Steam Dreams 2021

Following an email today I had a look at the Flying Scotsman afternoon tour from Southampton on June 6
Somewhat confused by this routing. Only way I could see it working is to reverse at Basingstoke with a diesel hauling the return leg, or a very long ramble via Reading West and Westbury to get to Salisbury. All in 3 hours as well.
Or maybe the are planning a new line being built by next year!

"As we depart Southampton, observant ones can catch a glimpse out to Southampton docks and the Solent. After leaving the suburbs, there is no rest for our locomotive which will be working hard as we are now rushing north, following the River Itchen to Eastleigh and beginning a steady 20 mile climb, passing through the historic city of Winchester on the edge of the South Downs through the heart of Hampshire. We briefly cross into Wiltshire passing by the outskirts of Salisbury with a chance to catch a glimpse of Salisbury cathedral's iconic Spire as we pass by, before returning to Hampshire and retracing our steps to Southampton."

 

It certainly raises a few questions!

If it departs from Southampton Central heading north it will be nigh on impossible for even the most observant to catch a glimpse of Southampton Docks and physically impossible to see the Solent which is at least 5 miles away! Again, when briefly crossing into Wiltshire passing by the outskirts of Salisbury a glimpse of the Spire is well nigh impossible from the train.

It doesn't seem to have been carefully thought out . . . .

 

Having looked at the itinerary I see that the train arrives at Winchester from Paddington at 12.00 but leaves Southampton at 14.30, returning thence at 16.30, ie., a two-hour round trip. It then leaves Winchester at 19.00 to return to The Smoke. Could it be that they are intending to service it at Eastleigh, run it down to Southampton and run along part of the Test Valley rather than the Itchen, up to Salisbury where the loco could just be reversed on the Laverstock Loop and return to Southampton, facing the right way round to leave from Winchester later? They'd get the glimpses of Soton Docks and Salisbury Spire that way - but still not see The Solent, unless they plan to go down to Lymington Pier!

 

Perhaps cut and pasted from other trips without passing through a human brain on the way?

That is starting to make sense. Eastleigh seems a good place to water the loco, re-set the tables (and clean the stock if that is still necessary as seems likely) between the London passengers and the Southampton passengers. If the diesel that takes the empty stock into Paddington stays on the back, they can easily turn the whole train on the Laverstock triangle without having to park the passengers somewhere within sight of Salisbury but not in the station.

 

Agreed, they would leave Southampton westwards via what was Nursling rather than reversing at Eastleigh since the engine will already be facing that way when it arrived at Winchester. A diesel could just pull it out of the Eastleigh loco sidings (if that's where they service it) back into Eastleigh station so it could proceed to Soton C where it picks up passengers . If there isn't a diesel the ECS could simply go into the marshalling sidings at Eastleigh for servicing and leave therefrom to go to Southampton. I agree that with a diesel the whole train could reverse on the Laverstock Loop but two hours is a long time to go up and back to Salisbury even with a turning move and there's plenty of "previous" in turning a loco-only on the Loop with the stock safely berthed in Salisbury station. I have an idea that there's no way of signalling a complete turn on the Loop when a train comes in from the Romsey line without going all the way back into Salisbury in any event.

 

The advertising indicates that the passengers will get a view of the cathedral but not that they can get out at Salisbury. It would be difficult to berth the stock in the station and tell them they're not allowed to get out.

 

I see Bahamas is to do several trips out of London in autumn next year...enjoy..

 

From https://www.facebook.com/IngrowLoco/

45596 Bahamas will be hauling some tours for Steam Dreams during the Autumn and details can be found on the Steam Dreams website and in its brochure.

The first to be announced is a tour from London to Penzance on 28 September returning to London on 1 October with a trip to Par and back on 30 September.

These tours offer 45596 an opportunity to work out of London for the first time in preservation and the loco will work over several new routes for the engine.

Wishing all our Members, Supporters and Followers a very Happy New Year.

 

Yes because i heard the same rumour from andy scott N.Y.M.R. whilst touring on one of the optimists that 61264 had been pulled out of traffic earlier in 2020 for maintenence cos its mainline ticket was to run out in 2021 so it says on W.C.R.C. fleet details on wiki, anyhow (im not sure about its boiler ticket though)
Davo 56F.

 

There have already been one or two posts on the Steam Dreams 2020 thread referring to 2021. Someone should start a new thread and it may as well be me.

I've noticed a few oddities in the SD 2021 Holiday brochure. I haven't yet decided whether to point them out in an email to SD, point them out here, or keep quiet.

 

Although we're now into 2021 I feel it's too early to start filling in our calendars. I can see frequent changes ahead for the year but hopefully not as many or drastic as in 2020.

Happy New Year to one and all. <BJ>

 

Well the goverment said by spring 2021 the covid 19 pandemic would hopefully be erradicated over by june according to chief medical officers at their guess, look what happened in the past week with infection rates hospital admissions and death rates how they have risen.
Davo 56F

 

Once the virus is under control and perhaps well on the way to eradication, the limiting factor for railtour companies will be customer confidence. Only when confidence has returned and social distancing rules relaxed to something like pre January 2020, will railtour companies start covering their costs. ( Apart from one or two players with very deep pockets.)
As has been said many times before, the profit is in the last coach.

Cheers, Neil

 

And probably what tiers different counties of the U.K. are in as the months go by, I look foward to maybe a brighter 2021 for mainline steam charters and hopefully to ride behind mayflower to cardiff from london soon.
Happy new year to all members on nat pres all the best
Davo 56F

 

45596 is due to double head with Mayflower on the return leg of ‘The Welsh Dragon’ from Bangor to Paddington, via Shrewsbury & Welsh Marches - Wednesday 8th September .

The outward leg on Saturday 4th says it's Mayflower and a Black 5, which goes via the Heart of Wales line!

Hopefully one day we will get a Jubilee on the Heart of Wales!

 

'Railway Herald' has 60103 doing three tours on 20 May - we are spoilt! Two are in the evening.

 

It can never be eradicated, only controlled, and resisted by the population's immunisation.

 

I think Railway Herald have duplicated the evening tour.
The Steam Dreams website only shows two tours, one at lunchtime and one early evening.

 

This has appeaed on the local comics website this morning.....
https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/news/traffic/mayflower-steam-locomotive-back-7962252
Nothing about the Colchester-Bury runs on the SD website though as yet.