Three steam trains visiting London on Saturday

The first of this year’s steam train visits to London takes place this Saturday with trains visiting Victoria, Paddington and Kings Cross.

The details below may help you find a suitable location to watch from the sidelines, or be at a station they pass through at the right time. Be generous when allowing for delays, they have to slot the Steam trains into the gaps between scheduled services.

It’s also been announced that no steam trains — or specifically, chartered trains — will be allowed into London during the Olympics. Also, by coincidence, when the Jubilee Pageant starts later this year, it will be inaugurated by a blast from a steam train on the railway bridge over the Thames where the Pageant musters.

Back to this weekend…

West London

Pathfinder Tours will be running the King Edward I 6024 on one of its last tours on its current mainline certificate from Bristol into Paddington, and then back out again a few hours later.

This is likely to be the final visit of 6024 to Paddington before the route is transformed by the Great Western Main line electrification project along with Crossrail. On the topic of Crossrail, it might be possible if you have a really good lens and a lot of luck, to get a photo of the steam train and the Crossrail tunnel boring machines in the same photo as the train passes Royal Oak heading into Paddington.

Inbound

 
Outbound

South London

The Orient Express is running the 35028 Clan Line out of Victoria Station on a posh lunchtime trip via Richmond and then loop around and return later the day via East Croydon.

Inbound

 
Outbound

North London

Finally, the Railway Touring Company is running the 70013 Oliver Cromwell out of Kings Cross at an uncomfortably early hour, and back in again at a more reasonable time in the evening.

Outbound

 
Inbound

Estimates of the Route Maps

View Steam trains on 3rd March 2012 in a larger map