Steam train visits Sussex on Tuesday 26th November 2019
A special excursion train will be steaming through Kent and Sussex this month, on Tuesday, 26th November.
The rail tour, organised by Railway Touring Company, operated by West Coast Railways, offers customers a delightful opportunity to travel behind heritage railway traction. Bookings are made in advance so unfortunately you need to have purchased a ticket from Railwaytouring.net to travel behind this train.
The steam locomotive is expected to be Black Five 45407 ‘The Lancashire Fusilier’.
The picture above shows a Black Five steam locomotive at Polegate, also working a London Victoria to Eastbourne railtour.
Whilst steam locomotive 45407 is advertised on the railway touring company website as of 05/11/19, the engine can potentially be changed last minute if it breaks down prior to the excursion.
Should the train be cancelled, we’ll update this page with as much notice as possible.
The train departs London Victoria at around 1050 following the below schedule. It’s important to emphasise that the train could run earlier or later than planned if it encounters problems en route.
Steam Leading [1Z82] https://live.rail-record.co.uk/rail/liverail/train/1593537/26/11/19 London Victoria 1050 Grosvenor Bridge Jn 1052 Stewarts Lane Jn 1056 Longhedge Jn 1059 Pouparts Jn 1107 Clapham Junction 1109 Balham 1112 Streatham North Jn 1114 Streatham Common 1115 Selhurst 1125 Windmill Bridge Jn 1127 East Croydon 1129 South Croydon 1131 Purley 1137 Stoats Nest Jn. 1138 Redhill 1152 Earlswood (Surrey) 1154 Gatwick Airport 1159 Three Bridges 1203 Balcombe Tunnel Jn 1207 Copyhold Jn 1213 Haywards Heath 1214 Keymer Jn 1219 Lewes 1235 Southerham Jn 1237 Polegate 1249 Willingdon Jn 1252 Eastbourne 1257
Passengers will get off the train at Eastbourne for a 2½ hour break.
The train rest at Eastbourne in the sidings, away from the station, until it’s later departed of 1431 [5Z82].
Eastbourne is a terminus station and trains must reverse back out following arrival. Therefore, the train will be diesel hauled from Eastbourne to Hastings on the below journey in order to put the train steam first for the return working, via Tonbridge not Lewes.
Diesel Hauled [1Z83] https://live.rail-record.co.uk/rail/liverail/train/1593539/26/11/19 Eastbourne 1431 Willingdon Jn 1436 Pevensey & Westham 1441 Bexhill 1456 Bopeep Jn S.B. 1503 Hastings 1508-1513 Then Steam Hauled back out of Hastings and below. Bopeep Jn S.B. 1517 Mountfield Tunnel 1529 Robertsbridge 1532 Wadhurst Tunnel South 1551 Wadhurst 1554 Strawberry Hill Tunnel 1559 Tunbridge Wells 1601 Wells Tunnel Jn. 1603 Somerhill Tunnel 1608 Tonbridge 1611-1623 Sevenoaks 1639 Otford Jn 1644 Swanley 1654 St Mary Cray Jn 1701 Bickley Jn 1702 Bromley South 1707 Shortlands Jn 1710 Bellingham 1713 Nunhead 1717 Crofton Road Jn 1723 Denmark Hill 1726 Voltaire Road Jn. 1730 Factory Jn 1733 Stewarts Lane Jn 1735 Grosvenor Bridge Jn 1736 London Victoria 1742
So to summarise the train will be steam hauled from London Victoria to Eastbourne via Gatwick, Lewes etc. It will be services in Eastbourne sidings away from the station. It will then be diesel hauled Hastings with the steam engine on the back. Then the black five steam engine will haul the train to London again, but this time via Tunbridge Wells, not Lewes/Gatwick.
This steam working seems to be an annual occurrence in Sussex so if you’re interested, why not check out the Railway Touring Company website at railwaytouring.net.
Author: matt
Owner of Rail Record