Saphos 2025

Departed Redhill 61L and was very unusual (unique?) as a steam working heading south via p0. Short video to follow. I was supposed to be meeting a friend at Gatwick (not an air passenger) so that was abandoned.

 

61306 Mayflower at Headcorn for the water stop on today's Golden Arrow

 

Leaving Redhill from platform zero and taking the Tonbridge route.

 

Will be leaving Canterbury around 45 minutes later than RTT says due to our late arrival, caused by a fatality.

 

Managed to catch it approaching Ashford. Mayflower working hard - clag was almost in the Tangmere league. Tail gunner sounded quite active too.

 

Any idea what is likely to be hauling this please?

 

My short film from Redhill today.

 

Well like many of us out for the B1 today plans went out the window with the late running due to the unfortunate events, but one thing that certainly wasn't ruined was the noise of it climbing Martin Mill bank, quite the soundtrack!! Mayflower captured outside Redhill, Ashford, Walmer & Otford:

 

Thanks for the photos and videos of yesterday's Golden Arrow. Really good tour. I thoroughly enjoyed it. My final steam tour of this year and it was a big one. I boarded the train at 05:45 in the morning and I disembarked from it at 01:00. Even longer day for the staff though! Most had gone down to Worcester on a road coach Sunday afternoon and had spent Sunday night at the Premier Inn. They were then staying on the empties back to Crewe last night, getting back at 03:00. A handful had joined the empties when they departed Crewe at 03:00 on Monday morning, so would have had 24 hours on the train. Anyway, I am happy Mayflower was working hard. Fantastic soundtrack going up the banks, loads of soot coming in through the windows. The usual shenanigans at Canterbury West where they stopped us all from entering the station and kept us penned up outside until the diesel had started dragging the empty stock in. So then we had dozens of people in mobility scooters and walking sticks that had scant few minutes to make their way over to the opposite platform. A mad rush. They have done this every time I have done this tour.

 

I do not know why they do it there, but over the years I have grown to feel some stations, due to finding railtours a nuisance just like to be difficult. Once at Victoria they refused to open the barriers "everyone has to put their ticket in". Difficult when they do not have magnetic strip.

 

Northern do it a lot, sit on the train with the doors locked until about 2 mins before departure and then open them up to a crush/stampede to get seats. Its not too bad at most quiet stations, but Leeds - Morecambe trains at Leeds in rush hour can get quite sketchy.

 

As someone who works on a Gateline as their job I can kinda see why they would wait until the coaches are in the platform to avoid overcrowding on the platform but at the same time if it were me personally and I could see people with additional needs would have a harder time getting over quickly I'd have let people through a bit earlier. Unfortunately my station rarely sees railtours and the one time it did I wasn't there.

 

Holding 400 people outside a station when the train is only booked to stop there for 6 minutes is absolutely bonkers. According to RTT there was nothing else in the platform for the previous 20 minutes, either on the booked times or the revised ones. There's no excuse for it. It just winds people up and keeps them standing outside near the drop off area and blocking the pavement for normal passengers.

 

A growing trend at several stations sadly, London Victoria has never coated itself in glory on that front. Holding several hundred railtour passengers, many no doubt relying on onward connections (myself included a couple of times) just leaves a real bitter taste in the mouth after all the hard work the footplate crews go to to ensure a right time arrival.

 

Yeah I completely agree and had it been at the station where I'm on the Gateline I wouldn't have held them outside the station. Unfortunately some people in the railway industry don't like charter trains for unknown reasons.

 

The delays to the 'Golden Arrow' were certainly trying, but the suicide at Three Bridges that led to much of the delays has turned out to have been a member of staff. Very sad and sobering.

 

I think it's not only inconvenient and annoying, but a genuine safety issue - a significant number of infirm people having to rush is not a good recipe.

 

Sadly yes that's the case, a very bad situation all around. Three Bridges was shut for most of yesterday in the aftermath. Heart goes out to the family of the railway worker involved.

 

Oh yes definitely that's why myself and colleagues I know do the best to avoid people having to rush for trains as it's not ideal and more chance for things to go wrong. Ie slips and falls etc. Especially if a platform isn't being used for a service train anytime soon I see no harm in letting them through.

 

Nice sound at Walmer along with lovely mellow sun glinting.