The Armistice Steam Express - 11/11/25

According to SLL, the next scheduled rail tour for 34028 is on 11th November - RTC's The Armistice Steam Express: https://www.railwaytouring.net/ase-11-11-25
Too early for timings yet.

 

I wonder where they will try to take coal as it's getting on for 200 miles round trip on 5 tonnes of coal.
Cheers, Neil

 

Never having been to Sheerness (only as far a the Swale Bridge on a different tour) what is the access like? Outline timings show a break there of 45 mins or so. Of course NR may have other ideas.

 

Fairly level access from memory when 45596 did it a couple of years ago. However, I felt there wasn't a massive amount to detain one beyond looking out for the SS Richard Montgomery and staring across the estuary, so 45 minutes seems about right for a quick leg stretch.

 

Access isn't bad, but leave your car on bricks, to save the locals having to do it for you....

 

https://www.railwaytouring.net/ase-11-11-25
WCRC Southall to London Victoria ECS: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service...1/detailed
34028 Outward leg as far as Sheerness-on-Sea: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service...1/detailed
34028 Sheerness back to Victoria (via Canterbury East and Ashford International): https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service...1/detailed
I haven't yet been able to trace an ECS entry on RTT from Victoria back to WCRC Southall.

 

RTC's The Armistice Steam Express - Tuesday 11th November 2025
RTT Timings -
WCRC Southall to London Victoria ECS: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service...1/detailed
Outward leg as far as Sheerness-on-Sea: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service...1/detailed
Sheerness back to Victoria (via Canterbury East and Ashford International): https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service...1/detailed
ECS back to WCRC Southall: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U69996/2025-11-11/detailed

 

15:25 Seems to have made it to Sheerness-on-Sea and then onto Folkestone West [water stop I think].
Timings over the legs thus far seem to have been within a few minutes of schedule and a 2 minute early arrival in Folkestone West has helped hopefully. It's departure from there is followed just 4 minutes later by a service train so hope the watering goes without a hitch.
I wonder if the rear WCRC diesel has been giving coal-saving pushes from time to time or were additional supplies of coal provided en-route?

 

I think it's best to think of the occasion today rather than anything else.

And as I usually do (along with very, very many others I am sure) I was on my feet as the BBC coverage of a long 2 minute silence played out this morning, with my also usual out loud comment of 'this is for you and your mates dad' who did the whole of WWII.

But I have now got a 'photo' of 34028 in main line service. I took my position hoping the loco would be well opened up for the, at times, steep climb to near Borough Green, so the exhaust would be going nicely skywards, revealing the lit carriages and the lights of West Malling station behind the train. Not so, the drifting exhaust covered all but some of the loco! The whole ensemble was moving at a fair old speed.

Nikon D780, 25,600 ISO, 1/250th sec, f5/6 with my excellent Nikon 28-300 mm lens at 300 mm. 16.28.

Bryan

 

It was 8 early at Addisham so I missed it having chased it from Swale

 

Today's tour captured at Bickley, Swale, Dover seawall, Sandling & Crofton Park:

 

Nice filming. You did very well at Dover with a large ferry docking along with high tide and a stiff southerly breeze blowing. Just reward for your climb up to the cliff top.

Bryan

 

Sadly the flatest light possible yesterday but here's my efforts making the best of a bad job. Locations are, South Darenth, Kingsferry Bridge and leaving Folkstone at Cheriton. By the last shot the light was failing fast so no point in going for anything out in the countryside. It seemed to have performed well, I chased it from Kingsferry to Addisham with nine minutes to spare but it was running eight early so just missed it! Driver was Bob Baines, I don't know who was firing.

 

34028 had sufficient coal for the day.
The drivers of 47812 only assisted for the initial start out of Victoria and the slippery climb from Ashford onto the Maidstone East line.

 

Very enjoyable day yesterday following 'Eddystone' to Sheerness-on-Sea, despite the dull conditions throughout the day. Managed five locations, all new ones for me. St George's Road Bickley, working away from the Bromley South pick up, Sheerness-on-Sea, diesel arrival from Festival Field followed by scenes from the station. For the return I joined the crowds at Kingsferry Bridge, Swale, then managed to chase her to Bekesbourne - just - arrving at 2.20pm I checked RTT to see it had updated pass times for the three stations after Canterbury East, I then noticed the time showed now, 2.20pm. I quickly grabbed my camera and ran on the platform to find people still waiting, she passed around 2.25pm 4 early, RTT showed (and still does) a pass time for Canterbury East but must have stopped. Finally its Barming, the gradient is 1 in 100/1 in 135 from Maidstone and with the diesel silent on the rear she works through rather atmospherically in the last of the light. My video and some photos...



https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/54919662370/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/54919358406/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/54919661695/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/54919606724/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/54918496302/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/54919358131/in/dateposted-public/