Railways

It was a chilly autumn morning when the 6233 Duchess of Sutherland pulled out of Crewe heritage centre for the final time driven by the team of Bill Andrews and Frank Santrian.

"It's my last trip over Shap with the Duchess. I’ve been doing it since 1956 going to Scotland with her and various sleeper trains," says Bill. It's an end of an era for Frank too, who's been making the journey from Crewe to Carlisle since he joined the railways 60 years ago.

The journey

The first stop after the heritage centre was Crewe Train Station to pick up the dozens of passengers who wanted to be part of this historic trip. Next it was on to Carnforth reaching speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, and through some breath-taking scenery.

Bill Andrews and BBC's Becky Wood

It was then on over Shap and into Carlisle, a trip that required great skill from the driver, Bill, and Fireman, Frank.

"I enjoyed it (the last journey) because I'd got a good fireman, who kept the steam and the boiler up, " said Bill. "It meant I could work the steam engine as I wanted to, and we had a great run into Carlisle."

The Duchess

The 6233 Duchess of Sutherland now lives at the Crewe Heritage Centre, and was the first steam locomotive to pull the Royal Train for 35 years when she took Queen Elizabeth II on a tour to North Wales.

It was part of the Golden Jubilee, and the engine now bears the Royal Crown as part of its nameplate.  But it's not only the train that's famous - Bill and Frank have become celebrities in their own right.

"It’s just the job that we do - we don’t think we’re celebs," says Bill "We're fortunate we’ve had some good runs to Carlisle. People seem to put you on a pedestal and it can get embarrassing sometimes. It makes me blush because I don’t expect it."

Retirement

Bill and Frank retire at the end of 2009, but keeping them away from the railways seems like a near impossibility.

"Obviously I shall miss it but you’ve still got your friends. So it’ll be sitting down and chatting tales of the rails," says Bill.

"I’ve been invited to come and sit in the support coach behind the Duchess when she goes out.  So I’ll still be able to sit here in the coach and listen to (the engine), and say ‘I wouldn’t do it like that'."