The West Somerset Steam Express - Saturday 20th July 2024

Saturday 20th July saw 44871 head to Minehead on the West Somerset Steam Express on behalf of the Railway Touring Company.

Due to an issue with the Central Door Locking (CDL) system on the Mk2 stock at Southall, the planned departure from Paddington was abandoned with the first passenger pick up allocated to Slough with all the passengers due to board at Paddington placed onto service trains so they could join the train at Reading.

The footage starts at Reading and runs to just the other side of Castle Cary so we see 44871 take the Berks & Hants main line in its stride. Unfortunately the weather wasn't as kind as we would have liked with cloudy and overcast conditions the further west we headed.

This video is dedicated to the memory of my friend Craig Potter who sadly passed away after an illness earlier this year. Craig's headboard will be carried around on various tours this year and on all routes that Craig fired over. RIP buddy and keep giving it beans!

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