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Strongman pulls 64-tonne train along track

Becki Bowden,in Fimberand
Emma Petrie,East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
News imageBBC The strongman is at the finish line on the tracks leaning forward with both arms up in the air. The locomotive is following behind via a rope.BBC
Stuart Lambert at the end of the challenge at the Yorkshire Wolds Railway

A strongman has pulled a train 25m (82ft) along the Yorkshire Wolds Railway.

Stuart Lambert, from Market Weighton, said the train and carriages weighed 64 tonnes and the challenge, which took place in Fimber, East Yorkshire, was his heaviest to date.

Afterwards, Lambert said he was "chuffed to bits".

The strongman, who has pulled various pieces of machinery for charity before, said he had spent six months training specifically for Sunday's challenge.

News imageLambert stands with his hands on his hips and is smiling. He wears a black harness over a high vis vest. A herritage locomotive with yellow and black stripes on the front is on the track behind him.
Stuart says he is "chuffed to bits" to complete the challenge

"The train was on my bucket list, and we had to give it a go," Lambert said.

Previous challenges have included pulling monster trucks, skips and 15,000 sausages, all for charity.

The driver of the locomotive, Katy Bowser, was on board to stop the train so it did not mow him down at the end of the challenge.

Behind the locomotive there were two freight wagons and a guards van. Visitors stood on the platform to watch.

News imageKaty has her hand on the break and is smiling. She is also in an orange high vis vest and is in the locomotive.
Katy Bowser was on board the locomotive to help control it at the end of the challenge

Rail enthusiast Carl Longfield and his wife, Kay Lesley-Longfield, came along to watch.

"To pull something like that, just using his pure strength alone, fantastic," Longfield said, admitting he did not think he would manage it.

"How one man can do that, I don't know," Lesley-Longfield added.

Lambert said the hardest part was getting the train to move at the beginning.

"It was just those first couple of seconds when you're pulling and nothing's happening, it's like, is it going to move?

"Once it got it rolling, I knew it was going to go. It was just a case of keeping the momentum."

News imageA woman with dark hair in a pigtail, with a hint of grey at the front, is wearing a grey hoodie and a black open-zipped gillet. She is standing next to her son, who is in his mid-teens and has a grey hooded top on. He has short black hair. They are both smiling into the camera and in the background is a locomotive train.
Stuart's wife, Agnese, and son were cheering him on

The challenge took him 54 seconds, precisely.

Agnese, Lambert's wife, and son were also there to cheer him on. Both said they were very proud of his achievement.

"I know the strength he has. I know he can do even more than this," Agnese said.

The strongman said he was now up for further challenges.

"If anybody's got any suggestions, then feel free to contact me," he said.

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