How to commute to work in style – on a Steam Train

Fancy travelling to work in style one morning – why not swap that modern metal tube for an old fashioned steam train?

Regular readers will know that I like to watch out for steam trains that occasionally visit London for special excursion trips. I can also tell that subscribers to my weekly events guide seem to share my love of the old beasts, judging by how much interest a steam train listing gets.

These day-trips are a bit expensive for me right now, but an email from Steam Dreams has alerted to a service I didn’t know they offered, and that is tickets for just part of their routes – many of which will be following main commuter routes into London.

If I lived in Guildford/Woking/Staines, or Tonbridge/Sevenoaks/Bromley South for example, then there are a couple of trips coming into London that could just about be a special commute into work, if you can get a slightly later start for your work day.

Or maybe I can find an excuse to travel from Clapham Junction to Stratford around North London by steam train in the mid-morning. Hmmm 😉

The 35028 Clan Line passing through South London

Bit difficult to plan ahead, as tickets are released only a few days before the steam train is due to make the journey – but as a person probably has a season ticket for the normal commute, its not as if they would be inconvenienced if the train is not available. Just a bit disappointed.

Prices vary quite a bit, and a chat with the train company suggests to expect a price of between £10-£20 depending on the route/availability.

One given example was Bath-Bristol return would normally be £20, so I would say a Woking-London one-way is probably going to be the same.

Not something to be enjoyed everyday (even if that were possible), but might make for a nice – and seemingly little known about – treat every so often.

You need to call them on 01483 209888 a few days before a known train is going to run and they can advice if tickets are available/prices. What the steam train companies really need to do is set up a last minute short trips webpage so people can quickly glance to see what, if anything is available for a trip they plan to take.

Now that would be interesting.

The Cathedral Express charging through West Brompton Station