Gallery: Goodbye to the Great Gathering – A4 locos leave York
[envira-gallery id=”34828″]
Click on one of the pictures to see it in detail
The Great Gathering has turned into a Great Goodbye as Mallard’s reunion with her sisters pulled out of York. And it was a magnificent sight, as these pictures by the National Railway Museum show.
Bringing together the six surviving A4 locos at the NRM last year proved a massive hit with visitors.
They came from across the world to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Mallard steaming into history by reaching a world record speed for a steam locomotive of 126mph in 1938.
Around a quarter of a million people flocked to the NRM to see the Great Gathering – these six classy engines reunited at last.
This week, the Mallard made its journey from York to Locomotion, the National Railway Museum at Shildon, to star in the final reunion of the six surviving sisters called Mallard 75 – The Great Goodbye.
Running from February 15 to 23, it is the last major event in the Mallard 75 season of events and activities sponsored by Hornby.
The big six will be displayed outside on real tracks with Sir Nigel Gresley, Bittern and Union of South Africa in light steam.
A gala dinner rounds off the season and contains a preview extract of Steamsong, a multimedia opera by John Kefala-Kerr inspired by Mallard and the story of the A4s.
This sensory experience includes live vocal and instrumental performance blended with the unique sounds of chime whistles and footage from the British Transport Film archive.