From Sussex With Love | 61306, 71000, & 34028 power Bath Christmas tours 12-13/12/2025

Every year, the festive railtour programme for the Bath Christmas Market promises some theatrics, with the 2025 edition being no exception as both Locomotive Services Group and the Railway Touring Company would charter steam hauled excursions from Sussex to Bath, in the course of two days; including an unlikely double-header.

On the 9th of December, while working a Steam Dreams charter to Bath, 71000 "Duke of Gloucester" suffered an AWS fault while at Bristol East Depot which stranded the locomotive, far beyond the reaches of the LSG Southall Depot. 'The Duke' had been scheduled to haul 'The Bath Christmas Market' excursion from Three Bridges to Bath on the 12th, but with 71000 unavailable, it fell to 61306 "Mayflower" to take its place. In order to return 71000 to Southall, 61306 would work the outbound leg of the tour, picking up 71000 during the layover for a double-headed return run to Sussex. The following day, 34028 "Eddystone" would lead 'The Bath and Bristol Christmas Express', completing the trio of locomotives in action across the two days.

Both tours would start from Three Bridges, working south along the Brighton Mainline to Preston Park before curving around to Hove, for a run along the South Coastway line to Fareham. From here, the tours would work north to Eastleigh, and subsequently on to Salisbury via Chandler's Ford and the Wessex Mainline. Continuing up the WML, the tours would reach the Somerset city of Bath, which would serve as the passenger terminus for 61306 while 34028 would continue on to Bristol, 61306 carrying on to Bristol only as an empty coaching stock move to facilitate turning and servicing. Now double-heading with the rescued 71000, 61306s return run would retrace the outbound route back to Three Bridges. The return run for 34028 would differ slightly, with "Eddystone" being relieved from duty at Salisbury while Class 47 - 47802 took over for the remainder of the journey back to Sussex. 34028 would travel light back to its home at the Swanage Railway, to begin a period of winter maintenance having completed its mainline work for the year.

Locomotives:
BR(E) B1 Class - 61306 “Mayflower”
BR Class 47 - 47593 "Galloway Princess"
BR Standard Class 8P - 71000 "Duke of Gloucester"
Ex-SR Rebuilt 'West Country' Class - 34028 "Eddystone"
West Coast Railways Class 47 - 47802

12th
00:00 - 61306 Purley Oaks
01:04 - 61306 Hassocks
02:44 - 61306 Goring-by-Sea
03:28 - 61306 Funtley
04:54 - 61306 Bapton
06:01 - 61306 & 71000 Keynsham
07:08 - 61306 & 71000 Southwick
08:15 - 61306 & 71000 Balcombe

13th
09:13 - 34028 Hassocks
10:44 - 34028 Preston Park
12:50 - 34028 Ford
14:22 - 34028 Mottisfont & Dunbridge
15:10 - 34028 Bapton
16:08 - 34028 Newton St Loe
17:30 - 34028 Keynsham
18:24 - 34028 Dilton Marsh
19:57 - 47802 Mottisfont & Dunbridge
20:34 - 34028 Mottisfont & Dunbridge
21:20 - 34028 Corfe Castle

All footage filmed on Friday the 12th, and Saturday the 13th, of December 2025.