This Saturday there will be a fairly rate chance to see a steam train running across North London, along the GOBLIN and London Overground lines.
Steam trains using the major railway stations are not that uncommon, but seeing one running across the London Overground is a rather rarer sight.
The service is one of the day trip events put on by Steam Dreams, and the train will run between Southend and Salisbury, passing through North London twice.
That gives you two opportunities to find a suitable spot with a good view of the railway and watch the train charging through London.
Warning, there is a chance that the evening trip wont include the steam train — so best to watch the morning one.
Estimated times passing through stations below. Naturally, you can watch from any suitable bridge or road, so long as you do so sensibly.
(Stations in bold are where the train stops for a couple of minutes)
| Station | Morning | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Upminster | 09:41 | 21:00 |
| Barking | 09:53 | 20:34 |
| Woodgrange Park | 09:57 | 20:30 |
| Leyton Midland Road | 10:05 | 20:17 |
| South Tottenham | 10:15 | 20:08 |
| Upper Holloway | 10:24 | 20:00 |
| Gospel Oak | 10:34 | 19:56 |
| West Hampstead | 10:40 | 19:48 |
| Acton Central | 10:58 | |
| Brentford | 11:30 | |
| Hounslow | 11:36 | |
| Staines | 11:49 | |
| Willesden Junction High Level | 19:40 | |
| West Ealing | 19:30 | |
| Hanwell Bridge | 18:53 (loco change) |
|
| Southall | 18:50 | |
The locomotive expected to be used is the 6201, built in 1933, although it might be the 45407.
Thanks for the tip – I read this just in time to dash out and grab a snaphot at Leytonstone High Road.
An interesting point: there was much less smoke and noise than I expected…
…And, as it passed through the station after a brief halt, I found out why: a very ordinary diesel locomotive was pushing the train.
I guess this is a standard measure to reduce pollution – or possibly Railtrack imposing a backup measure because of reliability concerns – bit I distinctly remember a steam-hauled special thundering through Gordon Hill on a late December night, two or three years ago, without a diesel locomotive to be seen. The smoke was memorable – I dread to think what London was like when all the trains were powered by coal.
Nile — actually normally the steam trains that run on the UK mainline (and there are more than you might think: over 300 services last year) sometimes carry a diesel with them because the financial penalties for a breakdown blocking the line are so severe. It’s certainly nothing to do with “pollution”. If you see a “steam” train being hauled by a steam loco at the front and a diesel bringing up the rear, then the stream loco really is pulling the train; the diesel is not pushing it, but is there either in case of crisis (or, perhaps, logistics at either end of the run).
Although the reliability of the steam locomotives is impressive, there have been a few steam tour breakdowns on the mainline in the last few years. One was almost quite “exciting” but luckily the dropped connecting rod didn’t catapult the train off the track.