And finally, MALLARD.

For days now I have been trying to get a clear, uncluttered picture of Mallard, the star of ‘The Great Gathering’ , fastest steam locomotive of all time and holder of the world record speed of 126mph which it set near Grantham on 03 July 1938, a record which has never been beaten.. But Mallard was the loco all the enthusiasts constantly clustered around. They touched it, patted it, stroked it, caressed it, climbed aboard it, peered under it, over it, around it, photographed it and were photographed in front of it! And although people in a photograph aren’t really a problem, when they cluster around the main attraction in huge numbers, they can almost block it out completely. Today was our last visit to the museum before some of the locos are moved out on Nov 11, and therefore my last ditch attempt to get a good clear shot of Mallard. I think I pretty much made it as it stood in the line up next to its sister steam loco, Dominion of Canada. The steam engine in the background is the enormous Chinese Government Railway Steam Locomotive, 4-8-4, KF Class no. 7, made in 1935 at the Vulcan Foundry, UK and now part of the National Railway Museum’s permanent collection.