Steam Dreams 2016

Steam Dreams trips up to early June 2016 on the website - http://www.steamdreams.co.uk/Execut...SVR01&DB=SteamDreams&Division=A&ActionCode=TC

Will be mainly hauled by 6201 and 60103 except Bluebell Railway to Worcester which is 61306. I wonder what the load for the trip with 61306 is planned to be ? (hopingt it will be limited to 10) and will it return to steam hauled? This years one to Ely would have been 12.

On Sunday 17th April there is a trip to Oxford and Salisbury from Paddington via Bicester Town.

60103 will also haul day 1 of the Emerald Island Explorer Euston to Holyhead on the 17th June.

British India Line is listed on the back of the brochure for the Cathedrals Express to Cornwall 17th - 20th September.

 

Paddington via Bicester to Salisbury is a fun route. I hope it happens as planned.

 

July through September tours and dates have been added to the schedule. What shall the loco assignments be.…

 

According to the brochure likely locos include 34046, 70000 and 61306.

 

The 9th July tour is interesting. It's end of Southern steam anniversary day, but instead of the usual blast down one of the LSWR routes to either Salisbury or Weymouth, the date is being marked by a Southend-Brighton excursion intead (motive power unspecified, but 34046, a Brighton (75A) loco from 1951 to 1959, would be very appropriate).

Hazarding a guess, I wonder whether, with 2017 being the 50th anniversary of the sad day, SD has decided to have a change from the usual 9th July tours next year and return to the classic SR steam farewell routes with something special the following July.

 

Further to my post above, just a hunch: 12th July 2016 marks the 175th anniversary of the opening of the line from Norwood to Haywards Heath. This may be totally unconnected with SD's decision to run down the Brighton line for Southern Steam Anniversary day instead of the more usual LSWR routes, but on the other hand, it may not. Will there be a further special round about 21st September marking 175 years of the opening to Brighton? We'll have to see. Ideally, for historical reasons, such a train ought to start at London Bridge rather than Victoria, but then, we don't live in an ideal world!

 

Personally I don't trust Steam Dreams to do the big anniversary in 2017 properly. I would much rather it was UK Railtours.

 

SD started the 9th July anniversary bashes, but I don't recall many other anniversary specials run by SD. RTC ran a Seaford 150 special last year. It wouldn't surprise me if more than one company runs a special on the weekend of 9th July 2017 (which falls on a Sunday). However, whether London-Brighton 175 is marked at all in September remains to be seen. If so, 34046 (a 75A loco from 1951 to 1959) would be the most appropriate motive power, as there isn't sufficient time to drag out LBSC No. 214 from York musem and restore it to main line condition

 

Don et Al (sorry about the pun) - believe me, when "Clan Line" comes back (about 10-12 months time) you will get your wish. We are already 'in discussions' with the right people to make sure the 50th anniversary is marked in appropriate and memorable ways. 35028 is, of course, the ONLY operational Bulleid pacific that was active right up to the end in 1967. Watch this space…….

 

Indeed it was and it was also one of the 100 mph locos (December 1966). We have debated this before but a path CAN be found to get to Salisbury in 80 minutes and this was done many times in the 1960s without much exceeding 75 mph eg 23rd July 1962 76 mins 04 seconds with 35014 max 80 mph. More difficult is to find a path from Soton to Waterloo in 75-78 minutes but with a bit of work and tweaking of a few service trains it can be done. Look what Clan Line did in July 2012! It just needs the right people (GB for one) and a bit of extra effort by NR and SWT.

Don

 

Well, there is no debate that "Clan Line" could easily get from Waterloo to Salisbury in 80 minutes, or Southampton in 75 - if there were no other trains in the way! But it goes without saying that those "other trains" are the issue, and the fact that charters come at the bottom of the 'priority pile'. To be fair Don, it isn't the "effort" within the ranks of NR and SWT that is needed - there are some very helpful and enthusiastic people there - but the agreement of the senior people who are responsible for the day-to-day services. As for the "right people" to make it happen, certainly GB has achieved a lot, but he is no longer involved officially with Steam Dreams, or with any engine that is relevant to Southern steam. Graeme has maybe been the most voluble, but there are others with considerable influence - but much lower public profile - who are striving to achieve what many reading these posts would wish.
Given that this thread has begun talking about "Clan Line" and Southern Steam 2017, and not 'Steam Dreams 2016' it needs to be featuring in a new thread. One for the moderators……..

 

According to the lastest Hertiage Railway the first two trip behind 6201 have changed 1st March is now Cardiff via Bath ( instead of Cardiff and Swansea) and limited to 9 coaches, while 17th March will be Lincoln instead of York. Marcus has advised it is light of conversations with Tyseley.

17/4 has been cancelled due to engineering works

 

Load nine for a Princess? She'll hardly break into a sweat with that little lot.

 

No mention of these two changes of destination on the SD website, but the 17/4 train has disappeared. Interestingly, with Mayflower undergoing winter mainternance, 6201 is now listed as motive power for the Horsted Keynes-Worcester train on 12th March. The page for this trip says that it will be diesel-hauled from West London on the return journey, but I'd expect it to be diesel-hauled for the first few miles of the outward leg too, as I'd be very surprised if 6201 will fit between East Grinstead and South Croydon. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong, however; Lizzie with 12 on blasting up the 1 in 55 to Imberhorne Cutting would be quite something!

 

At least it means no diesel ! We hope

 

Strewth, a whole day cancelled. At least 2016 will still have 365 days in it as it's a leap year. Unless the engineering works over run and the 18th is also cancelled.

 

I wonder if this has anything to do with the timing of the re-instatement of the Oxford Parkway/ Wolvercote Tunnel/ Oxford North Junction missing link that would form part of the Bicester-Salisbury itinerary. To this untutored eye, mid April completion would be a considerable achievement. On the one hand, it does line up with previous proclamations about the commencement date of Chiltern services through to a redeveloped station in Oxford (yet to commence as of last week) . On the other hand, the completion and opening of Oxford Parkway did fall about two months later than its originally billed opening date (late August), so even in the wonderful world of Chiltern Railways, slippage is possible.

I do hope this tour will eventually happen, but I'm not holding my breath.....

 

Had an interesting e-mail from SD today asking for volunteers for Carriage Stewards and Loco support crew.
I guess the existing Stewards have called it a day and have got fed up with the state of operations this year?
There were a lot of MHR Volunteers helping out on SD at one point who carried on from Daylight Railtours after they finished.
After speaking with a few of them over the last couple of years it is quite clear they were/are fed up with the stress and the very long days.

 

According to UKsteam 6201 takes over at Challow loop for the 1st March trip. If so then Paddington to Challow is diesel-hauled. Presumably the diesel will stay attached inside 6201?