Steam Dreams’ Flying Scotsman trips are all sold out

STEAM Dreams’series of excursions behind LNER A3 4-6-2 No. 60103 Flying Scotsman have proved a sell-out.

Commencing on May 20, the A3 heads a Victoria-Victoria Surrey Hills luncheon train which, by the end of March, had sold out – as has the remainder of the Scotsman programme. That same day, the A3 will repeat the trip with an evening departure.

On May 23, the Pacific departs Paddington for Oxford, followed by a local afternoon tour.

Salisbury is the destination on May 27, the train travelling via Reading West, Basingstoke and Worting Junction. A local afternoon tour is, in keeping with rest of the series, sold out. And a similar situation has been arranged on June 6, when a trip to Southampton is scheduled.

Itineraries

Starting from King’s Cross on June 17, Flying Scotsman heads for Cambridge; a visit followed by an afternoon excursion to Norwich.

Finally, June 20 sees the National Collectio-owned A3 working to Portsmouth via the direct line, with a trip to the Isle of Wight.

Making its last scheduled trip for Steam Dreams, the 4-6-2 heads north to Edinburgh for June 24-27 and its threeday tour from London to Scotland along the East Coast Main Line on the outward journey, and returning via the Settle and Carlisle line.

Steam Dreams plans to run three Fife Circular tours, with morning, afternoon and evening trains travelling over the Forth Bridge on June 25.

“It’s a terrific way to recommence running trains,”said Steam Dreams owner and chairman David Buck.

Regarding the‘Royal Windsor Express’, he confirmed that this service will operate three weekly departures from London Victoria as from June 1. Leaving at 8am, 11.10am and 2pm, the trains will return from Windsor & Eton smokebox first. A fourth departure, the Surrey Hills‘Sunset Steam Express’, is now timed to leave Victoria at an earlier 6pm.

Roster

Motive power is likely to be in the hands of David’s B1 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower, with a‘Black Five’acting as standby engine. The remainder of the new railtour programme will include locomotives drawn from the West Coast Railways fleet as and when required.

A‘Cathedrals Express’trip to Southend is booked for July 10 and a visit to Weymouth on July 31. Both journeys will require part diesel haulage during the day to position the trains for steam.