The 'DORSET COAST EXPRESS' with Nos.70013 "Oliver Cromwell" + 47580 - 06/09/2011

The tenth and penultimate run of the 'Railway Touring Company's 2011 'Dorset Coast Express' excursions on Tuesday 6th September. This run to Weymouth ran with the itinery of the excursions on July 5th and 26th. The original plan was to run with BR 'Britannia'-class 4-6-2 No.70013 "Oliver Cromwell" and SR N15-class 'King Arthur' 4-6-0 No.30777 "Sir Lamiel". Both locos had been due to travel down to London from York on Friday 2nd September. Both then had booked jobs for Sunday 4th with "Cromwell" taking 'Shepherd Neame's 'Spitfire' down to Faversham and "Sir Lamiel" was to work the first leg of the 'Atlantic Coast Express' for 'Steam Dreams' from Waterloo to Taunton where SR unrebuilt 'Battle of Britain'-class 4-6-2 No.34067 "Tangmere" and "Cromwell's" classmate No.70000 "Britannia" would then take over. "Sir Lamiel" would then have gone to Yeovil prior to today's working. Sadly, whilst travelling down from York, "Sir Lamiel" caused a series of lineside fires that resulted in heavy delays to East Coast Main Line trains and had both locos impounded at Newark. "Cromwell" was later taken on to Southall by a diesel, but "Lamiel" had to stay at Newark before being taken by a low-loader back to its base at the Great Central Railway. With "Lamiel" out, "Tangmere" and "Britannia" had to do the whole trip from London. "Tangmere" later failed at Taunton meaning "Britannia" had to carry on alone. "Cromwell" meanwhile worked the 'Dorset Coast Express' on a rainy Tuesday 6th with BR Class 47 No.47580 "County of Essex" on the rear. In this video, we see "Cromwell" passing into Southampton Central with outward run; later "County of Essex" brings the train through Totton with "Cromwell" attached to the rear back as far as Southampton Central; finally, "Cromwell" hauls the final leg of the trip back to London taking the Romsey line at Redbridge to head via Romsey, Andover and Basingstoke. Seeing as "Lamiel" was grounded, "Tangmere" was broken, and with "Britannia" and LNER A4-class 4-6-2 No.60019 "Bittern" at the Swanage Railway, "Cromwell" was to perform a repeat run on the final 'DCE' on the 13th.