HDL Channel Two railtour

Above: Our train stands in Brunel’s magnificent train-shed at Bristol Temple Meads, on the return leg of our Channel Two railtour.

Above: Our DEMU is greeted by the sunrise when the depot shutters are opened at St. Leonards, on the morning of the railtour. Photo by Andy Armitage.

Above: The railtour’s headboard, with artwork by Andy Armitage. The photo was taken by David Tutton.

Above: 1001 awaits departure from Hastings at the start of the railtour. Depot dog Eddie inspects the train. Photo by Andy Armitage.

Above: 1001 approaches Wokingham, Berkshire; it has just negotiated the converging junction, coming from our left off the Ascot line to join the route from Guildford. Photo by Stephen Gow.

Above: Our vintage train arrives at Reading with the Channel Two railtour to Weston-super-Mare, as an HST departs for Paddington.

Above: Andrew Gainsbury took this superb shot of our train approaching Bath, with motor coach 60116 Mountfield leading.

Above & below: 1001 at Brunel’s ornate train-shed at Bristol Temple Meads station. We were booked to wait there for some 22 minutes, but this was lengthened by both an early arrival, and a slightly late departure as the driver taking over our train had been forced to come by taxi from Romsey because of flooding on the railway!

Above: At the end of the outbound leg of the railtour, our train is ready to depart Weston-super-Mare empty; it ran via Highbridge and Taunton to Bishops Lydeard where the West Somerset Railway staff provided us with water-tank refilling facilities.

Above: On the empty coaching-stock working from Weston-super-Mare to Bishops Lydeard, David Tutton photographed our train as it passed Puriton.

Above: The empty working paused at Taunton to pick up a pilotman. Photo courtesy of www.bloodandcustard.org.

Above & below: David Tutton caught up with us again at Bishops Lydeard, on the West Somerset Railway.

Above: Andy Armitage’s photo at Bishops Lydeard is highly reminiscent of the headline photo in the news article for the HDL West Somerset Limited railtour, but with one exception: far fewer people! One might be forgiven for supposing that today’s photo was taken out of season, but in fact it really is July–just that the WSR’s train has not arrived yet and, of course, ours did not carry passengers to this point.

Above: On the return portion of the empty coaching-stock working, David Tutton caught up with our train for a third and final time at Fordgate, between Taunton and Bridgwater.

Above: With motor coach 60118 Tunbridge Wells now leading, our train re-entered the same (no.1) platform at Weston-super-Mare for the return portion of the railtour.

Above: 1001 enters service at Weston-super-Mare for the run back to Hastings. Photo by Andy Armitage.

Above & below: We were treated to the unexpected spectacle of our train calling at platform 3, and so being berthed almost fully within Brunel’s train-shed, at Bristol Temple Meads.

Above: Very good running was achieved on the return along the Great Western Main Line, with prolonged periods of 75mph operation. After rushing through Swindon, we passed beneath the Thornhill Road bridge at Gablecross, South Marston, where Glyn Jones captured us on camera. The railway branch on the right is an industrial railway leading to a “Euro Terminal”.

Above: Back at Reading, where Hampshire/Oxted and “Tadpole” DEMUs used to be a regular feature on the Reading – Basingstoke and Reading – Tonbridge services respectively.

Above & below: Our DEMU shares Reading station briefly with a First Great Western HST, another Diesel-Electric train of some longevity and success!