20th December 2007

Steam Dreams
The Cathedrals Express

Locos Used 37248 & steam : 34067 'Tangemere'
Stock Used 35518+5237+5249+1961+5236+99350+9392+13440+5216+1840+5222

Route:
1Z92 : London Waterloo to Yeovil Junction
1Z93 : Yeovil Junction to London Waterloo

Loco(s) Route
34067 London Waterloo - Clapham Junction - Richmond - Staines - Chertsey - Woking - Basingstoke - Andover - Salisbury - Gillingham - Sherborne - Yeovil Junction
37248 (1) Yeovil Junction - Yeovil Pen Mill - Castle Cary - (via Frome avoiding line) (2) - Westbury
34067 Westbury - Warminster - Salisbury - (reverse of outward route) - Woking - Surbiton - Wimbledon - Earlsfield - Clapham Junction - London Waterloo

Notes :
(1) 34067 on rear.
(2) booked via Frome but ran via avoiding line.

Sources : John Clifford (on the train throughout)

Tour Review
(by John Clifford)

This was the usual trip which Steam Dreams run for the carol concert in Sherborne Abbey with the option of continuing to Yeovil if you didn't want to go to the abbey.

On the outward journey we were keeping roughly to time until we were stopped at Byfleet Junc. This, combined with the time needed to get passengers on board meant we left Woking over 10 mins late. To allow a following "444" to pass we ran onto the slow line just before Farnborough, returning to the fast line at Winchfield. Thus we got to Salisbury 20 late, but by cutting down on the time needed to take water we were only 12 late away. Final arrival at Yeovil Junction was 13 late after an extended stop at Sherborne.

Good news for visitors to Yeovil Junction is that the station buffet has reopened after being shut for nearly a year. I found the food to be good.

The return journey was originally advertised as being back up the main line to Waterloo. However, the A30 bridge at Sherborne is still giving problems & our engine was out of gauge there so that meant a detour via Westbury. The diesel expected for this part was 50049 but this was under repair so the usual West Coast 37 deputised. Passengers from Sherborne were conveyed by coach to Yeovil Pen Mill but heavy traffic delayed them & we left Pen Mill 34 late. By missing out going via Frome & some smart work reversing at Westbury we left there less than 10 late.

The rest of the run back was of a high standard and, had we not been diverted to the slow line between Surbiton & New Malden we might have got to Waterloo on time.

John Clifford

Timings (
Booked and Actual)
(from John Clifford)

Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual
London Waterloo 10.10d 10.15   21.47a 21.53
Nine Elms Jn 10/16 10/21½   ? ?
Queenstown Road 10/18 10/22   ? ?
Clapham Junction 10/21 10/25   21/37 21/42½
Barnes 10/28 10/29  
Richmond 10/32 10/32  
Twickenham 10/36 10/37  
Whitton Jn 10/38 10/40½  
Feltham Jn 10/39 10/41  
Feltham 10/41 10/42½  
Staines 10/48 10/48  
Virginia Water 10/57 10/59½  
Addlestone Jn 11/08 11/09½  
Wimbledon   21/30½ 21/36½
New Malden   21/26½ 21/33
Surbiton   21/20½ 21/27
Hampton Court Jn   21/19 21/23½
Byfleet & New Haw 11/11 11/19   ? ?
Woking 11.18a ~ 11.20d 11.26½ ~ 11.30½   21.01a ~ 21.05d 21.06 ~ 21.11
Woking Jn 11/22 11/33   20/58 21/04
Farnborough 11/32 11/44½   20/51 20/54½
Basingstoke 11/46 12/05½   20/38 20/42
Worting Jn 11/50 12/09   20/34 20.34 ~ 20.35
Andover 12/11 12/28   20/05 20/09
Salisbury Tunnel Jn 12/30 12/46   19/45 19/50
Salisbury 12w33 ~ 13w03 12.53 ~ 13.15   19w14 ~ 19w42 19.13 ~ 19.45
Wilton Jn 13/08 13/21   19/06 19/09
Wilton South 13/12 13/22  
Tisbury Loop 13/24 13/34  
Gillingham 13*37 ~ 13*42 13/49  
Templecombe 13/52 14/02  
Sherborne 14.02a ~ 14.07d 14.12½ ~ 14.20  
Wylye   18/56 19/01
Upton Lovell   18/51 18/57
Warminster   18/44 18/51
Westbury   18L14 ~ 18L31 18.36 ~ 18.40½
Fairwood Jn   18/09 18/30
Clink Road Jn   18/04 18/26
Frome   17/58 DIV
Blatchbridge Jn   17/54 18/24
Witham   17/48 18/20
Castle Cary   17/34 18/07
Yeovil Pen Mill   17.09a ~ 17.14d 17.32½ ~ 17.48
Yeovil Junction 14.20a 14.33   17.03d 17.25


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