UPDATE: Crowds turn out as steam loco passes through Brighouse and Mirfield

Railway enthusiasts will be hoping to catch a glimpse of a renowned steam locomotive on the mainline today.

No. 4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley’ - which belongs to the same A4 class of locomotive as record-breaker 'Mallard' - is due to pass through West Yorkshire this afternoon, rail schedules show.

The historic loco recently underwent a major overhaul lasting seven years, and has been in action on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) through October.

However, the visit has now drawn to a close and the engine is due to return to Crewe.

Timings often change and workings can be cancelled at short notice, but the Real Time Trains (RTT) website indicates that the loco will run via Castleford, Wakefield Kirkgate and Mirfield.

It is then scheduled to head up the Calder Valley line through Brighouse, Elland, Sowerby Bridge, Hebden Bridge and Rochdale.

However, it is not unheard of for trains scheduled to travel along the Calder Valley line to be sent via Huddersfield, Marsden and the Standedge Tunnel if there are capacity issues on the Calder Valley route.

As of 11.15am today (Wednesday), the RTT schedule has the loco passing Mirfield at 14.22 and Brighouse at 14.27.

On such mainline movements, steam engines are sometimes towed by a diesel, but reports suggest Sir Nigel Gresley was 'in steam' on leaving Grosmont, near Whitby, and was moving under its own power. The working is classified as '60mph max' 

The working is going via County Durham and RTT says it left Eaglescliffe Down Loop at 11.05am, passing through Yarm at 11.09am. By 11.48am, it was passing Tollerton junction on the approach to York, live records indicate.

However, by the time it had reached York Yard Nth, it had fallen 12 minutes behind schedule, although the reason for the delay was not clear. It then made up time and was actaully running 12 minutes early by the time it passed Castelford at 13.24.

Built at Doncaster works, No. 4498 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ entered service in 1937 following a naming ceremony at Marylebone station on 26th November. It was the 100th Gresley Pacific built by the London and North Eastern Railway.

The locomotive was mainly based at London King's Cross, with a spell at Grantham during World War II, and was briefly re-numbered as No. 7 before becoming No. 60007 when the LNER was merged into British Railways.

 

On 3rd June 1956 Sir Nigel Gresley had the honour of hauling the Royal Train from Kings Cross to York with H.M the Queen on board. The "Stephenson Locomotive Society Special" of the 23rd May 1959 was the first train in the UK with a booked or advertised schedule of over 100mph and during that trip No. 60007 set the official post-war speed record for steam traction of 112 mph.