Скачать или смотреть 46115 rescues the Swanage Belle 14/07/16

The title of this video is accurate two-fold. On the one hand, a major shortage of available steam locomotives (including the failure of no.45699 'Galatea' which had been sent down to cover this shortage!) meant that no.46115 'Scots Guardsman' ventured south of London for only the second time ever... but not only that, the 'Scot' was required to come to the rescue of the Swanage Belle while on the return leg.

We start the video at Byfleet and New Haw and the 4-6-0 thundering away from a signal check at the bottom of the challenging 1in60 gradient.

Thanks to 46115 running late, we were only able to get ahead of her once at Winchester. After Winchester, no.46115 was allowed onto the fast line at Shawford Junction and had all but made up the 38 minute delay by the time she passed Redbridge Causeway.

Prior to the return, the class 33 had developed an AWS fault, which meant that the 'Scot', still facing Swanage, had to pilot the train as far as Southampton goods loop, where she could run round again and take the tour on to London via Dean and Andover.

The drag was captured at Foxhills and the video should then have jumped to Test Lane. Unfortunately, someone decided to hand out false information that the train was to go back to Eastleigh, where the 'Scot' could turn and haul the train up the main line back to London. It was as we turned onto the M271 that the train was going to return via the original booked route.

Seeing as we were a shot down, we headed up to Andover for one final run past, with the 'Crompton' giving the train a shove.

@JamesSVN
www.flickr.com/OnTheFastLine