A 'Black 5' and Brit to Bath | 44871 & 70000 "Britannia" storm the south 30/11/2024

The 2024 festive railtour programme for the south would commence with the oddity of two steam hauled railtours powering to Bath from London, across two different routes. Ex-LMS 'Black 5' Class 5MT - 44871 would be proving the power for 'The Bath & Bristol Christmas Express', chartered by the Railway Touring Company, while BR Standard Class 'Britannia' 7MT – 70000 "Britannia" would be the star traction on the 'Bath Christmas Market' excursion, working under the Steam Dreams banner for the Locomotive Services group.

'The Bath & Bristol Christmas Express' would feature 44871 at the helm throughout, with support provided by West Coast Railways Class 47 - 47848. The tour began out of London Paddington, working down the Great Western Mainline to Reading, traversing onto the Berks & Hants line to Westbury, to join the Wessex Mainline to Bath and Bristol. The return leg would retrace the outbound route. The 'Bath Christmas Market' tour started out of London Victoria behind 70000 with LSG Class 57 - 57311 "The Institution of Mechanical Engineers" providing support, navigating the fabric of lines in south London to reach Guildford, to work around the south coast to Fareham via the Portsmouth Direct line and West Coastway line. The tour would then head to Eastleigh via Hedge End in order to reach the Wessex Mainline via Chandler's Ford and Salisbury, to work through to Bath. The return leg would retrace the same route, but with 70000 coming off of the tour at Salisbury, with the remainder of the return being diesel hauled.

44871's departure from the capital was nearly two hours prior to 70000's, allowing ample time to catch the 'Black 5' in action before chasing the Brit. At Crofton, 44871 was the only disturbance to the otherwise tranquil surroundings, as it hammered alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal. Moving to the south-east, 70000 made for an excellent sight as it powered through Witley. Once 70000 had joined the Wessex Mainline, it made short work of the trip, with assured performances at both Lockerley and Bapton. 44871 departed Bristol to begin its return run shortly before sunset, with the last of the ambient light proving crucial at Newton St Loe as the Stanier stalwart glided towards Bath. Finally, "Britannia" would disturb the peace in style at Dilton Marsh as it battled Upton Scudamore Bank, hammering through the night.

00:00 - 44871 Crofton
01:14 - 70000 Witley
02:07 - 70000 Lockerley
03:09 - 70000 Bapton
04:14 - 44871 Newton St Loe
06:03 - 70000 Dilton Marsh

All footage filmed on Saturday the 30th of November 2024.