Steam Dreams’ ‘Cathedral Express’ trip from Slough to Kingswear was powered by two West Coast Railways Class 47s on May 4 after the booked steam locomotives suffered failures.
The original plan was for a WCRC ‘47’ to work the train as far as Taunton, where David Buck’s ‘B1’ No. 61306 Mayflower would take over for the run to Torbay.
When the ‘B1’ was declared a failure, No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland was offered as a late substitute, but this too was unable to work the train because of wheel problems.
Instead, the train ran with No. 47245 and No. 47746 Chris Fudge operating in top-and-tail formation for the outward leg and double-heading on the return.
Unfortunately, on the night of May 3, No. 47746 and two coaches of the train were attacked by graffiti vandals while stabled at Southall depot in west London.
Staff at Southall were unable to clean the ‘47’ before departure.
Read more News and Features in the June 2019 issue of The RM –on sale now
Railway Reads
From the history of steam through to 21st century rail transport news, we have titles that cater for all rail enthusiasts. Covering diesels, modelling, steam and modern railways, check out our range of magazines and fantastic subscription offers.Get The Railway Hub Weekly Round-up
Enter your e-mail address below and you will receive weekly rail news straight into your inbox...You can unsubscribe at any time.
About the Author
01507 529529 | SHewitt@Mortons.co.uk
- Strikes over guards’ contracts to affect East Midlands Railway services - 14th June 2021
- You can help choose name for HS2 tunnel boring machine - 14th June 2021
- Gift your dad iconic construction sets for Father’s Day! - 11th June 2021