14th July 2016

Railway Touring Company
The Swanage Belle

Route : 
1Z94 : London Victoria to Swanage
1Z95 : Swanage to London Victoria

Notes: 
(1) 33207 on rear.
(2) 46115 running tender first.
(3) John Clifford comments: Over the months before the tour various locos were advertised as hauling it. Finally the loco became 45699 'Galatea'. However, this failed so the tour was hauled by 46115 'Scots Guardsman'. There had been a signal failure at Queenstown Road, so South West Trains were running late. On the Hounslow Loop we were behind a late running 08.40 Waterloo - Waterloo via Brentford and Twickenham which delayed us. At Byfleet Jn there was another check to allow the 09.20 Waterloo - Woking stopper to go ahead. There was a further check between Sturt Lane Jn (as was) and Farnborough to allow the 09.39 Waterloo - Poole get ahead of us. At Winchfield there was a delay in watering the engine as the hose was initially too short. With all these problems it was not surprising that we left Basingstoke 39 minutes late. However the Eastleigh signalman looked kindly upon us and we ran Fast Line at both Shawford Jn and St Denys thus regaining much lost time assisted by a schedule which included a lot of recovery time.  The rest of the outward journey was uneventful. We regained much of the remaining lost time and were only slightly late arriving into Swanage. This was not the end of the problems on this tour. It was found that the T.P.W.S. on 33207 was faulty so it could not haul the train back from Swanage to Southampton Up Goods Loop. The only solution was for 46115 to haul the train tender first back to Southampton then run round the train and continue on the booked route. Since the maximum speed was 45 mph when running tender first we lost further time, and after Bournemouth caught up the 18.50 Poole - Waterloo stopper. The tour train was terminated at Staines, since there was no loco available to take the empty stock from Victoria to Southall. London passengers travelled back to Waterloo by South West Trains arriving there only slightly later than the advertised Victoria time.

Sources : John Clifford (on the tour Victoria - Swanage - Woking), Guy Vincent, Chris Bracey & Nigel Benning

Photo Review

46115 passing through Southampton on the outward leg (photo: Nick Bartlett)

46115+33207 departs from Corfe Castle, on the return leg (photo: Martyn Thresh)

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from John Clifford & Realtime Trains)

Associated E.C.S. Workings

5Z94 : (33207 with 46115 on rear) : Southall to London Victoria

5Z96 : (33207 with 46115 on rear) : London Victoria to Southall (cancelled)

5Z96 : (46115 with 33207 on rear) : Staines to Southall

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