Glorious grime! The new faces of railway history

摘要

Covered in coal dust, yet relieved and happy. Pictured above are the men who have just made railway history by officially driving a steam-hauled passenger-carrying train at more than 90mph for the first time in the preservation era. In my 25 years of railway journalism, I have been privileged to experience several record-breaking runs, including 208mph on HS1 in 2003 and 154mph on the East Coast Main Line in 1995, but the 921/2mph achieved by the A4 Bittern on June 29 was just as exciting - for it recaptured memories of similar runs I made as a schoolboy between Grantham and King's Cross 50 and more years ago.