Tuesday, 19 May 2026
So the day starts at 5am with the alarm going off , the patter on the window indicates it’s raining and the day is miserable, so wash, cup of coffee and the first breakfast of the day is consumed and off to the station, today I’m trialling my new travel accessory in the form of a tall toolbox, this’s is because the one I previously used isn’t very practical in and around London.
So, I arrive at my local station and sure enough passengers fill the platform. Will I get a seat I wonder, well with my new box it doubles as a seat and just the right height so now it matters not. Once you have stood from Rugby to Carlisle you only do that once. Meanwhile Steve Mitchell has been up a little earlier and is travelling by car for logistical reasons, I receive a message en route “the M25 is not good.” Meanwhile I’m looking at my 360 app, and our speed is touching 107mph. I think we’re moving a tad faster than Steve is. My connecting train is from Farringdon to Heathrow which stops at Southall where I’ll see The Duke but if I miss the stop I’ll probably end up plane spotting.
I get off at Southall so just a short walk from the station to the gates of the approved walking route. For once it is not dark, after signing in it’s time to get overalls on and start the cleaning. Today’s Support Crew consists of Simon from the Locomotive Services Limited (LSL) pool, Steve and me, polishing The Duke starts and we’re well on with it albeit the weather is dictating how hard we can work. The Duke is in light steam and all is looking good. Then the engineering team report an issue with the reverser that can’t be rectified in time and therefore failed him.
Right then Plan B which presents itself in the form of 34046 Braunton, only problem is she is stone cold putting us behind schedule , by mid to late afternoon Braunton has been prepared and lit up, a start made on cleaning the bottom half and polishing the paintwork is in full swing. Taking on coal requires a shunt that stops the job. From the other side of Southall shed we can here 34028 Eddystone whistle up, not sure if she is out tomorrow or just on test.
Wednesday, 20 May 2026
The morning of the run and a modest 6am start to get to Southall for 06:30 to finish the final preparations and make sure the fire is doing nicely. As we arrive it is evident that Eddystone is out and waiting for the off, she leaves the shed on the back of the train giving a whistle as she passes us. It’s a nice sunny morning, perfect weather for polishing (just a pity we’re cleaning the wrong engine) although we get some comfort knowing we’ve broken the back of the cleaning for The Duke’s next run out in mid-June. With all the prep work done we wait for the train to arrive. Facing the wrong way, it looks like we will be put on the back of the train and pulled to Willesden where we can turn the whole train and head to Canterbury facing the right way.
09:05 and we’re moving off shed and will sit just outside Southall station until the train arrives.
By 10:15 we’re on the move, Steve is up front whilst I’m handed a bacon, egg and sausage sandwich expertly cooked by Jeanie one of LSL‘s engineers. Something to eat whilst we watch the world go by as we move towards Willesden on what is turning into a nice sunny day. Our work is done until we stop for water. We get to Willesden and stop right outside the McVitie’s biscuit factory, pity there were no packets of chocolate biscuits thrown over to go with our coffee.
We’re now right way round and off we trot to Canterbury. We pass Chelsea Football Club before crossing the Thames and there is a good reflection to be had of the locomotive and coaches as we pass by a glass fronted modern building. We snake slowly up into and through Clapham Junction, plenty of folk with their phones out taking snaps as we pull level with commuter trains with their passengers eager to see what’s going on. By the time we get to Streatham common the loco is in fine form with a lovely exhaust beat. As we pass through Leigh the view is lovely, lush greenery, we push on to Tonbridge when we stop for a few minutes before heading on to Canterbury. We stop for water at Headcorn, loco watered, crew watered with an additional complementary biscuit and chocolate finger no less and away we go to Canterbury. At 14:08 we reach our destination Canterbury.
Once the passengers have disembarked it’s time to shunt the loco and Support Coach in the bay for servicing, the usual refreshments of coal and water suffice. Once the passengers are back on board after a few hours enjoying the site’s Canterbury has to offer we head off to Deal, Dover and through Shakespeare tunnel skirting round the coast and on to Ashford.
I was lucky to be on the footplate on this section and it was absolutely awesome and did not disappoint. The sound was stunning and I could only think that The Duke would love the gradients down this neck of the woods. He will get his chance again, I’m sure. We’re soon hitting the outskirts of London, we cross the Thames and home is not far away. On this trip the Support Coach will be travelling on to Crewe, so we must gather all our gear and alight at Southall station. With the loco back on shed it’s time for home, a good clean up and a couple of pints to quench the thirst and reflect on the day. As this is a midweek run it’s back home for Steve and me and back to work- a different kind of work that is.
Although it wasn’t a run with 71000 it was still an excellent couple of days away.
The Duke looking good for his next trip
All Photos by Kevin Deacon
To see where The Duke will be running please visit our Where & When page.