We take 69001 from Tuebrook Sidings down to the docks at Bootle to haul a loaded biomas train back up to Tuebrook. The train comes in empty from Drax and drops down to the docks for loading but the single Class 66 simply can’t get back up the 1:63 gradient without stalling. She’s knocking on the door of 2600 tonnes so we hook up to the rear end and drag her out - hence the name “Drag Engine”. It’s a fascinating stretch of line that once saw 20 passenger trains each way and numerous freight trains. Now it’s freight only although there are aspirations to run passenger trains again. Listen to the sound of this Type 5 loco under the hammer - you might want to dig out the headphones or the whole street will wonder what the heck is happening.
