Vintage Trains 2025

While Clan Line was on display at Salisbury last December, I was taking pictures on my DSLR and my lens cap was rather broken, not attaching to the lens properly. Suffice to say, while talking to the support crew on the engine, it came off and rolled along the platform and down onto the track next to the engine. The support crew member and I both watched it, we both looked at each other and I said "oh well, not getting that back then!". A bit later on someone else dropped something more expensive (a phone perhaps) on the track so a member of the support crew with PTS went and retrieved it, and as they were there they very kindly got my lens cap too. I wasn't fussed either way because it was broken but still good on them to get it back, although I did buy a new pack of two shortly after that do now attach to the lens and stay there, for a measly couple of quid!!!

 

Have you ever heard of the expression of ‘that the rule book has been written from a bucket of blood’?

 

It has had Stourbridge Jn as a pick-up/set down station since tickets first went on sale, so was always going to be Old Hill.

 

Vintage also advertising the positioning moves to and from Worcester in the morning and evening as being operated by 37240. £40 single, £60 return.

 

Going up the Lickey would require finding a path through New Street, which could be difficult.

 

A grab shot from SBJ this morning. Clun on the front, 37240 as tail gunner.

 

Here's my footage of 7029 Clun Castle hauling the first Shakespeare Express of 2025. Three shots were Fernhill Heath, Old Hill and Danzey. The highlight was of course the amazing climb up Old Hill Bank with the engine making light work of the 1 in 51 climb towards Old Hill Tunnel without any assistance from the 37 at the back. I hope you enjoy it.

 

Just reading through the above incidents of lens caps going AWOL - is there a reason that the owners don’t use tethers to prevent this?

 

Anyhow what a nice 2 years of tours I went on to with V.T. IN 2024 and 2025 like the shap mountaineer in march 2024 with 5043 E.o.M.E. and the 2 day tour to Plymouth with 7029 clun to London Paddington from brum and ret the mayflower with the double headed castles to Plymouth from brum steam hauled from Bristol return and the choppers brum to Bristol ret the Lincolnshire cathedrals express with 5043 E.o.M.E. and the blackpool express on 16 Nov and most recent the 2025 shap mountaineer with 45596 Bahamas unassisted steam carnforth carlisle Hellifield and 37240 having to come up to Hellifield as 47773 had something the matter.
So in order my images top to bottom of stack just to compare last years shap mountaineer and this years 5043 E.o.M.E. carlisle on 16/3/2024.
45596 bahamas at carlisle 29/3/2025
7029 at Plymouth and Bristol 10/5/2024.
7029 clun and 5043 E.o.M.E. at Plymouth and the 20,s choppers at Birmingham new st and the castles 7029 Clun and 5043 E.o.M.E. at Plymouth 27/9/2024
45596 Bahamas at Blackpool North 16/11/2024

 

7029 at Blakedown this morning. Not a planned shot - we were on our way from Birmingham to West Mids Safari Park and it just so happened we were heading along the A456 a couple of minutes before 7029 was due through!

 

Just the one clip from me, but a different view of 7029 leaving Worcester yesterday.




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Good to see you back, Davo. And to see you continuing to support so many trips. So important these days.

 

45596 has been announced as motive power for The Cathedrals Express to Swansea.

 

Presumably it's steam throughout so back up the Lickey? Do we know if it will take the main line or the VoG between Cardiff and Bridgend?

 

It calls at Barnt Green both ways so the Lickey should be a given. No other detail given

 

I did this trip last year,and it went via the lickey and new street. Returning via Snow Hill and Kidderminster, all for 40 quid iirc, great trip and great value. Dont know why they had to change it!

 

The train actually stopped in New Street last year, and we were able to get off for a few minutes. So obviously a path can be found through New Street.