Steam Dreams 2024

Bath Christmas Market, 34046 Braunton, 6th December 2024.
Filmed at Bradford-on-Avon:

 

34046 seen steaming through to Bath filmed at Theale and Newbury

 

Full mark one set today, just need that genny now !

 

Does anyone know what route 1z62 1659 Bath to Staines took after Guildford? Shown departing 43 late then nothing. Much of the SWR service was in disarray after a fatality.
Cheers, Neil.
Sorry on 11 December.

 

Guildford - Effingham Junction - Oxshott - Surbiton - Clapham according to a post of the Saphos thread from @TheModster

 

Via Cobham, joining onto the SWML at Surbiton and then terminated at Clapham. It's been covered in the saphos thread as it was a saphos tour.

 

60007 13/12/24 on The Chester Christmas Market passing Wardle:

 

60007 Seen steaming through Rugeley Trent Valley, Arriving into Crewe and Chester, Enjoy

 

Thanks. A very rare route for steam. Even more unusual, even for ECS, is permission to cross the SWR sidings between platform 7 and the Windsor lines.
Cheers, Neil

 

I've checked back on this thread a few pages and can't see that I am going to be asking questions already asked!

Its about the SD Santa trains starting this Friday. 90 minute round trips from Victoria to Willesden No 7 according to RTT.

https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/se...2024-12-20/0730-2200?stp=S&show=all&order=wtt

Is 34046 down here in the South, and a possibility to work it please?

And is there any knowledge as to how the trains will work please. I am not familiar with the Willesden arae.

ie. is it likely to be steam loco on the front leaving Victoria and still on the front (ie buffer stops) when it returns; with alternate trips having diesel on the front and the steam loco on the rear all the way round etc?

I'm only likely to go and phot it if there is a reasonable chance of 34046 hauling the train into Clapham Junction (platform 3 re RTT), at least once in daylight.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,

Bryan

 

Diesel out to Willesden, steam back so the steam is always visible to all passengers at Victoria.

I think it is supposed to be 70000 on Friday and 34046 on Saturday

Andrew

 

Plus of course on Saturday you should also have 44871 mooching around, steam into Euston from Wembley Yard.

 

Bah Humbug . .. Is my response to leaving British Railways South Western Division of the Southern Region to phot a foreign machine! I want to phot 34046 at Clapham Jctn if I go up, as that is the only station it passes that is sort of authentic re the 1960s (wrong platforms of course).

But, as I had a run behind a Black 5 in normal steam days from Wareham to Waterloo, on one of the re-scheduled two hour expresses (electrification works), I would consider photting that class if they get back on that route.

And, as we are in the season of Peace, Goodwill, Lost Test Matches and Fast Bulleid pacifics for all men/women etc etc, I have just typed up a log for my SR steam loco memoirs book that I timed behind 44871 on 26 May 2010. It just about circled the entire area where, with big brother Don @gricerdon in the lead, our steam loco hobby started in the late 1950s. Victoria- Bromley South- Chatham- Faversham-Ramsgate-Minster Jctn-Dover Priory-Ashford-Tonbridge-Blackbrook Bridge (Bickley Jctn) - Bromley South- Victoria.

I have more recently done a lot of that route behind 35028 - on a normal steam excursion.

A very nice run with 44871, even with a 37 class diesel on the back, which didn't do very much if I recall that correctly.

All my very best,

Bryan

 

Yes I tend to regard Black 5's as an End of Southern Steam honorary member.

 

Andrew @AMP many thanks for that. But how does that work please? I tried to follow the route shown on RTT late last night on GOOGLE maps, and from the times/locations shown, I could only see that whichever loco was on the front at Victoria would stay on the front all the way round. So every other train would have steam and diesel at the Victoria buffers, and every other train diesel hauled through Clapham Junction.

Bryan

 

Nicely put!

Bryan

 

It seems to be scheduled to stop at CJ for pathing so maybe Barnes or Putney might be better?

 

Bryan,

I will try to explain! I can see it but typing it might be difficult....

Diesel leads up the hill, through Kenny O and up to Willesden. Train reverses direction with the steam leading turns right, goes through Acton to Kew, Barnes and eventually Clapham.

There seems to be one on Friday that is different, the last one reverses at Kenny O and heads back to Clapham and reverses the normal route except it turns right through South West Sidings and heads back to Victoria.

Not having looked too closely at the times is there any chance of the Santa Express and Polar Express being in the same place at the same time and ruining the illusion for a number of kiddies?

Andrew