Скачать или смотреть Black 5 44871 | 'The Christmas White Rose' - Waterbeach & Ely - Wednesday 17th December 2025

#rail200 #train #steamengine

Wednesday 17th December would see the Railway Touring Company run another railtour to York for the Christmas Market, this time starting from Cambridge. Picking up first at Cambridge North the tour would run via Ely and March to Peterborough, before taking the former Great Northern Railway to Spalding and the Joint Line to Sleaford then on through Lincoln to Doncaster, finally with one more diversion away from the ECML to run via Church Fenton and through to York. Black 5 no.44871 would be in charge of the outward leg, with the return being diesel hauled with 44871 returning engine and coach to Southall to continue its Polar Express duties.

Wednesday 17th December would see two railtours an equal distance from me, with 71000 'Duke of Gloucester' due to haul a Steam Dreams tour from Southend to Oxford via the Chiltern main line. Another complication for me was my eldest sons school concert was also on that day at 10.10am! The times for both tours meant if I went for 'Duke of Gloucester' I would miss the outward leg and only be able to catch it up past Oxford, and then have a 5 hour wait for the return after the turning move. It looked just about possible to chase 44871 as far as Ely, where she was booked to take water, and be back in Stevenage for 10.10am with the Ely departure being 8.41am.

So 44871 it was, the ECS from Southall ran as far as Cambridge around an hour ahead of the tours departure so there was no incentive to get out of bed any earlier and see that in the dark so we start at Waterbeach. It was just getting light on a cold and frosty morning as we see 44871 charge past having not long since started the tour at Cambridge North. The half hour stop gave ample time to move on to Ely and we see the arrival in the station from the loop after the water stop and the departure from the station onto March and Peterborough.

So that ends my 21st and final video of 2025, all that remains is to wish all my subscibers and viewers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. All being well we will be back in 2026 with more of the same, we should be at the Severn Valley Railway's 'Winter Steam Gala' the weekend of 3rd & 5th January with trips planned to Bluebell Railway's 'Branch Line Gala', West Somerset Railway's 'Steam Spectacular', the Gloucstershire Warwickshire Railway's 'Cotswold Festival of Steam' in the first half of 2026 alongside the usual mix of main line steam and other heritage railway visits.

Many thanks for watching

Ashley, Rebecca, Harry & Zack.

Photos...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts198...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts198...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts198...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts198...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts198...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts198...