Making Fresh Tracks to the Sunny South and West

132 Pages·2015·82.653 MB·English

SUNNYANDSOUTH_NOV.indd 1 14/09/2016 09:19:51

C o n t e n t s
ABOVE:BulleidWestCountrylightPacific
No.34046BrauntonleavesChelsfieldTunnel
ontheapproachtoKnockholtwiththeGreat
BritishRailwayJourneys’‘TheGoldenArrow’
fromEastleightoCanterburyWestonApril9,
2014.JOHNTITLOW
COVERPICTURE:1924-builtGWR5205class
2-8-0TNo.5239headspastthecolourfulrow
ofbeachhutsonGoodringtonSandstowards
KingswearwithaDartmouthSteamRailway AUTHOR:RobinJones
service.DSRRC
DESIGN:atg-media.com
PRODUCTIONEDITOR:SarahPalmer
4 Introduction COVERDESIGN: MichaelBaumber
6 CHAPTER1 DreamingofSunnySouthsteam REPROGRAPHICS:JonathanSchofield
18 CHAPTER2 Purbeckperfection!
PUBLISHER: SteveO’Hara,TimHartley
37 CHAPTER3 TheBluebellblueprint
COMMERCIALDIRECTOR: NigelHole
42 CHAPTER4 Somuchmorethanaseasiderailway!
46 CHAPTER5 DoubleDevondelight! PUBLISHINGDIRECTOR: DanSavage
54 CHAPTER6 Britain’sfirstelectricrailway
PUBLISHEDBY:MortonsMediaGroupLtd,MediaCentre,
58 CHAPTER7 Watercressbyrail
MortonWay,Horncastle,Lincolnshire,LN96JR
64 CHAPTER8 ThirtyyearsofMoorsValleymarvels
Tel:[phone]
68 CHAPTER9 SeachangeintheSunnySouth!
74 CHAPTER10 ThereturnoftheHaylingBilly PRINTEDBY:WilliamGibbonsAndSons,Wolverhampton
78 CHAPTER11 SecondhandRoseoftheSunnySouth CREDITS:Allpicturesmarked*arepublishedundera
84 CHAPTER12 Thehop-pickers’line CreativeCommonslicence.Fulldetailsmaybeobtainedat
89 CHAPTER13 Bigheritage,smalllocomotives! http://creativecommons.org/licenses
92 CHAPTER14 ‘SlimJim’fromtheSunnySouth!
ISBN:978-1-911276-04-3
96 CHAPTER15 SteamingtotheSevernsea
101 CHAPTER16 HollycombeSteamintheCountry ©2016MortonsMediaGroupLtd.Allrightsreserved.
102 CHAPTER17 Royalsteamthroughtherhododendrons Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedin
104 CHAPTER18 Exmouthgoestowar! anyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,including
106 CHAPTER19 RevivingtheSomerset&Dorset photocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorageretrieval
113 CHAPTER20 Chalk,steamandaPolarBear! systemwithoutpriorpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher.
114 CHAPTER21 It’sasmallworld!
116 CHAPTER22 TopoftheSouthern!
122 CHAPTER23 SteamingbacktoEastWhealRose
124 CHAPTER24 Themostsoutherlysteamofall!
126 CHAPTER25 Retracingthe‘ACE’
MakingFreshTrackstotheSunnySouthandWest 3
I n t r o d u c t i o n
AAABBBOOOVVVEEE::WWeessttwwaarrddssbboouunndd::BBuulllleeiiddBBaattttlleeooffBBrriittaaiinnlliigghhttPPaacciifificcNNoo.3344006677TTaannggmmeerreeeddeeppaarrttssWWaatteerrlloooowwiitthhtthhee‘‘AAttllaannttiiccCCooaassttEExxpprreessss’’,oonneeoofftthheeSSuunnnnyySSoouutthh’’ssmmoossttffaammoouussnnaammeedd
trains,onApril7,2013.The‘ACE’haditsoriginsinthe‘NorthCornwall&BudeExpress’,whichwaslaunchedbytheLSWRin1907,andwasnamedearlyinSouthernRailwaydays.
ThetrainhadfivemaindestinationswestofExeter,Plymouth,IlfracombeandTorringtonviaBidefordinDevonandBudeandPadstowinCornwall,reachedviaHalwillJunctionwest
ofOkehampton.Thetraincompriseddifferentportions,coacheslabelledfortheirdestinationsbeingtakenoffattheappropriatejunction.SuspendedduringtheSecondWorldWar,the
‘ACE’reacheditszenithinthe1950swiththefirstmile-a-minutetimingontheSouthernRegion.Thelast‘ACE’toPadstow,andindeedanywhere,ranonSeptember5,1964.However,
in2008,FirstGreatWesternintroducedasingledailyHSTsummerservicetoNewquayunderthebannerofthe‘AtlanticCoastExpress’,asanextensiontothe9.06amPaddingtonto
Plymouthtrain,withareturnfromNewquayat3.04pm.Thepictured‘ACE’wasrunbytheRailwayTouringCompanyandrantoExeterStDavid’sandback.JOHNTITLOW
T
heyear2017willseetwomajor WhentheSwanageRailwayrevivalists andhistory:withitsimmaculatelypresented
landmarksonrailwaysinthesouth beganrunningtheirfirstpublictrainsovera stationsandlocomotivefleetlargelyhistorically
ofEngland. fewhundredyardsofrelaidtrackintheresort, appropriatetotheline,theSwanageRailway
Firstly,itwillbe50yearssincetheendof howmuchcredencewouldoutsidershave mayeasilybeconsideredtobeamicrocosmof
steamontheSouthernRegion. giventotheiraimsofrebuildingtheentire theSouthernRailwayandSouthernRegion.
Secondly,realpublicservices–asopposed branch,closedbyBritishRailin1972despite Butifyouarelookingforsteamrailway
totouristorenthusiasttrains–willagainbe localopposition? heritageinallitsshapesandsizes,theSunny
runningthefulllengthoftheLondon&South Whiletherearemanymagnificentheritage SouthandWestoffersaplethoraofabsolutely
WesternRailway’sbranchfromWareham andsteamrailwaysintoday’sSunnySouth– brilliantdestinationstoday.
toSwanage,attheconclusionofamarathon theimmortaladvertisingsloganusedbythe ItswondersincludetheBluebellRailway,the
restorationeffortlasting45years. SouthernRailwaytopromoteholidaytravelto firstrevivalofaclosedsectionoftheBritish
SteamspecialsontheSouthernmainlines theSouthandWest–theSwanage Railways’networkthatestablishedtheblueprint
aretodayaregularoccurrence.However, Railwaywillbethefirstofthemtoofferpublic forothersthroughoutBritaintofollow,and
ittookyearsofpersuasionthatsteam trainsthroughouttheentirelengthofthe theworld-famousmainlineinminiature,the
locomotivescouldbeoperatedsafelyonthe originalroute. Romney,Hythe&DymchurchRailway.
third-railelectricnetwork. Inachievingthisgoal,ithasworkedmany Southernheritageisalsohonedto
Thisvolumecoversthemission miraclesalongtheway,notleastofallcreating perfectionontheIsleofWightsteamrailway,
impossiblesthathavebeenworkedinboth atransporthubfortheIsleofPurbeck,where Kent&EastSussexRailwayandMidHants
sectors.Whowouldhavethoughtbackin1967 holidaymakerscanleavetheircarsandtravel Railway,eachofwhichoffersadifferentangle
thatinthe21stcentury,youwouldstillbeable bysteamtraintothebeachseveralmilesaway. onthetheme.
toboardasteamtrainforthecoastatWaterloo Itsdreamhasbeenaccomplishedwithout Andthenthere’stherevivalistswhohave
orVictoria? tramplingoverthefinerdetailsofheritage relaidtrackonthreesectionsofthemuch-
4 MakingFreshTrackstotheSunnySouthandWest
AABBOOVVEE:OOneofftthhebbesttlloveddoffallllraiillwaypostters
enticingholidaymakerstotaketheSouthernRailway
totheseaside.Itwasoneofnumerousposters
createdaroundtheSRsloganSouthforSunshine.
Thecompanyalsocreatedafictionalcharacter,Sunny
SouthSamasthehelpfulmemberofstaffwaitingto
helpyouonarrivalatanunknownlocation.Advertising
materialplayedstronglyonthefactthattheSouthern
wouldtakeyoutotheplaceswiththebestrecordsfor
summersunshine.
TTOPRIGHT:TheWhofrontmanRogerDaltreyopened
new£700,000stationfacilitiesattheRomney,Hythe ABOVE:Headingforthebeach:twoyounghappy
&&DymchurchRailway’sDungenessterminuson sandcastlersraringtogoafterarrivingwiththeir
TTuesday,August2,2016,ashundredsofenthusiasts bucketsandspadesbysteamtrainatSwanagestation.
andfanspackedtheplatform.The72-year-oldstar, Manymorewillbefollowingintheirfootstepsin2017
llaammeenntteeddSSoommeerrsseett&&DDoorrsseettJJooiinnttRRaaiillwwaayy wwhofirstvisitedthelinein1956,alightedfroma whentheSwanagebranchisre-openedthroughoutfor
mmaaiinnlliinnee,wwhhiicchhcclloosseeddhhaallffaacceennttuurryyaaggoo. specialtrainandofficiallyunveiledaplaquetomark newtimetabledpublicservicesfromWarehamaftera
Brighton’sVolksElectricRailwayisof thecompletionoftherailway’srecentlyupgradedEnd 45-yeargap.ROBINJONES
oftheLineRestaurantatDungenessstation,which
tremendoushistoricalimportance,anditwasthe
replacedthepreviouswoodenstructure.TheWho’s BELOW:OtherBigFourrailwaycompaniesintheir
firstelectricrailwayinBritainandtheoldestin 1973hit5.15describedatrainjourneyfromLondon advertisingliteratureadoptedtheterm‘SunnySouth’.
theworldstillrunningtoday. toBrightonandwaspartofthegroup’ssecondrock ThismapshowstheSouthcoastandWestCountry
LookingtotheWest,therearetheSouth opera,Quadrophenia.RogerisseeninthecabofDavey resortstowhichyoucouldtravelbybookingwiththe
DevonRailwayandtheneighbouring PaxmanPacificNo.2NorthernChief.RHDR LMS.
DartmouthSteamRailwayofferingadramatic
contrastbetweenanidyllicGWRcountry
branchlineandknock-me-for-sixstunning
coastalandestuarinescenery.
ThesimilarlyscenicWestSomersetRailway
isBritain’slongeststandardgaugeheritage
line,whiletheBodmin&WenfordRailwayhas
asplendidlocomotivecollectionrepresenting
typesthathaveworkedthroughoutthe
delectableDuchyofCornwall.
Andthere’smuch,muchmore.Miniature
railwayswereoncestaplefareatmostUK
resortsinthedaysofsteam,yetintheSunny
Souththeconcepthasbeenhonedtoperfection
withoneoutfit,theMoorsValleyRailway,
buildingitsownlocomotivesonsite.
ThatsloganSunnySouthinspiredmany
generationsofholidaymakersinthedays
ofsteam,andisstilldoingverymuchthe
sametoday.
WillyoubeonthatfirsttraintoWareham,
oronthenextSteamDreams’specialout
ofLondon?
MakingFreshTrackstotheSunnySouthandWest 5
Chapter 1
DREAMING OF SUNNY
S O U T H S T E A M
Southern Regionnn steam ended on July 9, 1967, whennn the
modernisation programme of thirddd-rail electrificationnn and
dieselisation wasss completed. However, steam trains are today a
regular sight in ttthe Sunny South. HHHere, Marcus Robeeertson, founder
ooofff SSSttteeeaaammm DDDrrreeeaaammmsss, wwwhhhooossseee ‘CCCaaattthhheeedddrrrraaalllsss EEExxxppprrreeessssss’ tttrrriiipppsss hhhhhaaavvveee bbbeeecccooommmeee aaa
byword for heritage excellence, exxxplains how steam returned to the
electrified regionnn after 25 years, wwwith several operatooors nowadays
running specials,,, and how his own Mission Impossible to run walk-on
steam tours frommm London succeedeeed against a mounnntain of odds.
LEFT:TheendofSouthern
steam…orwasit?
RebuiltBulleidPacific
No.35030ElderDempster
LinesstandsatWaterloo
onJuly9,1967,withthe
lastSouthernRegion
steampassengerworking.
STEAMDREAMS
6 MakingFreshTrackstotheSunnySouthandWest
T
hedateJuly9,1967issearedintotheee
memoriesofallthemanySouthern
steamfanswhomournedthe
momentthatrebuiltBulleidPacific
No.35050ElderDempsterLinescametoa
haltatthebuffersatWaterlooonthatsunny
summer’sevening.
ItsrunfromWeymouthwasthelast
‘proper’steampassengerhaulageoftheBritishhh
Railways’eraintoLondon.
Therehadbeenrumoursthatafewofthe
BulleidPacificsandBRStandardlocomotives
thathadsurvivedtothelastdaywouldbe
retainedforboattrains,butintheevent
No.35030’sunexpectedforaytothecapitalwaaas
‘TTThhheeeEEEnnnddd’aaasssccchhhaaalllkkkeeedddooonnniiitttssssssmmmoookkkeeebbboooxxx.
Eventhatrunhappenedonlybecauseof
adieselfailureinDorsetasthelocomotive
hadbeendestinedforstoringatWeymouth
ABOVE:MarcusRobertson,founderof‘Cathedrals
beforescrapping. Express’operatorStreamDreams.Heisthesonof
ThroughoutBritishRail’scorporate authorElisabethBeresford,whoin1968createdthe
restructure,steamwastheenemy,andany Wombles,starsofasuccessful1970sTVseries...
opportunitytodestroythepossibilitiesof STEAMDREAMS
runningsteaminthefuturewastakenonthe LEFT:BRStandard5MT4-6-0No.73096leaves
ClaphamJunctionwithaSteamDreams’‘Sunny
SouthernjustasithadbeenontheWestern
SouthSpecial’onJuly9,2004.DONBENN
Regionandasitwastobedoneontherestof
BritishRail.
However,thesoleincursionofsteamon
themainlineinthesouthafterJuly9,1967
werethelightenginemovesoftwoofartist
DavidShepherd’sformerBRlocomotivesfrommm
CricklewoodtoLongmoorMilitaryRailway
inApril1968,buttheyweredonewithoutany
fanfareorpublicity.
Theofficialendofsteamhaulage
onBRwasmarkedbythelegendary
1T57‘FifteenGuineaSpecial’excursion
fffromLLLiiiverpoolllviiiaMMManchhhestertoCCCarllliiisllleandddd
backfromonAugust11,1968.
Steamwastosuccessfullyre-emergein
1971,andthemancreditedwithpersuadingthe
BRboardtodoaU-turnwasPeterPrior,then K4No.3442TheGreatMarquess;A3No.447222 AAAbbbrrreeeaaakkkttthhhrrrooouuuggghhhooonnnttthhheeennnooonnn-eeellleeeccctttrrriiifififieeedddpppaaarrrttt
chiefexecutiveofBulmers,cidermanufacturerrrs FlyingScotsmanandA4No.4498SirNigel offftheSouthernRegioncamein1986whenthe
inHereford,whichhadsponsoredtheoverhaulll Gresley,butalsonativepowerintheshapeof thhhenareamanageratSalisbury,GerryDaniels,
ofNationalCollectionGWR4-6-0No,6000 LBSCR‘Terrier’0-6-0TNo.55Stepneyand wwwasgivenpermissiontooperatesteam-hauled
KingGeorgeV. E40-6-2TNo.473BirchGrove;LSWR4-4-2T ‘BBBlackmoreValeExpress’trainsonthe42miles
Peterwantedtoseetheenginehaulthe No.488,andT9‘Greyhound’4-4-0No.120. beeetweenSalisburyandYeovilJunction.
five-coachBulmersPullmanexhibitiontrain However,withthirdrailanaddedhazard Accordingly,onOctober11thatyear,
onapromotionaltourofthecountry,and inthemindsofBritishRailmanagers,steam NNNetworkSouthEastranthe‘BlackmoorVale
succeeded.Afewextracoacheswereaddedforrr ontheelectrifiedSouthernRegionwas Exxxpress’,hauledbyClass33dieselNo.33007
fare-payingpassengersandNo.6000madea strictlyforbiddenparticularlyafterenthusiasts frrromWaterlootoSalisbury,fromwhere
four-daytouroftheWesternRegion,takingin trespassedonelectrifiedtrackatEastleigh BulleidMerchantNavyPacificNo.35028Clan
KensingtonOlympiaandBirminghaminearlyyy WorksduringanopendayonMay13,1973. LiiinetookoverfortworunstoYeovilJunction
October1971. Thatincidentledtothecancellationofatour annndback.
Afternoseriousproblemswereencountereddd, headedbyBulleidMerchantNavyPacific FromSalisbury,dieselNos.33007and
BRannounceditsverylimited‘Returnto No.35028ClanLinescheduledforOctober13. 3333048headedthetrainbacktoWaterloo.
Steam’commencinginJune1972. Fromthatmomentontherewasabsolutely OnJuly23,1988,Keighley&Worth
Thismarkedthestartoftoday’smainline noprospectofsteambeingallowedanywhere VVVaaalleyRailway-basedunmodifiedBulleid
sssttteeeaaammmooopppeeerrraaatttiiiooonnnsss... nnneeeaaarrrttthhheeettthhhiiirrrdddrrraaaiiillliiinnnttthhheeeSSSooouuuttthhhaaannndddiiitttbbbeeecccaaammmeee WWWWestCountryPacificNo.34092CittyyyofWells
Demarcationlineswerelaiddown:lightly asteamdesert,eventhoughsomeofthe haaauledthe‘BlackmoreValeExpress’between
usedroutes,topspeed60mph,suitablesteam most-forwardthinkingheritagerailwayswere Saaalisbury,YeovilJunctionandRomsey.
locomotivebasednearby,andtrianglesor springingupintheSunnySouth. ReeespectedrecorderGAMWoodunofficially
otherturningfacilitiesateachend.Bythen Therewasvirtuallynomainlinesteam loooggeditat93mph–thelimitbeing60mph–
BRhadrippedoutallsteaminfrastructure,fewww actionontheregionthroughoutthe1970sand accccordingtotheRailwayPerformanceSociety
turntablesexistedandtherewerevirtuallyno muchofthe1980s,andmainlinecertificated daaatabase.Othersonboardthetrainhintedat
wateringfacilities. SRsteamenginestendedtobeseenonlynorth 9444mph,betweenWiltonandDintonandalso
Whileoverthenextfewyearssteamsettleddd ofLondon. neeearGillingham.Therehasneverbeenany
intoasmallandcontrolledreturn,organised Nevertheless,ClanLinestillbecameone offfficialconfirmationofthespeedonthatday.
andrunbyBritishRail,itwasstrictlylimitedttto ofthefirstpreservedlocomotivestoreturnon WestCountryPacificNo.34027Taw
secondaryroutessuchastheSettle&Carlisle, thenetwork.OnApril27,1974,ithauledits Vaaaalllllleeeyyy’sssFFFooolllkkkeeessstttooonnneeeHHHaaarrrbbbooouuurrrbbbrrraaannnccchhhssshhhuuuttttttllleeesss
andMarylebonetoStratford-upon-Avonroutesss. firstmainlinesteamtour,fromBasingstoke innnSeptember1991broughtsteambacktothe
Yes,therehadbeenseveralstandout toWestburyandreturn,inwhatwasthenan EaaasternSectionaftermanyyears.
railtoursontheSouthernRegioninthe1960s exceedinglyrarereappearanceofsteamin Furthermore,steamranbeyondYeovilon
involvingpreservedsteamlocomotives.There theSunnySouth.BRStandard9F2-10-0 occccasions,withTawValleyreachingExeter
weresomeinterloperssuchasGNR0-6-0ST No.92203BlackPrincesubsequentlyranon CentralinJune1992andevenStDavidsin
No.1247;CaledonianSingleNo.123;LNER thesameroute. Seeeptember1993.
MMMakingFreshTrackstotheSunnySouthandWest 7
LLEEFFTT::DDiiddBBuulllleeiiddWWeessttCCoouunnttrryyPPaacciifificcNNoo.3344009922CCiittyy
ofWellshaulthe‘BlackmoreValeExpress’at94mph
onJuly23,1988?ThetrainisseenpassingBarfordSt
Martin.BRIANSHARPE
RIGHT:NetworkSouthEast’s‘BlackmoreValeExpress’
onOctober11,1986sawthefirststeamonthe
SouthernRegioninadecade.ThetwoSalisbury
round-triplegsonthedaywerehauledbyMerchant
Navy4-6-2No.35028ClanLine.Thespecialisseen
passingStowell.BRIANSHARPE
THESUNNYSOUTHIN beforemigratingtotheNorthYorkshire
YORKSHIRE! MoorsRailway,alinethatalsoplayed
OnitsGreenTrain,notonlydidtheMid Duringthesteamdroughhhtofthe1970sand hosttoWestCountrylightPacific
HantsturnoutWestCountryNo.34016Bodmin 1980s,activeSouthernsssteamtookthe No.34101HartlandandSchools4-4-0
butmogulsNos.31806and31625,followedby spiritoftheSunnySouthhhfarawayfrom No.30926Repton.
MerchantNavyNo.35005CanadianPacific. hometerritory. TheKeighley&WorthValleyRailwaaayhad
Privatisationofthemainlinenetworkreally ClanLinewasbasedatBulmersin USA‘Yankeetank’0-6-0TNo.72andmmmore
openedthefloodgatesformainlinesteamon Hereford,andregularlyrantopointseven importantlyWestCountryPacificNo.3400092
theSouthern,andsteamisalmostaneveryday furthernorth.S154-6-0No.841made CittyyyofWells,which,aswesaw,didmakkkeone
sightonthemainlineinthe21stcentury. twotripsinEastAngliainthelate1970s, memorablevisittotheSouthernRegionfrom
Yorkshire,butnotuntil1988.
TheNationalCollection’stwoSRexpppress
BELOW:OnSeptember12and13,1991,NetworkSouthEastranaseriesofshuttlesontheFolkestoneHarbour
4-6-0sNo.777SirLamielandNo.850LLLord
branchwithBulleidWestCountrylightPacificNo.34027TawValleyandBRStandard4MT2-6-4TNo.80080on
Nelsonwereverymuchnorthernenginesssin
therear,aspartoftheShepwayFestival.TheshuttleisseenheadingoutoftheFolkestoneseaterminalbehind
TawValley.BRIANSHARPE the1980saftertheirrestorations.
8 MakingFreshTrackstotheSunnySouthandWest
singletraintoEastleigh,apparentlytravelling
downtheSouthWesternmainlineshortlyafter
dawn,passingbleary-eyedcommuterswho
musthavebelievedtheywerestillasleepand
enjoyingaSteamDream!
Thejinxhadbeenbrokenandthegeniewas
wellandtrulyoutofthebottle.SteveMcColl,
ABOVE:RebuiltBulleidPacificNo.35030ElderDempsterLinesasseenfromthewestendofthelongDown
ChrisGreen’sright-handmanforsteam,
platformatBournemouthCentralstationonMay10,1958.BuiltinApril1949,itwasrebuiltinApril1958,and
withdrawninJuly1967.BENBROOKSBANK* quicklyrealisedthepotentialofsteamonthe
Southernbutcontinuedtotakethetrespass
worriesseriouslybyannouncingan8pm
STEAMRUNSONELECTRIC Boardingthhhetrainandpayingawalk-uppp departurewithTawValleyfromWaterlooto
LINESAGAIN fare,the100ooorsopassengersonboardsettllled BournemouthonSeptember11,1992,proving
OnaweeeekendatthebeginningofJune1992, backtoenjoyaaanabsolutelymagicaltimeassswe thatsteamreallywasbackintheSunnySouth!
NSEorggganisedshuttlesbetweenAshfordand steamedoffonnnalovelysummer’sevening. Withnoserioustrespassproblemsbeing
HastingggsusingWestCountrylightPacific Inthedaysbeforetheinternetandsocialll encountered,steamwaseventuallypermittedin
No.3400067TawValleyandBRStandard4MT media,almostnoonehadwindofitandaswe daylightonelectrifiedroutesfrom1994.
2-6-0NNNo.76059. steamedpasthhhousesandrailwaystationsthhhe
Thesssewentasfarastobreachthethird-rail senseofdisbellliefwasquitepalpable. WATERLOOSUNSET–ANEW
embargoooatthemargins,leavingastheydid Thetriprannnasplannedotherthanthe DAWN
fromAssshfordstationandalsotravelling factthatthe6000mphspeedrestriction,theniiin Itwastobeyetagainaftersunsetthatwewere
overtheeeelectrifiedshortsectionbetweenOre placeforsteammm,wasdefinitelydisregarded toleaveWaterloo,butthedifferencewasthat
andHassstings. andathree-miiinutelatestartfromAshford thistimethewholeworldknewaboutit.
Asaaatesteritwasverysuccessful,attracting hadbecomeannnon-timearrivalatLondon Onceagain,travellingwithafriend,Iwas
sell-outtrainsandwithoutreportoftrespassnear Bridge.Evenmmmoreremarkablewaswhile amongtheluckyhundredswhohadmanagedto
thethirddddraiiilll(((iiinthhhosedddaysawayfffromthhhethhhiiirddd wewereadddmiiirrringTawValleyatthebuffers getticketsonatrainthatcouldhavebeensold
railminnnortrespasswouldprobablyhavebeen andmarvellingggatmorethanaquarterofa out50timesover.
overlookkkedanyway). century’ssteammmdeprivationbeingsweptawwway Forthosethathadwatchedtherebuilt
Moreeeintriguinglyitwasleakedtoselected sounexpectedllly–whenNo.75069and,I Bulleidsplytheirtradeontheoldmainline
railwayjournaliststhataftertheSunday’s believeKingAAArthurclass4-6-0No.30777Sir fromWaterlooassteamgraduallyfadedduring
shuttleswerefinished,therewouldbea Lamielalmostsilentlysliduptothebuffersss themid-1960s,thisreallywastheholygrail.
returnspppecialtoLondonBridgehauledby doubleheadingggtheirsupportcoaches. EchoingsteamfanRayDavies’shitforThe
“unusuaaaltraction”.Whatcouldthatpossibly Fromhavinnngnolocomotivestravelling Kinks,WaterlooSunset,TawValleypulledout
mean?SSSurelyonlyonething,asinthosedays acrossthird-raaailterritory,suddenlyherewerrre ofWaterloo25yearstwomonthsandtwodays
somethiiinglikeClass33tractionwasnot threeinthespaaaceofhalfanhourrunningupppthe sincethelaststeamlocomotivehadbeenseen
unusualll,soitmusthavemeantsteam. SouthEasternRailwaymainline,andwhileeeI inthecapital(otherthanthepreservedA3
Itwaaascertainlyenoughofacarrottogetme retiredhometoooaveryhappynight’ssleep,even No.4472FlyingScotsmantripfromKing’s
totakeaaariskanddrivedowntoAshfordfor moreremarkabbblethingsfollowed. CrosstoEdinburghinMay1968).
the9.3000pmstart,andsureenoughtherewas Allthreelooocomotivesweresentwiththeeeir Asthetraingatheredpaceinthegloom,
TawValllleywaitingtohaulthecoachesbackto threesupportcccoachescoupledtogetherinaaa iiitttsssoooooonnnbbbeeecccaaammmeeecccllleeeaaarrrttthhhaaatttttthhhiiissswwwaaasssnnnoootttjjjuuussstttaaannn
Londonnnwithnodieselinsight!
Whaaatfollowedwasquitesurreal,asthe
cloak-annnd-daggerpublicitymeantthatfew
enthusiaaastshadbotheredtomakethelate
SundayeveningpilgrimagetoEastKent.
RIGHT:RebuiltBulleidWestCountrylightPacific
No.34016BodminheadspasttheHousesof
Parliamentwitha‘CathedralsExpress’outingin2002.
SSTTEEAAMMDDRREEAAMMSS
MakingFreshTrackstotheSunnySouthandWest 9
ABOVE:BRStandard5MT4-6-0No.73096headsa
‘SunnySouthSpecial’fromLondontoWeymouthin
thesummerof2004.BRIANSHARPE
RIGHT:SRKingArthur4-6-0No.30777SirLamiel,a
NationalCollectionlocomotive,passingBattledownwith
the‘CathedralsExpress’fromLondonVictoriatoSwanage
onJuly9,2010.DONBENN
epoch-makingevent,butalsosomethingthat WWWWWemaddddeourwattttersttttoppp44447777miiiillllesawayy wiiiitttthhhhiiiittttsDDDDayylllliiiigghhhhttttRRRRaiiiillllttttoursppprogggrammeusiiiingggiiiitttts
reachedintothesouloftheBritishpsyche. atBasingstoke,injustthe55minutes ownlocomotivesandnewlyacquiredstock,the
Mywifehadtakenourtwoyoungchildren allowed,andarrivedatBournemouthontimmme GreenTrain.PaulBlowfield’sLSWRailtours
toWoking,andshecouldbarelygetonthe inthelateevening,toacrowdestimatedat alsosprangupspecificallytotakeadvantage
platformbutmanagedtobethereasTawValley between5-10,000. ofthisnew-foundfreedomforsteam,as
spedpastthehugecrowdsinthegloamingat enthusiastsgraduallysatedtheirappetites.
77mph.Bothcrowdsandspeedwerereplicated RECLAIMINGLOSTTERRITORY NotonlydidtheMidHantsturnoutWest
allalongtheroute. Overthecomingmonths,theboundaries CountryNo.34016BodminbutSRmoguls
werepushedfurtherbackas Nos.31806and31625aswell,followedby
eachsuccessivetourallowed MerchantNavyNo.35005CanadianPacific.
moregradualdaytimeexposurrre Privatisationofthemainlinenetworkreally
ooofffsssttteeeaaammmooonnnttthhheeettthhhiiirrrddd-rrraaaiiilll openedthefloodgatesformainlinesteamon
network.TawValleywas theSouthern.
undoubtedlythehistorymakerrr ClanLineremainedthespiritualleaderof
andMerchantNavy4-6-2 theSouthernsteamrevivalandspearheadedthe
No.35028ClanLinesoonjoinnned useofairbrakesonpreservedmainlinesteam
thefun,asgraduallywhathaddd intheUKin1994,leadingtoitsregularuseon
seemedanimpossibledream theVeniceSimplonOrient-ExpressPullmans,
becamethenewnorm. recreatingggthesiggghtoftheSouthernRegggion’s
TheMidHantsRailway premierPullmansteamworkings.
unexpectedlytooktheplunge Iteventuallybecameclearthattosurvive
intomainlineoperationin199998 longterm,regularsteamintheSouthwould
needtogothewayofregularoperations
elsewhereinthecountryandprovideaproduct
attractiveenoughfornon-enthusiasts…andjust
asimportantlythewivesofenthusiasts.
LEFT:Nolongermerelycontenttorunwalk-ondaytrips,
SteamDreamshassuccessfullyexpandedintotheland
cruisemarket.Here,BRPacificNo.70000Britannia
standsatLondonVictoriaonMay18,2012waitingto
headtheseven-day‘CathedralsExplorer’toScotland
amongotherdestinationsenroute.JOHNTITLOW
10 MaaakingFreshTrackstotheSunnySouthandWest