Steam Locomotive Jennifer Debuts on the Aln Valley Railway

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Filmed on 16th July 2022.

It's was a beautiful day, so I decided to stay local and spend another day on the Aln Valley Railway.

The AVR seeks to restore the rail connection between the Northumberland county town of Alnwick and the East Coast Main Line at Alnmouth Station some three miles to the east. The mile-long stretch between Lionheart Station in Alnwick and Greenrigg Halt is currently operational.

Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No. 20 "Jennifer" was the steam locomotive on duty today, making its debut appearance on the AVR. The locomotive, built in 1942, spent the early part of its life working on coal and steel runs in Yorkshire. It was restored by Graeme Walton Binns who gave it the name Jennifer after his wife. It is on long term loan to the AVR for the next 15 years.

As it was Jennifer's first operational run on the AVR, it should perhaps come as no surprise that there were a few teething problems. Around 5 mins into the video we see the locomotive climbing the steady gradient approaching Lionheart Station. It comes to a halt so the fireman can alight and close a gate carelessly left open. The locomotive then lurched back into action, only to run out of steam a few hundred yards further on. After a couple of minutes, boiler pressure restored to a healthy level, it continues the ascending left hand curve back into Lionheart Station.

My video begins with a quick look around Lionheart Station, before following the progress of Jennifer throughout the day.

The AVR is a tremendous project. They have a dedicated team of volunteers who have slogged away tirelessly over the last few years. I am looking forward to them completing the link between Alnwick and Alnmouth and providing a valuable regular connection to the East Coast Main Line.

More information about the Aln Valley Railway here: https://www.alnvalleyrailway.co.uk/

Footage was captured using a Panasonic HC-VX1; https://amzn.to/3vJnqNJ; fitted with a Rode VideoMic Go; https://amzn.to/3rpMeIA