First Class Disapointment

First class disappointment.

No doubt you remember the work that was carried out on the tunnel at Ipswich station in 2004, causing huge headaches for those trying to commute. The work was carried out to lower the track, allowing room for the new 'continental standard' containers to pass through the structure.
Now, long after the work has been completed we can reap the benefits; the larger loading gauge means larger trains can run through.
This has been very good news for rail enthusiasts, as now several steam locomotives that were once deemed to large to fit through the tunnel, are now free to travel through. One such visit is to be that of Bittern, one of the 34 streamlined A4s designed by Sir Nigel Gresley in 1935, which was due to make its first ever run through Ipswich on Tuesday the 8th of December. This would have been the first time one of these locomotives had ever run through this part of the country. Something truly great for rail enthusiasts.



Bittern is truly one of the greatest steam locomotive designs, her sister locomotive, Mallard, holds the world record for steam traction, 126mph. This has never been beaten.
However, three days before this event, issues where raised over gauging. The problem that has been identified is whether Bittern will fit through the tunnel, obviously something that is not going to be be left to chance.
For this reason, Bittern is no longer going to run along this route. It is sad indeed, for it would have been amazing for this locomotive, at 72 years old, to run somewhere she had never run before.
She has been substituted for Tangmere, One of Bulleid's Battle of Britain classes, which is had the Southern railways equivalent to A4, being 'air smoothed'. She is without doubt beautiful, but fails to capture the magic of an A4.
My query is to why Bittern is has been deigned access through the tunnel. Surely before allocating a locomotive to a train, one would check whether the locomotive is suitable to the route?
Obviously I'd prefer a cancellation to an engine striking or becoming stuck within the tunnel, it just seems very amateurish to have to change the plans for something that wasn't considered beforehand.
I also ask to what the exact problem is, Tangmere is lighter, but a similar shape and size to Bittern, and that has been granted permission to run though, as was the brand new A1 locomotive Tornado, which would have run on similar routes to the A4's, thus if one can fit, so should the other.
We have also had Oliver Cromwell running through, which is the zenith of British passenger express steam locomotion, and she is a giant of an engine. I would suggest that if this locomotive could fit through, then surely Bittern could.
When the LNER ran over the rails of Ipswich, there was an express known as the 'East Anglian', which ran from Liverpool street to Norwich. Following the success of the A4's two of regular class of locomotive that ran the route, B17's namely, City of London, and East Anglian were clad in a streamlined case to give the appearance of an A4. Whilst this did little for performance it did look very good. I am not saying that a B17 is the same size as a A4, but surely with the cladding, if they could run through the tunnel before it was lowered, an A4 could do now?

Lawrie Rose