LNER A4 Union of South Africa Ends Mainline Excursion Career
A sad month for fans of streamliners and the locomotives of the LNER, as Union of South Africa is officially retired from mainline excursion running.
Union of South Africa, No. 60009 (nicknamed the 9) is a member of the LNER A4 Pacific class of streamliners built in the 1930's, according to the LNER Enclyopedia. The most famous member of the class, Mallard, holds the official world speed record for steam.
Union of South Africa was built in 1937, according to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, who saw her visit in 2019. After 29 years of service under the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) and later the nationalized British Railways, she was retired in favor of diesels, according to the engine's official Facebook page.
With the end of her revenue career began her excursion career. She has been owned her entire time in preservation by John Cameron, a farmer and rail enthusiast who, according to The Railway Magazine, has served on British Railways Board, and been the Director of ScotRail and South West Trains. Mr. Cameron owns another LNER loco, The Great Marques, a K4 2-6-0 that is the last of its kind in preservation, according to the LNER Encyclopedia.
Union of South Africa was purchased by John Cameron in 1966, according to the engine's Facebook page, and has owned her for 54 years. Mr. Cameron, who lives in Scotland, grew fond of the A4's who were the last of their kind to work in the 1960's in Scotland, in what the Railway Magazine called the "Indian Summer" for the A4's.
Mr. Cameron purchased Union of South Africa for £4,500 pounds, along with the tender of A4 6004 which was in better condition than 6009's current one. Accounting for inflation, Mr. Cameron spent £71, 377.54 or $88171.96 US, a bargain considering how popular the streamliners are, not to mention, according to The Railway Magazine, she had just been overhauled at Doncaster Works. To store Union of South Africa, Mr. Cameron bought a 14 mile branch line near his home being retired by British Railways for a mere £150.
Union of South Africa's first excursion came in March 1967 when she replaced a LMS Black Five that failed, according to the Railway Magazine. However, she did not officially begin excursions until 1973, according to the engine's Facebook page. Union of South Africa ran for 47 years in preservation afterwards. Mr. Cameron, known as The Union Man because of his association with Union of South Africa, according to the Railway Magazine, has kept the Pacific running for several decades.
Union of South Africa has had a very colored preservation career. Here, we will discuss two highlights.
In 2013, Union of South Africa joined all five of her preserved siblings, Sir Nigel Gresley, Mallard, Bittern, Dominion of Canada and Dwight D. Eisenhower (the latter two shipped over from Canada and the United States respectively) to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Mallard's record run in 1938, according to Culture 24. All six A4's were displayed together until July 17, 2013, eventually, the engines went back to their respective owners.
In 2017, Union of South Africa hauled a Royal Train when she took Queen Elizabeth the Second on the "newly reopened Waverley route from Edinburgh to Tweedbank," according to The Railway Magazine. On that day, Mr. Cameron was at the throttle, and the crew were introduced to the Queen when they arrived at their destination.
However, all good things, as the old saying goes, must come to an end. In 2017, Mr. Cameron announced he would retire Union of South Africa from mainline excursions at the end of her boiler ticket, and would be placing her and the Great Marquess in a museum near his home in Fife. Unfortunately for Mr. Cameron, in 2019 the Fife Council rejected his proposal for the museum, according to The Railway Hub. The future for the two locomotives remains unclear as to where they will end up being displayed.
On March 7th, 2020, Union of South Africa hauled her last mainline excursion. It was not planned to be the last, unfortunately the COVID-19 Pandemic cut off any potential additional runs, according to Union of South Africa's Facebook Page.
Nonetheless, there is still a chance to see and ride behind Union of South Africa in steam. While her mainline excursion career is over, she will be running for some time at the East Lancs Railway. How long she will run on the ELR is currently unknown.
What does the future hold for Union of South Africa? Only time will tell. While it is unlikely she will run again under Mr. Cameron's ownership, this does not mean she will never run again. Engines have been retired from excursion service and returned, such as Norfolk & Western 611 in the US. For now, the 83 year old engine has earned a well deserved rest, sleeping, until a possible return to the mainline.
Note: The Occasional Express respects Mr. Cameron's decision to retire his engines, and ask that our readers do so as well. Any hateful comments towards Mr. Cameron will be deleted.
Thank you for reading our article on Union of South Africa. Are you planning to see her at the East Lancs Railway once the Pandemic ends? What are some of your favorite memories of Union of South Africa? Let us know in the comments on Blogger, Facebook, or Twitter.
If you liked this article, please consider leaving a comment and sharing. Thank you.
Sources:
Deverux, Nigel. "Fife Council rejects Cameron's museum plans on appeal." The Railway Hub. 13th February, 2019.
www.therailwayhub.co.uk/777/coming-up-in-issue-251-of-hr-council-rejects-camerons-museum-plans-on-appeal
Deverux, Nigel. "Scotland's Union Man." The Railway Magazine. 28 March, 2018.
www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/5120/from-our-archives-scotlands-union-man
"The Gresley A4 Pacifics." LNER Encyclopedia. www.lner.info/locos/A/a4.php
"The LNER Gresley K4 2-6-0 Moguls." LNER Encyclopedia. www.lner.info/locos/K/k4.php
"No 60009, Union of South Africa." @cameronrailway. Facebook Post. 22 April 2020.
www.facebook.com/cameronrailway/posts/2289513564687671
"60009 Union of South Africa." North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
www.nymr.co.uk/news/60009-union-of-south-africa-news
Union of South Africa, No. 60009 (nicknamed the 9) is a member of the LNER A4 Pacific class of streamliners built in the 1930's, according to the LNER Enclyopedia. The most famous member of the class, Mallard, holds the official world speed record for steam.
Union of South Africa was built in 1937, according to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, who saw her visit in 2019. After 29 years of service under the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) and later the nationalized British Railways, she was retired in favor of diesels, according to the engine's official Facebook page.
 |
| Union of South Africa running under BR ownership in 1951. Source: Ben Brooksbank, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13983677 |
With the end of her revenue career began her excursion career. She has been owned her entire time in preservation by John Cameron, a farmer and rail enthusiast who, according to The Railway Magazine, has served on British Railways Board, and been the Director of ScotRail and South West Trains. Mr. Cameron owns another LNER loco, The Great Marques, a K4 2-6-0 that is the last of its kind in preservation, according to the LNER Encyclopedia.
Union of South Africa was purchased by John Cameron in 1966, according to the engine's Facebook page, and has owned her for 54 years. Mr. Cameron, who lives in Scotland, grew fond of the A4's who were the last of their kind to work in the 1960's in Scotland, in what the Railway Magazine called the "Indian Summer" for the A4's.
 |
| Union of South Africa (left) on display in 2008 with siblings Sir Nigel Gresley (Center) and Bittern (Right) at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, during their LNER Gala. Source: Aanderson - Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3863075 |
Mr. Cameron purchased Union of South Africa for £4,500 pounds, along with the tender of A4 6004 which was in better condition than 6009's current one. Accounting for inflation, Mr. Cameron spent £71, 377.54 or $88171.96 US, a bargain considering how popular the streamliners are, not to mention, according to The Railway Magazine, she had just been overhauled at Doncaster Works. To store Union of South Africa, Mr. Cameron bought a 14 mile branch line near his home being retired by British Railways for a mere £150.
Union of South Africa's first excursion came in March 1967 when she replaced a LMS Black Five that failed, according to the Railway Magazine. However, she did not officially begin excursions until 1973, according to the engine's Facebook page. Union of South Africa ran for 47 years in preservation afterwards. Mr. Cameron, known as The Union Man because of his association with Union of South Africa, according to the Railway Magazine, has kept the Pacific running for several decades.
 |
| Union of South Africa being refueld on an excursion in 1980. Source: Les Chatfield from Brighton, England - Union of South Africa loco 9Uploaded by PDTillman, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9103625 |
Union of South Africa has had a very colored preservation career. Here, we will discuss two highlights.
In 2013, Union of South Africa joined all five of her preserved siblings, Sir Nigel Gresley, Mallard, Bittern, Dominion of Canada and Dwight D. Eisenhower (the latter two shipped over from Canada and the United States respectively) to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Mallard's record run in 1938, according to Culture 24. All six A4's were displayed together until July 17, 2013, eventually, the engines went back to their respective owners.
 |
| Union of South Africa (right) on display next to her sibling No. 6008 Dwight D. Eisenhower. Both locomotives are preserved in BR Green liveries. Source: calflier001 - THE GREAT GATHERING OF A4 PACIFIC LOCOMOTIVES AT THE NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM YORK JULY 2013Uploaded by MainFrame, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28882885 |
In 2017, Union of South Africa hauled a Royal Train when she took Queen Elizabeth the Second on the "newly reopened Waverley route from Edinburgh to Tweedbank," according to The Railway Magazine. On that day, Mr. Cameron was at the throttle, and the crew were introduced to the Queen when they arrived at their destination.
 |
| Union of South Africa hauling the Queen in 2015, according to the description by the poster. Source: By Walter Baxter, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43382384 |
However, all good things, as the old saying goes, must come to an end. In 2017, Mr. Cameron announced he would retire Union of South Africa from mainline excursions at the end of her boiler ticket, and would be placing her and the Great Marquess in a museum near his home in Fife. Unfortunately for Mr. Cameron, in 2019 the Fife Council rejected his proposal for the museum, according to The Railway Hub. The future for the two locomotives remains unclear as to where they will end up being displayed.
On March 7th, 2020, Union of South Africa hauled her last mainline excursion. It was not planned to be the last, unfortunately the COVID-19 Pandemic cut off any potential additional runs, according to Union of South Africa's Facebook Page.
Nonetheless, there is still a chance to see and ride behind Union of South Africa in steam. While her mainline excursion career is over, she will be running for some time at the East Lancs Railway. How long she will run on the ELR is currently unknown.
 |
| Union of South Africa standing cold and silent at the Great Gathering in 2013, a precursor for how she will look in the future. Source: Stephen J Mason Photography. Used under the Wikipedia Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 2.0. Link here. You can also find Mr. Mason's Photography on Flickr here. |
What does the future hold for Union of South Africa? Only time will tell. While it is unlikely she will run again under Mr. Cameron's ownership, this does not mean she will never run again. Engines have been retired from excursion service and returned, such as Norfolk & Western 611 in the US. For now, the 83 year old engine has earned a well deserved rest, sleeping, until a possible return to the mainline.
Note: The Occasional Express respects Mr. Cameron's decision to retire his engines, and ask that our readers do so as well. Any hateful comments towards Mr. Cameron will be deleted.
Thank you for reading our article on Union of South Africa. Are you planning to see her at the East Lancs Railway once the Pandemic ends? What are some of your favorite memories of Union of South Africa? Let us know in the comments on Blogger, Facebook, or Twitter.
If you liked this article, please consider leaving a comment and sharing. Thank you.
Sources:
Deverux, Nigel. "Fife Council rejects Cameron's museum plans on appeal." The Railway Hub. 13th February, 2019.
www.therailwayhub.co.uk/777/coming-up-in-issue-251-of-hr-council-rejects-camerons-museum-plans-on-appeal
Deverux, Nigel. "Scotland's Union Man." The Railway Magazine. 28 March, 2018.
www.railwaymagazine.co.uk/5120/from-our-archives-scotlands-union-man
"The Gresley A4 Pacifics." LNER Encyclopedia. www.lner.info/locos/A/a4.php
"The LNER Gresley K4 2-6-0 Moguls." LNER Encyclopedia. www.lner.info/locos/K/k4.php
"No 60009, Union of South Africa." @cameronrailway. Facebook Post. 22 April 2020.
www.facebook.com/cameronrailway/posts/2289513564687671
"60009 Union of South Africa." North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
www.nymr.co.uk/news/60009-union-of-south-africa-news
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