The dull and mild start to the new year continues but there are all sorts of stories about how the weather might change by the end of the month. I don't think anything is certain at the moment but it seems the longer range weather models are suggesting much colder conditions towards the end of January and into February probably as a result of that Sudden Stratospheric Warming event at the end of last year. The shorter range models haven't picked up on this cold weather pattern yet so anything could still happen.
Yesterday, Friday, we set out to see 60103 Flying Scotsman haul the Scotsman Salute a charter train from London Kings Cross to York. This was in memory of Sir William McAlpine who repatriated Flying Scotsman from America. Sir William was the owner of Flying Scotsman from 1973–1996.
Sir William bought Flying Scotsman for £25,000 and paid for the locomotive to be brought back to the UK from San Francisco where it had been on tour. He then paid for the locomotive to be restored and brought back into main line operation.
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Pretty exciting here for a change. Lots of rain.
ReplyDeleteGood you got the train back. Dumb question. I could look it up but it is easier to ask you. Are American and British tracks the same gauge? Trains were never as important here. Instead we have automobiles and roads.
Yes - America uses the same gauge as the UK of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in although like here, in the UK, America has some non standard gauge railway lines too. Our railway system has been allowed to run down and become very expensive to use. Of course our major towns and cities are much closer together and a good railway system would cut down on lots of car journeys.
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