simply a wish. Tornado was a fantastic achievement; made me proud to be British, even though American friends thought the whole idea was bizarre, but typical UK. Anyway, wonder what a 'Leader' would be like with say oil firing and today's metals technology?

Well if you are being picky then I suppose she was completely rebuilt in 1959 so how much of the original is still running around?
You could say the same about vintage / veteran cars. How much of them is the original parts?
But you still say the are XX years old from their original build date.

I'm still using my Dad's old garden rake, it's had two new handles and a new head, but it's still my Dad's old rake.

Last Sunday a steam train was run through the London underground as a test run for next years 150th anniversary of the tube. The run was done a 4 am on the old Metropolitan line I think. Anyone know the exact date of the next run?

Only the British would ever think of doing something like this! Brilliant. (This is NOT a wind up by the way)

Hope to god there's some footage of that.

I hope there is too. It started out as a steam system but but was not much of a success for obvious reasons. I listened to the footage on radio 4 early Sunday morning so I think it must have been filmed. Been trying to find it on utube without success.

Not great but: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-20759707

Thanks for the link BD.

Three steam excursions planned from Newbury next year so far :-

9 March
23 March
26 March

Great find!. It would be very interesting even to stand on the platforms, particularly if they could get the lighting back to original levels. Anyway, nice news for a change!

And remember folks - the whole of the London Underground is a no-smoking zone!!

Tiss a £150 a ticket if you want one.