Magical moments among mechanical titans

From the thrill of seeing the Flying Scotsman pass by in a cloak of steam to the rare privilege of entering the Mallard's engine compartment, RGS railway enthusiasts enjoyed a unique insight into our iconic locomotives at the National Railway Museum. TERRY FELL reports

ON a bright, fresh October morning, a small party of railway enthusiasts gathered at the minibus for a kind of annual RGS pilgrimage that has taken place every year for the past five years. Our destination? The National Railway Museum in York. Our mission? To take inspiration from the incredible machines that inhabit this amazing museum, and the passion of the museum staff who care for them with such love and meticulous attention to detail.

The origin of this annual visit is the Michael Wallace Memorial Essay Competition, sponsored by a bequest from a former head of physics at Ripon Grammar School, who was also an ardent train enthusiast and member of the Friends of the National Railway Museum. Each year students from all age groups at RGS are invited to submit a research essay on any aspect of railways, trains, train travel or railway culture. Past titles have ranged from ghost trains to railways in film; the lost underground stations to a brief history of the Venice-Simplon-Orient express; trains in children's literature to colonial railway construction. The essays always cover a huge and eclectic range of topics and titles and are judged each year by the Friends of the National Railway Museum, who then invite participants to visit the museum as their guests.

Our visit this year began with a wonderful and entirely fortuitous pass-by of the Flying Scotsman, thundering past bearing a dashing cloak of white steam, and saluting us with a piercing blast of its whistle. The scene was set, and our guides (the leading lights amongst the Friends) took the opportunity to gently tease us about our (mis)understanding of what a train actually is. Not the engine it turns out, but the whole connected set of vehicles together. Then into the museum itself, where we were given a personal chat from several museum experts in the special Michael Wallace lecture space, before being turned loose in what is one of the most amazing interactive engineering play-spaces imaginable: the Wonderlab! Alongside a special demonstration-lecture on fire and explosions, we sent balls soaring along skyrails; tested the aerodynamics of a locomotive using a mini wind-tunnel; played with the power of pneumatic transport and engineered the ideal island transport system in sand and light.

Then the absolute highlight! We were taken to the holy of holies - Mallard, towering above us in a symphony of gleaming blue and shining silver, and the barrier that always prevents visitors from climbing up to its engine compartment was removed to allow us unique and sole access to the footplate. Our guide, Michael Rigg, described this legendary locomotive as 'his baby', and he conveyed his adoration with childlike and infectious enthusiasm, while the general public stared up enviously as our young students stood exactly where history was made.

A special lunch, time to wander amongst the mechanical titans and to visit the newly renovated station hall, as well, of course, as a visit to the gift shop rounded off a magical trip. Our huge thanks to the Friends of the National Railway Museum who treated us as guests of honour; the next essay competition kicks off early in the new year!