Southbound steam

This weekend sees a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Seaford to Brighton railway line, with steam specials heading to the terminus today and tomorrow.

BR Britannia Class 7MT 4-6-2 no. 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ departs from Norwood Junction

At the same time, today’s railtour offered the unusual sight of southbound steam stopping at Norwood Junction (for twelve minutes) before heading onward. I am not sure how often this has happened since the end of steam on the southern, but it can’t have happened many times, if at all. It seemed an opportunity too good to miss, even if the forecast was pretty attrocious.

The much heralded heavy rain was nowhere to be seen for most of the morning but made its dreaded appearance half an hour before the railtour, conditions deteriorating steadily from this point until the scheduled departure time of 10.24am. Nevertheless, it was terrific to see the volcanic eruption as of BR Britannia Class 7MT 4-6-2 no. 70013 ‘Oliver Cromwell’ headed out of Norwood Junction.

It was lucky timing as this view is set to disappear shortly with Tennison Road Bridge scheduled to close on 16th June 2014 (ahead of its demolition and eventual replacement). A fitting finale.

Gallery