Southern Snow

70006 leads a very lightly loaded Freighliner south at Worting Junction. Weekend engineering works which should have seen the train diverted via Andover had been cancelled due to the cold weather. 02/02/2019.

Repatriated from Germany by GBRf, 59003 crosses Battledown
Flyover heading from Eastleigh to Westbury. 02/02/2019

Conditions of snow and sunshine are rare in the UK, but these are the conditions that much of the country woke to on 2nd February 2019. Heavy snow had fallen across much of the UK over the previous 24 hours- including a blanket over much of the south of England. Many locations saw up to 5cm of snow settle but in some spots local accumulations were much larger. One area which saw more than its fair share of snowfall was Basingstoke which saw around 30cm of snow falling the previous day. This caused local transport chaos with roads blocked and cars abandoned- main routes including the M3 motorway became virtually impassable.

The railway was not unaffected either with a number of snow-laden trees falling onto the line between Basingstoke and Eastleigh rendering the route blocked. Over the weekend the route was scheduled to be blocked for engineering work, however the low temperatures resulted in the work being postponed. Freight services due to divert via Andover were able to continue running down the mainline however the planned diverted passenger services could not be altered back at such short notice.
Conditions were a photographers paradise and I was certainly not alone trekking out into the freezing conditions. Thanks also to those who got together to get our cars out of the car park at Worting Junciton!

159007 in the first variation of South Western Railway livery passes under Battledown Flyover with a West of England service. 02/02/2019

A 9 car class 159 formation wears a variety of liveries typifying the transition
from South West Trains to South Western Railway as it crosses Worting
Junction with an Exeter bound service. 02/02/2019

After a successful few hours at Worting there was one more target for the camera- A4 Pacific 60009 Union of South Africa working the Bellmond Surrey Hills Pullman. Unfortunately the snow diminished as I drove towards Guildford and by the time I reached Gomshall bank there were only remnants of the previous snow- however as the train appeared, a little late, the sky cleared to perfect sunshine for what may be the last appearance of 60009 on the Pullmans before it is retired as a static exhibit later in 2019. A cracking day of photography all in all and definitely a good day not to have been in the office!

60009 'Union of South Africa' makes a fine sight as it hammers up Gomshall bank with the VSOE Surrey Hills Luncheon. The Gresley Pacific was standing in for the usual traction, Merchant Navy 35028 which was on winter maintenance. 02/02/2019

Autumn RHTT's

73201 Broadlands approaches Kingswood on the Tattenham Corner branch in Surrey on 17th November 2017 with the 3W91 RHTT based out of Tonbridge Yard and operated by GBRf. The train visits several commuter railways which do not see loco hauled traffic.

MPV's while less interesting that the loco hauled operation cover the RHTT
operation in many parts of the country. A Sussex based unit is seen at
Clapham Junction on 24th October 2017 waiting clearance from the
West London Line onto the Brighton Main Line.

In early December the last of the Autumn Rail Head Treatment Trains ran on the network for 2017. These trains provide interest annually covering a variety of lines which may not regularly see loco-hauled traction for the majority of the year. Trains are supplied by all of the major freight companies which also brings a wide selection of traction which this year has included class 20, 37, 56, 57, 66, 67 and 73. The trains jet the rails with water at high pressure to remove a build up of leaf mulch which affects both adhesion of trains and can also interfere with detection of trains by track circuits. As well as loco-hauled RHTT sets Network Rail also use their Multi Purpose Vehicles for many circuits which undertake jetting and can also apply an adhesion modifier to the rails in the form of Sandite paste.

66723 'Chinook' leads 66710 through Camden Road while jetting with the 3W81 circuit from Broxbourne. It doesn't take long for these trains to build up a thick layer of dirt associated with the water jetting. 29.11.2017

20303 and 20305 have been the regular traction for the DRS operated South Yorkshire RHTT during 2017 with 20312 providing backup. Class 20's have been used on these workings once again due to weight restrictions, the DRS fleet now seeing very limited use aside from these duties. Once again 2017 has been mooted as the last year for the DRS class 20's on RHTT duties- only time will tell! 20303 'Max Joule 1958-1999' (re-named from 20301) and 20305 approach Brough with the 3S14 circuit from Sheffield to Hull on 18th November.

73128 'OVS Bullied' stands at the usually EMU only branch terminus of Tattenham Corner ready to continue the 3W91 circuit back towards Tonbridge on 17th November

Barrington 47's

Opportunities to see class 47's on 'proper' freight trains in 2017 are few and far between- it is therefore no surprise that photographers have been out in force recently as GBRf have been using a pair of class 47's on spoil trains between Wembley and Barrington. The trains convey spoil from London which is deposited at the former Barrington Quarry site near Foxton where it is being used to restore the former chalk pits. Rail Operations Group have been contracted to supply traction to the train while there is reduced capacity in the GBRf fleet, however the heritage traction should only be a temporary measure. On 29th November 2017 47815 and 47848 pass Camden Road with the empty train, 6T02, heading back to Wembley. Class 56's have also appeared on recent workings to/from Barrington.

Sheffield Icons

3rd June 2017 marked the 60th anniversary of the handover of pilot scheme D8000 from English Electrics Vulcan Foundary at Newton-le-Willows to British Railways. The first of 20 pilot scheme diesel locos which would lead to a successful production run totaling 228 engines had appeared on the rail network. The class 20's soon found their worth and were a familiar sight throughout the early diesel era, often working in pairs bonnet-to-bonnet providing a lightweight 2000hp power solution (and also removing the issue of the poor visability for the loco crew when driving 'bonnet first'. While withdrawal of the class by BR began in the mid 1980's some members of the class did make it through to the privatised era, most notably with DRS employing a fleet of up to 15 modified class 20/3's. In more recent years Harry Needle Railroad Company (HNRC) has returned several class 20's to the main line for hire contracts, including to GBRf for work delivering London Underground S-Stock train sets from Derby.
On Sunday 16th July GBRf ran one of their occasional charity trips the 'Charitably Chibble' tour from Ipswich to Basingstoke (via Sheffield) employing a pair of HNRC class 20's for the section north of Peterbrough. GBRf turned out 20132 and 20118, the pair of Railfreight Red Stripe and undoubtedly the best looking locomotives of the class on the network today. As well as raising more than £21,000 for charity GBRf provided a great day out behind these locomotives of 60 year design vintage. While 20's were never common on passenger trains they certainly would have been regulars to the Sheffield area with many of the class being based at the large marshalling yard at Tinsley. 20132 and 20118 are here pictured at Sheffield station, overlooked by an icon of the Sheffield skyline the Park Hill estate, another product of 1957 when construction began. This modernist estate of 995 dwellings took influence from the work of French architect and urban planner Le Courbusier was initially popular but fell into decline in the 1980's and 90's. Controversially the estate was awarded Grade II listed status in 1988 becoming the largest listed building in Europe. Renovation of Park Hill began in 2009 and full completion of the scheme is expected in 2022.

A hot day in London- 22 June 2005

Those in the south of the UK will have struggled not to notice the heat this week as the mercury has soared to well over 30°c degrees since the weekend. While travelling in these hot conditions it reminded me of a very sucessful day out photographing railways in London some 12 years ago. 22nd June 2005 was another very hot day with temperatures peaking in the low 30's (Gravesend in Kent recorded it's highest temperature of the year the following day at 32.1°c. On the railways a lot is still very recognisable from 12 years ago but there have also been a lot of changes. My day started by heading to Barnes in South West London for the very final slam-door scrap move from SWT. GBRf's 66710 was hauling 4-VEP 3520 from Wimbledon running as 6Z41 the 11:05 to MOD Shoeburyness. The final service train for the SWT slam door fleet having run during May.

66710 haules 3520 towards Barnes. This was the last slam door to leave SWT aside from 'Celebrity' VEP 3417 and the two 3 CIG's which were kept specially for the Lymington branch.

59203 hauls an empty 'Jumbo' train from Acton to the Mendips

Next stop was Ealing Broadway where a variety of traction was on offer on freight services, plus of course the regular passage of Paxman Valenta powered HST's. Brand new were the Heathrow Connec class 360's which entered service just ten days earlier on 12th June between Paddington and Heathrow Airport supplementing the class 332's on 'express' services.

67029 sports it's then fairly freshly applied silver livery.

Freight was plentiful with the majority being in the hands of class 59's of various liveries. Aside from the flow of 59's class 60's were common with 60015, 60026 and 60061 being sighted within a few hours between Ealing Broadway and Acton Main Line. Other freight was handled by class 66's from Freighliner and EWS with a solitary wagon being hauled by a rather over-powered 67016. There were a couple of special workings which we had particularly come to see; 67029 in it's new silver livery and another slam door move with Freighliner's 47841 hauling South Central 4-CIG's 1867/8/9 as 5Z45 Stewarts Lane - Caerwent in South Wales.

Another of the almost endless slam door scrap trains- 47841 hauls CIG's 1867, 1868 and 1869 through Ealing Broadway.

220018 on a Brighton service at Clapham Junction.

Moving on from the Great Western it was time to end the evening the way that most of my trips ended around this time- with a few rides on what still remained of the 'slammers' on Southern and South Eastern. Workings were beginning to become more scarce but it was still not difficult to achieve an all slam door move first from Victoria to East Croydon and back before taking the 17:49 Victoria to Broadstairs (which was booked for the last 12-CEP at the time) to Bromley South for another slammer back into Victoria. A final 'blast from the past' on the way home is a Virgin Voyager at Clapham Junciton on one of the now withdrawn workings to Brighton. Thus ended a hot and sticky day sweltering in the sun- I'd do it again for those trains though! 

The joys of fresh air and slam doors during their last summer.

Swanage Diesel Gala 2017

45041 powers away from Norden towards Swanage. The high vantage point is provided by the National Trust's Corfe Castle.

33111 shunts at Norden Park & Ride 5/5/2017

The Swanage Railway is without doubt one of my favorite preserved lines in the UK and each May is host to arguably one of the best diesel galas in the country. This year was of course no exception and I headed down on the Friday to sample the action. Eight preserved locos took part this year from the home and visiting fleets, Class 20's D8059 and D8188 joined 26043, D6515 (33012), 33111, 45041, Class 47 D1842 and 50026. Four further visitors were sourced from main line operators with GRRf sending 73119, 73961 and 66741 and Colas sending 56096, one of the major highlights of this years line up.

50026 'Indomitable' between Corfe Castle and Harmans Cross.

GBRf 66741 'Swanage Railway' and 73119 'Borough of Eastleigh'
viewed from Corfe Castle heading towards Norden.

With 9 locos in action (one class 33 each day worked driver experience trains north of Norden) there was a lot to cover however as always I had a very enjoyable day on the trains and despite the weather being somewhat overcast at times got a good selection of photographs. The diesel gala is complimented by a beer festival at Corfe Castle and of course the stunning Purbeck scenery. From late summer the Swanage Railway hopes to begin running scheduled heritage diesel services through from Swanage to connect with the main line at Wareham.

56096 heads towards Swanage with the remains of Corfe Castle dominating the skyline.

56096 visiting from Colas Rail arrives at Harmans Cross with a service bound for Norden. 5/5/2017.

In the bleak Mid-Norfolk

Friday 30th December 2016 should have been a great day out on a railtour with friends heading up to the Mid Norfolk Railway with a class 442 and some 31's with the Rail Operations Group. Sadly for reasons which have still not entirely been explained the tour was cancelled for because of a 'gauging' issue. With the day booked off work and a ticket to the Mid-Norfolk event a plan was hashed together to visit and support the railway regardless. The MNR itself had lost three of it's visiting locos through the cancellation of the tour and the remaining traction taking part in the diesel day was 45133, 47367, 47596 and 66776. The two 47's are based on the line while the class 47 'Peak' was making it's last runs before moving home to the Midland Railway Butterley after an extended stay. 66776 was provided by the ever friendly GBRf at short notice.














The weather was forcast to be gloomy and cold and as we set off from Kings Cross on a class 365 (far less exciting than a loco hauled 'Wessex'!) we were surprised when full sun conditions developed as we neared Hitchin. These were to be short lived and by the time we had arrived at Wymondham the cloud that would envelop us for the remainder of the day had arrived.
Several runs were had on the railway with all four locomotives, the opportunity was also available to travel on the northern extension of the railway beyond Dereham to Hoe, a route which is currently only available for use on a limited number of days each year. Despite the cancellation of the railtour trains on the line were well patronised and with heating provided throughout and the addition of the Mk3 Buffet serving freshly cooked breakfasts it was a pleasant day ambling through the Norfolk countryside- even if the gloom meant there wasn't too much to see!
At the end of the day it was time to head back to London for some much needed pub grub in the Parcel Yard pub at Kings Cross. A few more friends joined and thus ended the railway year.

Four on a Saturday Morning - 21.01.2017

The main event; preserved 'Large Logo' 37025 continues to work for Colas Rail on test train duties. On this occasion it is partnered with sister 'split box' machine 37099 as it heads down through Petts Wood Junction with a test train from Hither Green. The train was due to terminate at Woking having spent most of the day covering lines in Kent however due to the lack of an available driver later in the day the train was instead terminated at Tonbridge.

With the morning dawning cold and crisp and the promise of two class 37's leading trains within an hour I couldn't resist heading down South East London to catch the trains heading down towards Kent.

The first train of the day was 66012 with an engineering train from Hoo Junction to St Leonards. 

I've been meaning to catch up with the class 375 drags for some while as they've been running with Rail Operations Group class 37's for well over a year now. 37800 is seem approaching Petts Wood on 5z58 with  an overhauled 37805 in tow returning from Derby to Ramsgate. ROG have pioneered the concept of moving units without the need for barrier wagons.

Things worked out nicely that there was time to catch one final stock movement on the way home. 66730 is seen approaching Hither Green with 5X89 the Slade Green - Doncaster 'Networker' drag. This move contained more traditional barrier wagons, though interesting these are formed of former class 508 vehicles owned by Arlington Fleet Services. 

Bluebell Diesel Gala 2016

20905 leads 73119 away from Horstead Keynes with a train for East Grinstead on the Saturday 16th April.

Over the weekend of the 15-17th April 2016 the Bluebell Railway in Sussex held only its second ever diesel gala. Following the success of its almost unprecedented 'Double Deltic' event last year this once 'steam only' line invited an impressive line up of seven loco's from the GBRf fleet to company it's own class 09 shunter for three days of diesel frolics. Present at the railway were 09018, 20901, 20905, 47739, 66770, 73107, 73119, 73136 and 73964  (since the GBRf handed back their class 47's to Rivera trains a Colas example instead filled in in the shape of 47739).

For many the Colas 47739 'Robin of Templecombe' was a draw.

The Bluebell railway has enjoyed a close working relationship with GBRf since the companies first came together to remove spoil by rail from the former Imberhorn Tip, a key task in the railways recent extension to East Grinstead.  Now that the extension is complete- and the Bluebell has a mainline connection GBRf have continued to be involved with the line with stock moves and this gala- tying in with the 15th birthday celebrations at GBRf was the prefect way to continue the relationship.

The pair of class 20's arrive at Horstead Keynes for the first
and final time at Saturday 16th April as 20901 was declared a
failure on arrival with wheelset issues. 

Despite some less than agreeable weather on the Saturday of my visit the line seemed to be very busy- indeed it is reported that the queue for tickets before the first train form East Grinsted was so long that not everybody made the first train- a lesson for the future perhaps despite more than 20 minutes to transfer between Southern and Bluebell trains. Trains continued to be well loaded throughout the day with three sets of stock in use including the London Underground owned 4-TC. Later on there was the added highlight of the Beer-ex train running later into the night. Loco swaps were all carried out at Horstead Keynes on Sheffield Park bound services and for those who wanted it rides were available with the 09 on either the observation coach of the 'Queen Mary' brake van.

The failure of 20901 left 20905 performing several trains on its
own giving the unusual view of a GBRf 20 running bonnet first.

Unfortunately both class 20's failed during the course of the Saturday with 20901 being removed from it's first up working leaving 20905 to soldier on alone- and also causing a 48 minute delay to trains. While the 'failed' 20901 did make a brief re-appearance on an evening train it was with regret that neither class 20 was in operation on the Sunday of the gala- the day where the weather was by far the best for the photographers.

With the weekend of diesel delights over it will now be back to the usual program of 100% steam running for the remainder of the season- but who knows what next year may bring on this line that now seems to be full of surprises?

Another byproduct of the class 20's failure was the opportunity to enjoy double headed class 73's with 73107 and 73136 filling in for one round trip. The class 73/1's had only been intended for use as translator vehicles for the other visiting locomotives.

Tube deliveries drawing to a close

Running in its usual path as 7X09 heritages liveried 20107 and 20132 lead a new S7 train for the District line past East Goscote (between Melton Mowbray and Leicester). The locos are owned by Harry Needle Railway Company who lease them to GBRf who are operating the S-Stock transfers.

Since late 2009 the delivery runs of new S-Stock trains for London Underground have become a regular feature between Derby, Old Dalby and Neasden depot in London. The S8 and S7 trains which have been built at Bombardiers works in Derby are each moved to the Old Dalby test track for shake down running and mileage accumulation before then continuing their delivery run to Neasden for acceptance by London Underground. The trips have been popular with photographers as due to a weak bridge in the London area the axle weight of the trains has had to be limited- meaning traction has come in the form of veteran class 20's which top and tail the new tube sets along with some former tank wagons converted to barrier vehicles.

20314 and 20096 lead 7X09 after a reversal south of Leicester. The ensemble
are seen here at Castle Gresley on the Freight only Coalville line on 13/04/2016.

The delivery runs are now on their final push with the final sets of tubes for the District Line and those ordered additionally for the Croxley Link now being dispatched from Derby. It is entirely possible that by late spring the last of these interesting trains will have taken it's slow and circuitous route from Derby to London to join its sisters in front line LUL service. The days of the remaining D-Stock on the district line are now very much numbered.
I traveled to the Midlands on 13th April 2016 to catch up with some of the last of the stock movements (something I had been meaning to do since they started running more than half a decade ago!). Due to the slow nature of the train, and the routing to keep it out of the way of faster services, it is possible to reach more than one location on the trains route south. Fortunately after a long drive both the train and weather rewarded me!

Introducing the class 73/9

On a dull 20th February 2016 73968 prepares to leave Oban returning the empty sleeper stock to Polmadie depot. This was
 the second weekend which had seen class 73/9's (and the Caledonian Sleeper) reach the town following the
classes passenger debut the previous week- which by all accounts was in far better weather conditions!

First appearing in 1962 the Southern Region's class 73 have become known as a reliable workhorse on the 3rd rail electric systems of South-East England. The locomotives run well on the electric current and their supplementary diesel engines have proved versatile, taking them off the juice on many occasions, but rarely far from their home territory. In the early to mid 2000's as the class lost their passenger work on the Gatwick Express and had all but been consigned to history on freight workings it appeared that the class 73 was reaching the natural end of it's life. GBRf then took on four locomotives for infrastructure work and have grown their fleet ever since, the versatility and reliability of the electro-diesels once again proving itself.

On 18th March 2015 GB Railfreight liveried 73963 'Janice' is pictured at
Clapham Junction on a deliver run from Loughbrough to Tonbridge. 

In 2013 something unexpected was announced; the class 73 was going to receive a major life-extension. A complete re-build with a new engine and traction package would give this ageing workhorse a new lease of life. The first locomotives to begin their re-build, by RVEL at Derby and fitted with Cummins engines will shortly begin working for Network Rail, however the larger and more 'standard' class 73/9 design is undoubtedly the MTU engined version which has been re-built by Brush at Loughbrough. A fleet of more than 10 locomotives will be outshopped from Loughbrough split between infrastructure operations in the South-East of England and in a surprising move, operating the diesel portions of the Caledonian Sleeper train in Scotland. Far from their original area of operation the upgraded 1600hp class 73's will be able to meet the haulage capacities required of them on the routes from Edinburgh to Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William while also providing train supply to Serco's new fleet of CAF built 'Mk5' sleeper coaches from 2018.

73967 prepares to work the 04:50 Edinburgh - Oban diverted Caledonian
Sleeper service on February 20th 2016.

The first passenger working north of the border was on Saturday 13th February when 73967 worked the 04:50 Edinburgh - Oban portion of the Highland Sleeper with 73968 dead on the rear for the return trip. The train itself was diverted to Oban as engineering works were blocking the line to Fort William, the 73/9's route availability of 5 making the diversion possible as heavier locomotives are banned on this line. While the locomotives look, and most certainly sound, different they do still retain much of their 'class 73' character with all locomotives retaining their option of electrical working from the 3rd rail and with the Southern based locos also retaining their 27-way multi-working cables (though re-positioned to allow the provision of new lighting clusters). GBRf have signed a 10 year deal with Network Rail to use the locomotives in Southern England and following the significant investment it is likely that the re-built class 73/9's will now be with us for a significant time to come.

RHTT time again

Class 20's on a loco hauled RHTT at Epsom Downs? Who would have thought it! 19/10/2015

It is that time of year once again when the days draw in and the leaf busting trains come out to play.
As with last year GBRf are providing locomotives to haul various rail head treatment train (RHTT) diagrams from Tonbridge and Horsham with classes 20, 66 and 73 having seen action so far. Here are a few photos of the GB pairs on the southern region.

73141 'Charlotte' leads an RHTT towards East Grinstead across Riddlesdown viaduct. This is a shot I first tried last year (http://trains-today.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/picture-of-week-26th-october.html) and liked so much that I just had to come back. Maybe next year the sun might shine as well?

The 3W91 diagram visits some some very rare 20 haunts indeed. 20901 stands at Sutton waiting time having run up from Epsom Downs. Sadly the class 20's failed later in the day and were taken off the diagram. 19/10/2015

GB Railfreight on the Caledonian Sleeper

Currently the only class 92 in the GBRf corporate colour scheme, 92032 worked the London - Glasgow sleeper on the night of
15th July 2015. This loco is not one of the dedicated 'sleeper' fleet and is more usually seen on freight workings.

Undoubtedly one of the finest looking locos on the mainline- 47847 departs
Glasgow Central with the empty stock working to Polmadie of
the previous nights sleeper from London- 09/07/2015

Continued unreliability of GBRf's dedicated fleet of class 92's for the Caledonian sleeper contract has led to a wide range of traction appearing on the trains. Class 90's continue to be hired in from DBS and locomotives from Freightliner have also now made appearances on the trains. The GB 'Heritage' fleet also continues to see action on front line sleeper services in addition to ECS duties with 86101 and 87002 working Anglo-Scottish sleeper services.
As well as electric locos being hired in Serco continues to hire class 67's from DBS to work the highland portions of the sleeper train until GBRf's rebuilt class 73's become available. On occasions class 47's from GBRf have also worked portions of the train, particularly from Castairs to Edinburgh, and empty stock between Glasgow Central and Polmadie depot.

The interesting selection of traction seems set to continue for some months yet as the dedicated class 92's receive modifications and maintenance to help them settle in to their new role on the sleeper. The teething troubles are hardly surprising considering the under-utilisation of the fleet for so many years. With some TLC the class 92's will almost certainly be able to provide many years of reliable service hauling the overnight trains from London to Scotland- ironically hauling sleeper trains (all be it to Europe) was one of the original purposes for which the class 92's were built back in the early 90's!

Early Bluebird

It is already warm at 06:20 on the hottest day of the year as 73141 'Charlotte' leads a test train and 73201 'Broadlands' through Hersham on 1st July 2015. This time of year, with super long days, brings about all sorts of opportunities that cannot be taken at other times. This photograph is possible for just a few months as at other times of the year the sun rises on the other side of the railway. 

By next summer it is highly likely that the class 73/0's from GB Railfreight will have been replaced by Network Rail's own class 73/9's. 

The train here is seen with the first leg of its days schedule, 1Q85, from Woking to Waterloo. On the next part of the trains duty while heading down to Southampton the test vehicles developed a fault resulting in the train returning early to Hither Green.

Comment: Charter Expectations

Many within the hobby, and indeed outside, enjoy the opportunity to travel by special charter trains. They can offer the chance to travel over interesting or 'rare' track, behind steam or heritage locomotives, in traditional rolling stock, or a pleasant day out often with full dining services being offered.

The charter market has suffered some ups and downs in recent times, but always seem so to re-surge with a quality product for those who enjoy these trips. 

I can't say that I travel on a huge number of charters- usually just a handful each year, but I almost always have a good day out. One promoter which I travel with, and almost always sing the praises of is UK Railtours. They run regular trips and really know what they are doing. They offer good value days out usually with sensible itineraries and reasonable start/finish times. The company is professional and always provides great service- in short, their trains deliver exactly what they say they will. 

Last weekend I travelled on UK Railtours 'Alpine Sunbeam'- a charter mostly aimed at enthusiasts with class 73's at the helm and a handful of unusual routes. As usual, the company deliver what it said it would (With the exception of the Newhaven Marine branch which was unaccessible and out of UK Railtours control). However the trip did fall slightly short of what I would expect from an enthusiast tour with the class 73's so far from my seat that I could neither hear or see them, the locomotives being off the end of almost every platform the train stopped at, and the lack of breaks during the trip (the only break being for half an hour at 11am).

At just gone 20:00, passengers of the 'Alpine Sunbeam' finally get a chance to see and photograph the locomotives, 73136
and 73128 which have been hauling the charter all day. The tour is now over and the locos have been shut down.
There were no other opportunities during the day to see the 73's because of short platforms and very limited stops during the day.

This got me thinking- what reasonable requirements do I have, or even expect from a heritage traction tour? 

I think all tours should, wherever possible, offer the following:

- Comfortable seating

- A hot food service in all classes

- Sensible start times from main stations

- At least one break of a decent length (minimum one hour- with time to leave the station)

- A chance for passengers to stretch their legs- ideally a short break every 4-5 hours as this is quite long enough to be sitting in one place for.

In addition if the main selling point of the tour is the traction:

- There should be a good opportunity for tour participants to see and photograph the locomotives during the day.

- The locomotive should get a chance to work at both ends of the train to give both standard and 1st class passengers a chance to hear and experience it working. 

Charity Railtours 'Four Triangles' tour suffered a loco failure which resulted in a loco swap and a lot of shunting during an extended
stop at Norwich. While this was unplanned and caused delays for the rest of the day- could a loco swap be a feature which could be
scheduled into future tours offering extra traction and an opportunity to view the engines hauling the tour?

I understand that providing everything on my 'wish list' may not always be possible. By virtue of some longer trips early starts and late finishes cannot be avoided. Similarly having a locomotive work from both ends of the train requires run-round facilities to be available and the time to shunt the train.

Also of course trains need to run to their maximum length to make them viable which may often result in the train being longer than many platforms.

I had a thought about the 'Alpine Sunbeam'- how might some of these ideas hypothetically have been incorporated?

With it's sensible start and finish times, the tour could have perhaps been extended. Maybe a break in Brighton could have been added (the train traversed the Preston Park Curve/Brighton avoider in the early afternoon)? This could have given passengers a chance to get off the train and have, say, 90 minutes in Brighton. During this time the stock could, perhaps, have run into Lovers Walk Depot for a double run round. Of course this would also have given passengers a chance to see the locomotives as well- before the tour was over.