WHY WAS ‘LIZZIE’ ADVERTISED WHEN IT WAS TOO BIG FOR WSR?

In SR458, Stephen Moore photographed LMS ‘Princess Royal’ 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth hauling the outward leg of Steam Dreams’ London Victoria-Minehead ‘Cathedrals Express’ on August 23. However, Norton Fitzwarren was as far as ‘Lizzie’ got. Shortly after departing, an announcement was made to the effect that the locomotive was too big for the turntable at Minehead, and that a Class 47 diesel would take over for the rest of the trip along the whole length of the WSR. Surely Steam Dreams and the railway must have known this before the engine was booked? I paid for steam all the way (I would not have booked otherwise). To placate us, we were told we could get off at Bishops Lydeard and complete the journey to Minehead on a steam-hauled WSR train, or come back from Minehead behind steam and rejoin the following excursion at Bishops Lydeard for the journey home to London. However, it took so long to change the locomotives at Norton Fitzwarren that we missed the WSR train to Minehead and, as a result, were 45 minutes late arriving at the seaside resort (behind the diesel). Things did not get any better. Everyone descended on Minehead station in the late afternoon, intent on catching a WSR train back to Bishops Lydeard, but this arrived 30 minutes late. While we waited, we were assured that we could use this steam train (even though it would make a late departure) and pick up our steam-hauled excursion train at Bishops Lydeard, as promised earlier in the day. The WSR train arrived and everyone got on and found a seat, but we were then told to get off, as the excursion train was, after all, going to leave first to help get us back on schedule on the main line from Taunton to London. So nobody got a steam ride on the WSR, and we did not get No. 6201 fully back to London as the water tankers were delayed on the M4, meaning it couldn’t refill its tender. On a positive note, the on-board catering was excellent. David Bosher, Crouch End, London