Out of the sun

Although the old Victorian station buildings and signalbox at Aldridge are long demolished, some of the post-Edwardian era railway locomotives still steam on, as was the case this evening when Crewe-built LMS loco 6233 Duchess of Sutherland stormed through with the returning Chester - Paddington "Cathedrals Express" charter.

Looking at the actual timings for the train, the Ryecroft Jn to Park Lane Jn section was completed in 21 minutes, 8 minutes quicker than the time allowed on the schedule, equating to an average speed of around 36 mph for the 12.5 miles, and easily comparable to the heavy freights on the same section (which are hauled by very powerful Type 5 diesels).

Click the "Out of the sun" title bar to watch a rather windswept video of this train.