Steam Dreams 2024

I wonder if it will therefore divert and terminate at Clapham Junction if nothing is available at Victoria to remove it. Or leave 70000 on and have the 57 at the rear do most of the work.

 

Terminating at Sutton it seems:
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:33684/2024-11-30/detailed

 

The tour was also further diverted via Eastleigh rather than Southampton, probably to save some time on the delay.

Britannia came off as planned, I saw it pass through Basingstoke with support coach in tow.

 

Here's my footage of 70000 Britannia in action yesterday, also featuring LMS Black Five 44871. I filmed the Brit at Mottisfont and Dunbridge and Bapton. I also filmed the Black Five at Bradford on Avon and Newton St Loe. I hope you enjoy it.

 

Query re the Steam Dreams trip with Britannia Sat 30/11
A friend who lives next door to the railway in Horsley claims he heard a steam loco pass through about 22.00 on Tuesday 26th Nov towards Guildford and then it came back about half an hour later. Nothing mentioned here and nothing on RTT. Was it a test run for a steam loco? Any info?

 

My guess is that it was a rail cleaning train - blasting leaves off the rails with high pressure jets, and sounding very much like a steam loco hissing.

 

Hmm. I wonder if they dropped the Cheam passengers at Sutton. A significant journey still ahead for those wanting to get back to central London, but probably a pragmatic solution. Maybe some could have been dropped at Olympia...

 

I imagine that would be a lot harder to arrange as it is off the route of the original pathing rather than just terminating the service short and having a new path for the ECS

 

There was a service to Victoria a few minutes behind the Brit, so I guess if they got everyone on it at Sutton then further delay would have been minimal. Still an awfully late arrival at Victoria.

 

00:30 into Victoria other than the charters 23:30, 1 Hr behind schedule

 

I was going to 73A yesterday so despite the flat light of a murky November day I went down the road to Wandsworth Road to see the Brit. These are the rather mediocre results. I see it has a 73A shedplate.

 

Even 23.30 back at Victoria isn't a position of strength for getting home on a Saturday evening unless you live within the travelcard zones.

 

Not good at all for those who had a journey home outside of London.

Late schedule finishes (and starts) of any Bulleid pacific trips in old SR area, where there is no, or a probably non working self propelled generator vehicle in the consist is another reason, on top of Mk11 coaches, why I have pulled away from main line steam trips.

In the virtually impossible event of an almost guaranteed very fast schedule to and/or from Salisbury (ie 80 mins) or Southampton (81 mins or less) Bulleid hauled trip and no other traction attached, with anything like a late schedule return, I would think about booking, but would also give very serious thought at booking a decent (ie non flea pit) hotel at/very near Waterloo for the nights before and after it runs. And give very deep thought about travelling in MK11s if they were also involved

The chances such a train happening? I would rate it as less than me being accepted on the first manned flight to Mars - the planet and not the wonderful chocolate bar.

Bryan - thanks goodness I'm not fussy - B

 

It appears from RTT that 2B49 the 22:38 from Epsom Downs was held at Sutton (P3) and left 16 late getting the Victoria folk in there at 23:56. If so good for the railtour passengers, although if I was a passenger on it, or waiting for it, I would be mightily unimpressed it was held for that reason. Also it meant the service became eligible for delay repay, and I suspect there is no way that cost if there were claims could get charged back to LSL.
Also hope the message about what I assume was ticket acceptance, got through to those on the ground (my experience says not from other tours) and there was not a gang of RPI's dishing out Penalty Fares like confetti en route to Victoria

RTT says it spent 3 minutes at Cheam.

 

Service following the Brit to Victoria was at 2317, got there at 0010.

Looks like they held the previous service at Sutton for twenty minutes so I guess that's where the travellers went and arrived at Victoria at five to midnight so further delay was minimal

 

So did they stop people getting on 2B49 which did not depart Sutton until 23:07 (6 minutes after the tour arrived) or was ticket acceptance purely on 2B53?

 

A Brit and Black Five in fine form on the outskirts of Bath !

 

Ah, OK. I wonder if there was any chance of someone catching a train from Cheam to Sutton at that time jumping on!

 

It’s never going to happen now Bryan. I have given in and doing part of the Bath trip with 35028 on December 14th just to get some Bulleid mileage. You never know I may not have many more chances. It will of course have a DL on the back but that’s the way it is now

 

Just a warning that Clan Line only works Three Bridges to Salisbury and return. Diesel haulage is planned between Salisbury and Bristol.
Cheers. Neil

https://www.railwaytouring.net/bath---bristol-christmas-express