By Brian Sharpe
LMS Jubilee No. 45690 Leander returned to main line service in June with a couple of trips over the Hope Valley route for the Railway Touring Company but things did not go according to plan.
The engine had made a main line test run from Carnforth to Hellifield and back on May 24 with a couple of coaches topping-and-tailing with Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35018 British India Line.
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Firstly the engine was rostered for the ‘Coast to Coast Express’ on June 10, from Liverpool to Scarborough and return, Leander giving way to diesel traction at Milford loop on the return.
The originally advertised route over CLC metals via Glazebrook was deemed unavailable and the train was routed over the Liverpool & Manchester line via Rainhill but with a 5.36am departure from Lime Street an hour earlier than scheduled. Difficulty accessing the loop at South Milford led to delays of over an hour on the return with Leander eventually heading light engine to Carnforth 53 minutes late.
The following Saturday, June 17, the Jubilee was expected to head the ‘East Yorkshireman’ from Manchester Victoria via the Hope Valley but then on to Scarborough via Goole and Beverley. Although Network Rail would permit a Jubilee to run via Beverley on a one-off basis this had been declined in 2016 and this also proved to be the case this year and the train was diverted to run direct from Sheffield to Scarborough via York.
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