RTC: Eddystone to York - 11/07/26

34028 Eddystone debuts on one of the favourite routes for mainline steam, the East Coast Mainline with yesterdays White Rose
Seen at Sandy, Doncaster, Fenwick & Knebworth

 

First of a 2 parter day, First 34028 Eddystone at Peterborough with 'The White Rose' with 47802 on the rear doing all the work

34028 Eddystone arriving at Peterborough


If you liked this photo feel free to browse more photos of 34028 Eddystone at Peterborough with 'The White Rose' here
https://railway-photography.smugmug.com/Days-out/2026/July-2026/Peterborough-/i-4h8Hf95
Neil

 

Posts on social media showing the train being towed back to Southall from Welwyn Garden. Did it not make it back to London last night?

 

Always booked to have an overnight stay in Welwyn, tour made it to Kings Cross last night before heading to Welwyn with Eddystone on the rear
I’m guessing engineering works preventing a move to Southall on Saturday night?

 

Correct. Apparently the series of movements to/from WGC former goods yard is not unheard of when KX rail tour arrivals coincide with weekend engineering works on the route back to WCRC Southall Depot.
According to SLL's main line webpage [https://www.southern-locomotives.co.uk/Main_Line/SLL_Main_Line.html] 34028's next scheduled outing is Wednesday 22nd on the first Dorset Coast Express of the season to Weymouth. Hope there's plenty of rain between now and then as most (all?) of Dorset is currently tinder dry with Hampshire in much the same state I believe.

 

Sadly, it looks very likely that any rain will be showery and very scattered, with temperatures staying high (high 20s/low 30s) throughout. I can't see conditions changing much this whole summer, with weather patterns locked into the current 'Mediterranean' regime, but would love to be wrong, both as a gardener and steam enthusiast! At the moment the sunshine is severely exacerbated by strong winds, drying everything even more.

 

Interesting - Railway Herald (!) shows it as KX to York and return.

 

Which is what it did.

 

It did, but 'Eddystone' and stock could not get back to Southall afterwards. So they moved back to Welwyn GC for the night, returning to Southall today. That has been the plan for quite a few of the tours recently.

Photos from yesterday...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/55389288710/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/55387955057/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/55387955002/in/dateposted-public/