Black Five No45089 approaches the bridge over the ECML with a train of coal empties from Bedford on March 3, 1961. This is an interesting routing for coal empties heading for the coalfields. The shortest route from Bedford would be up the Midland main line, but here they are heading for Cambridge and presumably onwards movement to March reaching the Derbyshire/Yorkshire coalfields via the GN&GE joint line. In theory they could be exchanged at Sandy and head up the ECML but I think this unlikely due to line capacity issues on that line and the relatively small exchange sidings at the station.


Photo: M.J. Fox/Rail Archive Stephenson