Turn Up The Volume! NCB No.19 Blasts the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway - 25/07/2023

During a recent family in Scotland, I took the opportunity to revisit the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway. Home to the Scottish Railway Preservation Society for over forty years, the site holds the largest collection of railway artefacts north of the border and is a must-see for any railway fanatic. The line itself is very attractive, taking a scenic route along the Firth of Forth and up through the West Lothian countryside to reach the mainline between Glasgow and Edinburgh. With several steep gradients along the way, any locomotive is guaranteed to make a good noise.
For that reason, I decided to ride the line as opposed to filming from the ground. Linesiding remains great fun, but sometimes the best thing to do is simply pull the window down, stick your head out and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of steam engines working to their limit. When I arrived at Bo'ness, I found Hunslet 'Austerity' 0-6-0ST NCB No.19 in steam, the same loco that hauled my first journey up the line, albeit now in black livery. Upon talking to the crew, I discovered that the engine had recently proven to be shy for steam, requiring a little extra encouragement on the gruelling climbs up to Birkhill and Manuel stations. The little saddle tank didn't disappoint, absolutely blasting up the hills with its rake of four MK1s. The noise and power were so forceful that the emergency brakes were applied on the approach to Birkhill over fear of speeding!
I also took the opportunity to have a quick look around the yard at Bo'ness, particularly in the engineering workshop, where we see fellow 'Austerity' NCB No.7 and BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T 80105 under overhaul, as well as Turkish 8F 7TCCD WD544 slowly being restored from scrapyard hulk into a heavy freight frontrunner. With special dispensation, I was also allowed into the main running shed, catching a rare glimpse of sole-surviving Caledonian Railway McKintosh 439 0-4-4T 419, receiving the finishing touches to her BR transformation as 55189 in lined black livery. I was also informed that the locomotive may be heading south for a gala appearance in the coming months, so watch this space...
I hope you all enjoy the video. Thanks to the Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway for their excellent showcase of industrial steam at its finest. If you haven't visited the line yet, why not head along to their steam gala this September? You won't be disappointed! Feel free to comment and subscribe!