34028 and going Main Line

According to SLL, the next scheduled rail tour for 34028 is on 11th November - RTC's The Armistice Steam Express: https://www.railwaytouring.net/ase-11-11-25
Too early for timings yet.

 

I wonder where they will try to take coal as it's getting on for 200 miles round trip on 5 tonnes of coal.
Cheers, Neil

 

Presumably it's comparable with the trips Clan Line regularly does with the Belmond trains. Does anybody know how they manage for coal?

 

Quite a few of the 'main line' Bulleids have acquired extended coal bunkers, presumably on the grounds that water stops on tours are well established practice and Bulleid tenders mostly have plenty of it, whereas coal stops are a nuisance. Off the top of my head, 34027, 34067, 35018 and 35028 all have extended bunkers, from prior or current mainline work. With the WC-style 5500 gallon tenders, the giveaway is the bunker extending beyond the end of the tool tunnels, whereas the two MNs appear to have had the whole lot extended for a more subtle revision.

 

Never having been to Sheerness (only as far a the Swale Bridge on a different tour) what is the access like? Outline timings show a break there of 45 mins or so. Of course NR may have other ideas.

 

Fairly level access from memory when 45596 did it a couple of years ago. However, I felt there wasn't a massive amount to detain one beyond looking out for the SS Richard Montgomery and staring across the estuary, so 45 minutes seems about right for a quick leg stretch.

 

Access isn't bad, but leave your car on bricks, to save the locals having to do it for you....