Golden Arrow Driving Experience

My 75th Birthday present was a ticket to ride the footplate once again at Swanage Railway Dorset,October 8th @ 12-15 1998.
To handle the regulator, to apply the brake! To feel the power of steam, to savour the long since but never forgotten smell of hot oil, the clang of the spoon on the firebox door, the sound of injectors grabbing for water, the sound of the cylinder taps expelling superfluous water and permission to blow the whistle!!! ecstasy unlimited. all thanks to my loving family.
Upon completion of the round trip I was awarded a Certificate of competence to drive, which I was proud to accept from the Station Master at Swanage Station, which in the Summer season is a hive of activity with holidaymakers eager to do the round trip in the renovated coaches of yesteryear.
So much voluntary work has been spent meeting safety standards, and I congratulate the Platelayers and maintenance staff on their acheivements, for the run of track was as smooth as any Main Line and better than some of the Branch Line tracks in the 1960's.