With much blowing of its whistle, former LMS Jubilee 5690 (ex BR 45690) crosses Sankey viaduct leading the Manchester to Liverpool Edge Hill BR organised special as part of the Rocket 150 celebrations. When opened, the stonework of the viaduct had a somewhat different appearance than is seen here with the yellow sandstone and red brick having a cleaner and much more yellow colouring. With the pollution of the north-west over the past one hundred and fifty years, it is tarnished and in need of some cleaning especially as it is such a historical structure. Today it is still very much the same with the addition of electrification masts atop the structure and huge volumes of ivy enveloping the piers. Network Rail really could do with undertaking some clearing and cleaning of this fine structure, they would not let a station get into such a state so why this Grade I listed historical structure?
There is an audio recording of this event on my youtube channel, see..
https://www.ontheupfast.com/p/21936chg/29578716404/x5690-br-sponsored-manchester-liverpool