Built by the Southern Railway in 1927 under Maunsell, but essentially to Urie’s design for the LSWR, S15 4-6-0 locomotive no 828 spent her life pulling anything and everything all over the Southern system, from pick-goods to express freight to summer specials for the holidaymakers. Rescued from the scrapyard by the Eastleigh Railway Preservation Society, she was restored to full health, and spent the 1990s pulling mainline excursions and working on the Swanage Railway. This programme covers some of those railtours, and a summer day on the Swanage Railway.
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- 1993: 1) Eastleigh to Yeovil Junction and back, with 34027 Taw Valley, 26th Sept. I rode on this tour: shots are at Salisbury and Yeovil Junction stations, and from on board the train.
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- 1993: 2) Salisbury – Eastleigh shuttles with 70000 Britannia, 9th & 10th October. Locations include Salisbury, Lockerley, East Grimstead (on the Hants. – Wilts. boarder) and Crampmoor, near Romsey.
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- 1994: 1) Test run from Didcot to Derby on a very windy day, 23rd March. Just one location, on the outskirts of Derby, was usable. 2) London – Andover – Salisbury – Southampton – London, 15th May. Locations: Farnborough, Andover, Salisbury and Winchester 3) The Exe Parrett (!): Bristol – Yeovil – Exeter – Bristol (if I remember…) 8th Oct. Seen at Bruton.
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- 1995: 1) London – Southampton Docks – Portsmouth – London, with 777 Sir Lamiel, 1st April. Seen leaving Southampton Docks and north of Rowlands Castle. 2) Not sure where the tour started or finished, but it included the line from Salisbury to Westbury, 23rd Sept. Seen at Hanging Langford
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- 1996: 1) A circuitous route that included Basingstoke to Reading, then Effingham Junction, Guildford and Redhill, 9th Nov. Seen at Mortimer, Effingham Junction and Box Hill. My first S-VHS camera was beginning to feel its age by this time – I have removed most of the glitches, but there are still a couple of flashes remaining. I’m sorry about this, but I hope that the subject matter makes up for the technical imperfections.
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- 1997: 1) London – Redhill – Guildford – Reading – Westbury – Salisbury – London, 6th April. Seen at Gomshall, Upton Scudamore (wow!) and Salisbury. The new camera, also S-VHS, makes quite a difference, with better definition and stronger yellows and greens. 2) Yeovil – Castle Cary shuttles, 5th October. Seen at Castle Cary and Trent, north of Yeovil.
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- 3) Not sure where the tour started or finished, but it included the Salisbury – Southampton line, 27th Dec. Seen at Lee, south of Romsey, and departing from Southampton.
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- 1998: 1) 17th July on the Swanage Railway.