I believe that I first met Sir Nigel Gresley on the 6th June 1963. There is a nagging doubt in my mind, though. In my notebook from the time, the middle number “0” in 60007 looks like a 6, though it couldn’t have been as there was no such thing as 60607. The number 7 is firstly crossed out and then reinstated above it, before being ticked as copped, and therefore - having just seen her for the first time – was underlined in my summer 62 com’ vol’ on my return home.
However, there is absolutely no doubt that we have met many times since then, and most recently yesterday. It was a fleeting reunion. She powered her charter to York through Newark at around 70, at a guess, somewhat short of the 92 mph that Bittern had managed on a similar journey, having been granted special license to really go for it in 2013. 60007 looked and sounded in really good nick, resplendent in early BR blue. However, as all the Streaks that I saw in the 60s were in BR green, that would still be my personal preference.
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