The chairman's train. From 16th April, 2025

Went to see the ECS at Nutfield today - perhaps I should have anticipated that the steam would be 'idling', at least until passengers boarded at Edenbridge. The ECS ran late, even on the very short run it had! The following service train was therefore delayed at Godstone. Shame that even this simple run couldn't run to time and thus not impinge on the rest of the railway.

 

My video from today.

 

Britannia captured on its Wedding Belle duties, on the Friday down to the Bluebell and again today leaving the line and heading round Kent:

 

Just gone past the ECS at Southall coming back from the GWSR, waiting for the 57 to reattach and being it back into the depot, sadly didn't get time to get some quick pictures or video.

 

Good to have met you on Friday at the WH station site. I was the chap with the big ladder who stood behind everyone else.

 

My efforts from yesterday's trip. Two approaching Dover having steam cleaned the roof of Shakespeare Tunnel, Wye and Godstone.

 

I don't normally do this and would never send it for publication but a bit of fakeography makes the Shakespeare Tunnel shot look so much better!

 

Showing my ignorance what is that at the top of the vertical part of the right had wall of the up bore?

 

I don’t know but there is one on the other bore too.

 

I wondered that, too. Some form of condition monitor measuring interior deformities perhaps?

 

Next time I’m on the Belmond I’ll ask the crew if they know what it is. Good of the 70000 crew to steam clean the tunnel!

 

Most likely a GSMR antenna, to aid the signal response through the tunnel.

 

That was my first thought. They've been there since at least 2008 so tie in with the introduction of GSM-R.

 

Good to meet you Sunday, my take on it at Shakespeare Cliff
https://flic.kr/p/2r7fdTo

 

Wonder if it survived the blasting!

 

Good to meet you too and a good wide angle shot. I was torn between getting blasting out of the tunnel or wide angle, really needed two camera bodies.

 

Another thing about the tour raises a question for me - the two front lights carried by 70000 were far from 'high-intensity' (by modern standards anyway), and were more like marker lights. Now, I don't see this as a problem at all because the approach of a steam train is very hard to miss, but I am just curious about any possible exemption from the high-intensity rules that may be granted (noting that 35028 also has no 'high-intensity' lights either).

 

I can’t speak for 35028 as I don’t know enough about it, but I know that 70000 and indeed any LSL lamp is high intensity and meets mainline standard by quite some distance.

VT also used converted or replica paraffin style lamps with a far dimmer brightness than LSL but they also class as high intensity.

 

Same with 35028

 

Thanks, both. I'm surprised (but pleased) that both sets of lamps meet the standards (rather than having exemptions), as so much stock today has dazzling headlights. The term 'high-intensity' therefore covers a very wide range of brightness if 35028's are included in the classification (they are far dimmer than many marker lights on modern stock)! My question, by the way, was in no way a complaint or criticism; just curiosity.