During North Yorkshire Moors Spring Gala, in the evening of May 1st 2009, the A1 was to work the diner from Grosmont to Pickering and back and, as the dining Pullmans were fully booked, we dined on the somewhat cheaper alternative of Fish and Chips in Pickering before heading off to Darnholme to hear 60163 come up the gradient from Grosmont.
Fortunately the earlier rain had stopped, the strong breeze had died down a little and it was rather nice that on the first day in May, we should hear a cuckoo calling from the trees nearby as 'Tornado' first came into earshot approaching from Beck Hole.
While the A1 is going well enough on this heavy 8 coach train, I really would have expected it to be going a little faster than this on the gradient.
Still, no complaints, the slow speed had one advantage; we could hear the loco's three cylinder beat more clearly than we would have done had it been going faster!