Bahamas 2021 Railtours

Bahamas 2021 railtours, both Steam Dreams and the Railway Touring Company have announced their programs taking Bahamas to some new and exciting destinations !!! Please join us if you can !!

 

Steam Dreams https://www.steamdreams.co.uk/tours.php?loco=6408

 

RTC
45596 Bahamas to haul trains out of London this summer

We are pleased to announce that we have teamed up with the Bahamas Society, owners of Jubilee class steam locomotive no. 45596 Bahamas and it is now set to haul four trains for The Railway Touring Company this summer.

The first of these is a steam hauled trip out through Kent, the Kentish Belle on Thursday 22nd July - which allows passengers from London to visit one of six popular destinations in Kent, the seaside resorts of Ramsgate, Broadstairs, Margate or Herne Bay or the Kent towns of Canterbury or Faversham.

Following on from this Bahamas will haul our West Somerset Steam Express on Saturday 24th July from London Paddington to Bishops Lydeard, where a West Somerset Railway locomotive will take over for the section to Minehead.

The third of our summer Bahamas tours is the Royal Duchy on Sunday 1st August, which offers pick ups from Slough, Reading, Newbury, Westbury, Taunton and Exeter for a trip down to Par in Cornwall. Bahamas will join this train from Taunton.

The final outing for Bahamas with the Railway Touring Company this summer will come on Thursday 5th August for the Dorset Coast Express, where Bahamas will haul the train from London Victoria to Weymouth. Joining options are also available on this at Staines, Woking and Basingstoke.

There are still spaces available on these tours, book now to avoid disappointment.

We hope that you will be as excited by this announcement as us and we look forward to working with the Bahamas crew to provide our customers with some great days out this summer.

 

Well on it's original stamping ground then!

 

Let's see how the gauging works out, particularly in Kent and the remote bits of Wessex!

Cheers, Neil

 

With Jubilees it is usually the cab which is the issue. I think Galatea has been to Weymouth.

 

Yes, 45699 visited Weymouth on a RTC End of Southern Steam Anniversary run in the place of a unavailable Bulleid Pacific. I travelled behind her on 9th July 2016 and it was a cracking run. 45699 even had to give the struggling diesel (a class 33 IIRC) a shove out of Weymouth on the return run. Very tempted by the 45596 trip but I am wondering how the Indian variant of the virus is going to affect things here after we open up more next week.

Sent from my I3312 using Tapatalk

 

I wonder how many coaches she'll be allowed to Plymouth & Par? 7 perhaps?

 

Only the return, Par to Plymouth unless by some miracle DBC have recommissioned St Blazey Turntable, steam on the outward will only be Taunton to Plymouth. 45407 took 8 from Bristol to Par and return in 2014 so 8 should be fine.

 

Double heading with Mayflower should make a difference, easy to change to top 'n' tail ?

The Cardiff trip is double headed too.

 

Assuming the hope that the U may be involved in the return leg of a DCE would a U banked by a Jubilee meet the NR power requirements for the climb out of Weymouth and Parkstone Bank with the usual 10 on? I have no idea.

 

GBXI in 2018 saw 45212 banked by 31806 with load 10. A lot of noise but made it up the bank very comfortably. 45596 vice a black 5 should still produce a comfortable ascent.

 

Despite being on the top of the tunnel I had forgotten that!

 

Am I right in thinking that these are the tours 45596 is planned to work solo without assistance, be that from 61306 or a diesel?

Sun 18th July - Cath Ex Salisbury & Circular
Sat 24th July - The West Somerset Steam Express
Sun 1st Aug - The Royal Duchy
Thur 5th Aug - The Dorset Coast Express – If 31806 is available

These are the other tours 45596 is planned to play a part in on her foray south.

Thur 22nd July - The Kentish Belle - diesel rear?
Wed 8th Sept - Welsh Dragon Day 5 – Double heading with 61306
Thur 23rd Sept - Cath Ex Cardiff – Double heading with 61306 - diesel rear?
Tues 28th Sept/Thurs 30th Sept/Fri 1st Oct - The Mayflower & Plymouth - Par shuttles – Double heading and Top n Tail with 61306
Sun 3rd Oct - Cath Ex - York - diesel rear?

Unfortunately I think I’ll only be able to do the Duchy as my July and August diary is already pretty full with a number of diesel tours and 35028’s August trips. I’ll definitely do the DCE if 31806 is available and it’s a pure steam day.

 

We'll be interested in the Cardiff run as in recent years WCR have turned all trains for Cardiff on Maindee Triangle on the outward journey necessitating a tailgunner.

 

Think the Duchy will be dependant on the social distancing position. If restrictions are still in place it will probably be the same as last year's only Duchy; RTC needed load 9. Add the POB and an assisting tailgunner is a certainty.

 

21.5 minutes is a long time to get from Corby Gates (14:08) to Petteril Bridge Junction (14:29.5) (less than 4 miles), so I would say being held at Petteril Bridge as the CME leaves sounds very likely.

 

Sadly yes. It terminates at Faversham. Normally any steam-hauled special then proceeds to the triangle west of Sittingbourne where the entire train is turned and that requires a diesel. It's a shame that RTC doesn't just go for Canterbury which is by far the most attractive destination on offer. Not only would this remove the need for a diesel on the rear but would also give Bahamas a chance to tackle Martin Mill Bank on the return leg, which is always one of the highlights of a steam-hauled trip to Canterbury. The scenery on the Stour Valley line between Canterbury West and Ashford is pleasant enough, but it's no substitute for the blast up the 1 in 74 from Deal through Walmer, followed by the "White Cliffs" section between Dover Priory and Folkestone Central.