Cathedrals Express Valentine's Day Lunchtime Tour

Had the tickets sent through for this trip. It seems SD have a got a bum deal from Network Rail again.
They have lost the Clapham Junction pickup/set down option in both directions, Twickenham also in both directions and Staines in the outward direction. Passengers from Clapham and Twickenham will be escorted to Putney by SD staff.

Timings I have are 8.57 off Victoria/rtn 16.01, Putney 9.21/rtn 15.32, Woking 10.35/rtn 14.16.

It doesn't show up on RTT yet.

 

Totally agree with you Al. A ridiculous price for the mileage. Fortunately, with the generous discount I was offered as a SD member I booked it at a more sensible price. If 61306 wasn't hauling it I wouldn't have bothered though. Never seen either of the B1's so I was keen to get a Main Line run in with Mayflower.

 

Presumably water stop at Botley as per usual with tours round through Havant / Eastleigh?

Hope the times are released soon, need to plan vantage points. Same for the evening Brighton run.

 

And the timings are online for both trips on 14/2. Interesting to note there's a light engine movement to Acton yard after the departure in the morning so I assume it'll be unassisted?

The link is to departures from London Victoria, as that also shows the movements around London.

http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/sea...4/0000-2359?stp=WVS&show=all&order=wtt&toc=WR

James

 

It's intriguing to see how they manage to do it non-stop on such a...erm..."leisurely" timing without holding up everything else (even on a Saturday night the BML is busy). Probably the only place you could do it is either parked off a spur somewhere at the London end, the slow line between Three Bridges and Balcombe Tunnel Jct. or a loop / siding just outside Brighton.

However looking at the timings it appears to be on the fast line through Three Bridges (very rare for steam) and the main-line out of Victoria (steam through Battersea Park is also very rare) so I really don't know.

 

UKSteam shows "diesel at rear" on this run now!

 

Probably not a massive surprise given she is still relatively green (geddit???) and if she goes bang in this part of the world then that's serious problem territory

 

I noticed that too but if you look at the RTT schedule there is a move for the Diesel to Acton (0Z82) which leaves at the same time as the charter which suggests the Diesel will bank the B1 out of Victoria and then stop at Grosvenor Bridge Junction (09.01 - 09.06).

 

RTT had indicated a 09:04 light engine diesel movement to Stewarts Lane. This has now been cancelled. <BJ>
http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/H15217/2015/02/14/advanced

 

It would be nice if the 35028 vsoe routine of taking the box off the back once the train has cleared Victoria procedure could be used for Mayflower.

 

I don't really care as long the the loco up front is working hard and trying to make a good fist of it. Its sensible to stick insurance on this run, no-one knows how it will perform over this route with this load.

 

Doh!

 

'Uksteam' spot on with the gen once again. <BJ>

 

I wonder I they're concerned about water consumption? Others have already commented on there being only 2 water stops on Saturday, the first one quite short.