5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe flies to Liverpool at full speed! | The Mersey Express | 1/6/24

Crunchy Nut Steam Films
Crunchy Nut Steam Films
4,079
0
Published 2024-06-01
Today’s video features my favourite GWR Castle Class 4-6-0, that being No. 5043 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe on unfamiliar territory to GWR Castles! Vintage Trains’ “The Mersey Express” departed Tyseley on the outskirts of Birmingham, and travelled to Liverpool Lime Street via Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe and Runcorn, along some of the old West Coast Mainline (WCML) racetracks frequented by LMS steam locomotives! The Earl would be adorned with a red “Mersey Express” headboard and the tour was steam hauled throughout. The weather appeared mixed initially, but cleared more towards the afternoon!

I started off from my local at 8:03, travelling first to Smethwick Galton Bridge and then Tipton, where I met ‪@James_Trains‬. Here I was hoping to see 5043 working away from a 10mph slack at Dudley Port and trying to make a run at Coseley Bank. Despite a close shave with an Avanti Pendolino, that’s exactly what we got! Next up I met ‪@blackcountrysteamvideos8021‬ on the train to Wolverhampton, as we attempted to get a Stafford departure shot due to some late running. Unfortunately we didn’t manage this so we waited at Stafford for ‪@LiamsLocos‬ and ‪@harnettyrailways‬ and travelled with them to Crewe, where 5043 is seen taking on water. Next up we went to our final morning shots, for me this was Acton Bridge, where 5043 is seen absolutely flying along the WCML at her maximum permitted speed! After that we all headed into Liverpool for a pub visit.

On the return we all decided on Edge Hill, to see 5043 blaring out of Lime Street Tunnels through the cutting with nearly 200 years of history. The railway was built in 1830 and so much would have travelled through these cuttings over the years! 5043 made an incredible noise assaulting the incline out of Lime Street. After that it was a trip with ‪@AndysSteamAdventures‬ back down the WCML on Northern and LNWR - to Penkridge as we were hoping for, but unfortunately we never made it! Our LNWR train was kept behind the steam all the way to Wolverhampton, resulting in our lateness of 36 minutes upon arrival at Smethwick. A quick change saw us grab a train to Tyeseley, meeting ‪@SYKAROST‬ and seeing 5043 dark into the station against a darkening and colourful sky and departing to be dragged back into the depot by the 47.

Thank you as always to all who made this possible! To my friends, to LNWR and Northern, Tyseley, 5043 and her crew as well as my secondary planner who helped me chose a spot at Tipton and Edge Hill. No thanks to the signallers responsible for our service being held behind 5043 lol, although I suppose I can have another go at Penkridge next week. I hope you enjoy as I did!!
All Comments (11)