‘Mayflower’s’ main line champion dies
DAVID BUCK, who died at his home in Oxfordshire on August 24 aged 80, and after a long illness, achieved his ambition of owning a main line LNER locomotive – although he actually wanted two, writes HOWARD JOHNSTON
The former Ipswich station trainspotter became well-known as the owner of Thompson ‘B1’ 4 ‐ 6‐0 No. 61306 ‘Mayflower’ for eight years, and enjoyed cab rides when it became the flagship locomotive of the Steam Dreams railtour company that he also bought, innovating regular steam specials from London to Windsor.
A highly successful self-made businessman, David was foiled when his cash offer for one of the two Gresley ‘A4s’ returned to Britain from North America in 2013 for display at the ‘Mallard 75’ line-up at the NRM was rejected, and thus both engines went back across the Atlantic. He had not been too fussed over whether it was No. 60008 Dwight D. Eisenhower or No. 4489 Dominion of Canada, simply that he wanted to restore one of them to a high standard for use on the main line. Acquiring ‘Mayflower’ had been an easier proposition, and he welcomed the idea of repainting it in lined BR black – the only colour that he remembered as a child – but it never happened during his ownership because the engine’s British Railways lined Apple green always seemed to be in too good condition.
David Peter Buck was born in Ipswich, close to the East Suffolk Line, in January 1944, and picked up his keen interest in locomotives from his father, who was secretary of the local Hornby Railway Society and worked from an office close to Ipswich station. He would idle away many hours on the platform, where he witnessed the final years of Great Eastern main line steam, which included BR ‘Britannia’ 4 ‐ 6‐2s, Gresley ‘B17’ and Thompson ‘B2’ 4 ‐ 6‐0s, and of course numerous Thompson ‘B1s’.
David spent many years working for the BBC as a television engineer before setting up on his own business in Slough in 1975 to make copies of films for the cinema. The company’s success and its eventual sale allowed him to seriously develop his railway interests, which included acquiring rolling and laying track of various gauges on his estate at Fifield in Berkshire. He also collected railwayana, and was proud to have a nameplate from almost every Ipswich ‐based ‘B17’.
David’s big opportunity to honour his East Anglian roots and go main line arrived in 2014 following the decision of the family of the late Gerald Boden to sell No. 61306 ‘Mayflower’. David said he was always in awe of Gerald’s tireless efforts to keep his engine in immaculate external condition.
The 4 ‐ 6‐0, the last of the original fleet of 410 to be withdrawn from Low Moor (Bradford) shed in September 1967 along with two others, was not then an Eastern Region engine, but already famous for being the last ‘B1’ to run over the Great Central line to Marylebone, and also was in charge of the last steamhauled portion of the ‘Yorkshire Pullman’ from Bradford Exchange to Leeds on its final day in service. It was taken to Steamtown Carnforth for storage (when it also acquired the ‘Mayflower’ identity carried by scrapped classmate No. 61379) and was then based variously at Loughborough, Hull Dairycoates, and Wansford on the Nene Valley Railway. Under David’s ownership, the ‘B1’ was overhauled for its main line debut in February 2015 on a special from Norwich to Windsor. However, it was soon sidelined for an extensive boiler overhaul that took three years. By this time, David had also developed a close working relationship with Steam Dreams owner Marcus Robertson, which would last for the next two decades. David took over the business at the end of 2018 (keeping Marcus on board), and refocused it to primarily operate regular trips out of London, with occasional forays to other locations and preserved lines.
David was a director of the National Transport Trust between 2015-18, and in early 2020 agreed to become patron of the Standard Steam Locomotive Company, succeeding the late Sir William McAlpine and supporting the construction of the 11th BR ‘Clan’ 4 ‐ 6‐2 No. 72010 Hengist, which is planned to be completed in 2029 if £4 million can be raised.
Aware that he had cancer and had to scale down his activities, David sold Steam Dreams to Locomotive Services Group boss Jeremy Hosking in June 2022. ‘Mayflower’, which had undergone extensive work on its boiler and cylinders, was part of the package, along with a support coach and kitchen car. The ‘B1’ was already undergoing maintenance at LSL, which included the fitting of air brake equipment for the firm’s stock. The stated intention was to run Steam Dreams independently under the LSL banner, with its own booking office and staff.
David then spent much of his time at his home, which he had reputedly acquired because the land it occupied was flat and capable of accommodating railway track. It was where he kept his 5ft gauge Finnish ‘Hr1’ 4 ‐ 6‐2 No. 1016 which, it was claimed, was the largest operational steam locomotive in the UK. He had acquired it from Nigel Sill, whose ambitions to open a theme park never got off the ground, and it was stored for many years at Epping.
During its 14-month overhaul when it lost much of its ugly external pipework, the ‘Hr1’ was repainted Apple green, given the fictitious number 91016, and named ‘Lady Patricia’ after his wife. David also owned other smaller locomotives – both steam and diesel – including Aveling & Porter 4wWT Works No. 8800 Sir Vincent, Hunslet 0 ‐ 4‐0ST Works No. 287 Vigilant, and Peckett 0 ‐ 4‐0ST Works No. 1756 Hornpipe, as well as a variety of rolling stock and at least one traction engine.
David was a popular local figure, generously opening up his estate every year to host the Fifield Fun Day, which raised thousands of pounds for local children’s and adult charities. His final brief public appearance was in a wheelchair at this year’s event on August 4, when he had the satisfaction of knowing that almost 2,000 visitors were thinking of him. David is survived by his wife and four children, Simon, Suzie, Sara and Sophie.