Steam Dreams 2023

The timings look "sporty" with only a 23 minute water atop at Canterbury and 11 minutes at Paddock Wood. Hope those high speed pumps work.

 

I’m not sure that is a water stop, there is a much longer stop at Dover where 35028 normally takes water. There is a company based at Maidstone that uses a fire pump like Bells and Twotones, two hoses top and bottom with a fast pump can fill a tender fairly quickly

 

Only 9 minutes at Dover according to the times on RTT. OTT shows water at Canterbury East.

 

23 minutes looks like a dream compared with those on the SWML!

 

Braunton through Sittingbourne this morning.

 

'Braunton' seemed to be smoking a lot yesterday. Does anyone know the cause of the late running in the evening? This is the train, about half an hour late, passing Betchworth at dusk (with the current owner of the station house on the far left!). BTW, the siding under the first coach is the quarry link which hasn't been used, AFAIK, since the 1960s/early 70s, but which remains connected to the main line and is still on the ground frame opposite! Must be one of the longest-unused pieces of track still considered 'operational' in that sense.

 

By an RTT analysis late running SWR trains (quelle suprise). Lost a load of time at Feltham Junction and a WR operated Ascot train lost similar time between their and Hounslow going the other way.

 

I wondered why it left Victoria 18 late to start with - that was nothing to do with SWR I imagine.

 

No but they had made most of that up by Feltham Junction.

 

Not helped either by the fact it was following a stopper (that it should've been infront of) all the way to Chertsey. Did wonder if they would send it via Richmond in order to get ahead of it.

 

With scorching weather again, I suspect Tuesday's Weymouth run will feature another 'light steam' leading loco.

 

Weather cloudy and much cooler today and will be tomorrow

 

Nothing on RTT or Steam Dreams website

 

Strange as it was all there last week but I never bothered to copy it.
18:30 off Weymouth and I think about 16:30 for the LE move from Yeovil was the original timings.
May be being retimed. I see from the local news there is a largish fire around Hartley Whitney so that may influence the amount of steam loco activity if it is that dry.
https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2023-06-26/fire-crews-remain-onsite-at-large-forest-fire

EDIT
Still shown on OTT

https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/U64147/2023-06-27
https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/U64149/2023-06-27
https://www.opentraintimes.com/schedule/U64150/2023-06-27

 

Yes, but without rain the situation remains the same.

 

Are these no longer valid, then?

https://www.steamdreams.co.uk/page.php?pageid=12
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U64147/2023-06-27/detailed
https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:U64150/2023-06-27/detailed

 

Yes, I was looking at the wrong day!

 

Weirdly it's gone from the tours page on the SD website, but it's still there on the timings page and there's no indication of a cancellation. Wonder if it just got fully booked?

 

I imagine the latter. Many operators remove tours once tickets can no longer be sold.

 

Yes but rain expected in the south on Thursday and again on Saturday. Too late for tomorrow though