Steam Dreams 2025

ECS 2hr8 late...
Edit 2h9 late departing Bath.

 

The diesel hauled ECS arrived at Bath Spa 128 mins late.

Bath Spa can be absolute nightmare when the Christmas market takes place. It has a queuing system similar to an airport but starts on the outside of the station. The platforms are normally chaotic and heaving. I can't imagine how bad it would be today for the additional 300 people waiting for their delayed tour. My sympathies go out to the passengers awaiting the railtour this evening. [BJ]

 

I imagine there are opportunities to make up a large chunk of time with faster running and no loco change at Salisbury (which was allowed 61 minutes!), but that still surely means at least 0100 back in London. Horrendous, and such a shame after a day out.

 

Hmm - "Storm Bram" was a very bland affair in the south - essentially blustery showers in the main.

 

It’s good this thread is back to the subject of 71000. Maybe “Drones over railways” needs a thread of its own?

Apparently 71000 has failed at Bristol East Depot and the return working is diesel hauled.

 

Such a shame

Such a shame to hear this news. 71000 isn't having much luck recently. I very much hope things can be sorted so the loco can be back out on Friday. Was such a treat to see 71000 at Clapham Junction this morning, made my morning commute so much more pleasant by seeing it.

 

I only go out to enjoy steam locos I want to see. I see no point in going out to see a steam loco I'm not interested in - that applies to heritage lines as much as it does to main line steam.

 

Seemingly, after a more-than-two hours late departure, arrival at Victoria was only about 40 late - leaving out the full hour (!) for the loco change at Salisbury helped a lot, but other tight running at the diesel's maximum must have contributed a lot. Even on time, the train would still have arrived at Victoria at midnight - surely later than ideal for anyone wanting to travel on?

 

A very long day before the late arrival, and even for the scheduled arrival a long day especially for those working on board etc. But there would have been good reasons for Steam Dreams to have had that schedule I am sure.

It's one of the reasons my main line steam ventures are probably over. But I have decided that if a really good trip is announced, such as 35028 on 11 MK1s with no DL helper, on an ACE schedule from Waterloo to and /or from Salisbury (80 mins), maybe including a fast schedule onto Yeovil Junction, then I will probably have to book a decent hotel at/near Waterloo for the night before and the night following the trip.

My chances of that happening? About the same chance of 31739 (SR D1 4-4-0) and/or 31786 (SR L1 4-4-0), suddenly being found in ready to run condition having been secretly saved from the scrapper and stored and maintained secretly by an old dinosaur that has kept them in BR SR 1960s livery and numbering. Or, even less likely, England winning the next three Ashes tests.

Bryan

 

Certainly now, with the passing of Pathfinder, the "Planned Long Day" moniker sits firmly with the LSL steam brands. They have many pick ups and drop offs, which will help many, but also means if you are near the start the potential for your end of day to be early tomorrow may be great. Maybe that matters less at a Poole or an Ely than it does in and around London. Either way the model seems to work well for them, as ever it is caveat emptor.
Tour timing creep at both ends, even for repeat schedules, is something we have to live with it seems. Just look at a London starting CME as a case study.

 

It works but it is a longer day than it was back in say 2016. Plus of course the stock is in London as well at times for Saphos trips, but only the one set does mean lots of ECS moves.
Even the Bath Statesman tomorrow is an 18 hour day from Chesterfield.

 

'Bristol is always a problem' Can't quite see that.

Since resignalling in 2018, Bristol has worked very well, with the Thames Valley Signallers managing the operation of a busy station well, with some excellent use made of the new track layout East of BTM, laid Summer 2021, so don't see that as an issue.

Not sure either where you got the impression that the train is split.

They (the TVSC signalling staff) do have challenges with unplanned GWR set swaps, but take it in their stride, routinely and keep BTM and surrounding environs running well with levels of train services now far higher than when I started BR Bristol in 1984.

 

I'm not so sure that Vintage Trains would agree with that. On 1st November, after a problem with the points in the Temple Meads area, it was quickly realised that the ECS of the Castle tour was not allowed to divert via Lawrence Hill station. Plan B was implemented and the whole ensemble had to run all the way from East Depot to Bristol Parkway before reversing all the way back to Bristol TM station. The train was severely delayed. [BJ]

 

I didn’t think that the depot could take a full length train, the Pullmans were split when they went in there

 

And the year before, the signallers attempting to route the Mayflower to Plymouth on 27/09/24 into a platform not cleared for Castles.

 

The more Northern joiners do so because they are willing to accept shorter runs behind 86259 for a fuller run behind the offered steam traction.

 

I would say rather than the more Northern joiners do so because that's where they live or can get to conveniently.

 

That splitting of the Belmond Pullman happened before the re-signalling and transfer of control to Didcot TVSC.

The new layout has shortened the "Middle Siding" under the overall roof to equal to 12 coaches, which means charter stock has to be stabled at Kingsland Road sidings or elsewhere. To fit within signals that means a charter set stabled there would be a maximum of 10 coaches to get the loco and support coach into the same section. Also the head shunt for Barton Hill Depot has been reduced which means any shunts of two voyagers have to use running lines. Like many other re-signalling schemes they are often done for the current formations with no future proofing for longer formations. ( Let alone freight operations!)

Checking paths for rail tour proposals occasionally, it struck me how long some trains are stabled between workings at Bristol TM. (TVSC just let the automatic route setting follow what was put into the train plan.) In the Summer 2025 WTT there was a voyager sat in one platform for nearly 3 hours. That made the other half of the platform a west facing bay platform which isn't helpful with most reversals happening with trains at the Eastern end of the station. For someone trained on Southern Region timetabling, it begged so many questions - why wasn't the Voyager stabled at the West end of the platform or shunted to the Milk Dock sidings or even Barton Hill depot? Why didn't it go further west to Exeter and provide a service with more forward connections?

Cheers, Neil

 

As extreme southerners, my wife and I often have used our motorhome to get to Crewe for railtours rather than starting them in London.