Black Five Green Train

On April 1st 2000, a Black Five answered an SOS from the Mid-Hants Railway to work a Daylight Railtour outing from Alton to Bridgnorth, home of the Severn Valley Railway. Known as the maid of all works, there were 842 Black Fives built and she was certainly the most reliable workhorse of the London Midland Region. Their day out on the mainline included the long drag north from Warwick up Hatton Bank where they had the rare opportunity of working a preserved steam engine flat out. The film takes a look at the engine’s performance on that trip including detailed footplate and lineside coverage as the crew worked to get the most out of the mixed-traffic engine.