Steam railways update – by Tony Bartlett

Steam excursions are beginning to appear again in our area as the holiday season progresses. However much of my railway time in May was spent recording the last workings of the GWR HST125 sets, and first upgraded IET local services between Paddington and Bedwyn at the change to the Summer timetable. Nevertheless in the last quarter I’ve reported on 8 steam workings involving 7 different classes of steam loco in the Sightings section of Steam Special on the CHAIN Mail web-site.

I am pleased to report that the boiler problems with the LNER 4-6-0 Mayflower were sorted out and it put in a couple of appearances in the south of the area, looking particularly attractive hurrying through Andover on a scorching hot day in June. I took the new GWR local service to Reading to study the pacific Clan Line and the stock of the British Pullman while at their station stop en route to Bristol. You can better appreciate the engineering and workmanship of these fine old vehicles when they are not rushing past at speed.

The Didcot – Swindon line had more than its share of specials and my usual overbridge at Bourton was thronging with spectators to see Flying Scotsman on a Cotswolds circular. On 15^th June the line from Didcot to Oxford was celebrating its 175^th anniversary – originally a Brunel branch line built controversially after the city was bypassed by his GWR main line to Bristol. Appropriately to the occasion Vintage Trains ran an associated Oxford 175 special hauled by GWR Castle-class 4-6-0 Clun Castle, which put on a vintage performance as it stormed through Pangbourne to be captured by my waiting camera.

The steam drought on our line was unexpectedly broken when Union of South Africa passed through, practically unannounced, on 9^th June while working back to the depot at Southall. The loco pottering along with just its one support coach hardly counts, but in contrast, LMS pacific Duchess of Sutherland made a strong impression on 27^th July with the first West Somerset Steam Express (WSSE) of the year. In steady rain on a cool day after a hot dry spell, it looked the picture of a classic steam express with 11 carriages in tow. Ironically, later in the journey, a number of lineside fires broke out and the operators were obliged to send a diesel loco out from Southall to work the return journey!

The second WSSE is due to be running on 17^th August – I’m hoping the steam ban will be lifted by then. Looking further ahead the Railway Touring Co are providing us with another chance to pick up a steam train at Newbury with their Bath and Cardiff Christmas Markets special on 10^th Dec. RTC and Steam Dreams will be running most of the rest of the steam specials in our area up to the end of the year, but they will have to be joined at Reading. UK Railtours will have run an Atlantic Coast Express on the 10^th Aug, passing through Andover. I remember nostalgically a now-impossible journey to Ilfracombe on the ACE with West Country class pacifics in ‘steam days’ – almost exactly 60 years ago!