Steam on the Overground

A steam train ran along the Gospel Oak to Barking branch of the London Overground today June 16th pulling vintage passenger coaches. I’m trying to find out more about it, as I’ve seen or heard this before. The sighting was near Woodgrange Park station heading West so it may have destined to switch tracks onto the mainline towards Stratford, something to do with the Olympics opening ceremony perhaps? There was certainly a steam hauled train crossing one of the main bridges over the Thames in central London for the Queen’s Jubilee River Pageant last bank holiday weekend so it may have been the same one, or maybe the Orient Express making its way around London avoiding the main terminus stations.

A Steam Engine, Not on the Overground

Thanks to Jim Easterbrook who alerted me to http://www.uksteam.info/ I now know that the steam engine I heard and saw on the Barking to Gospel Oak line must have been the BR Cass 8P 4-6-2 no 71000 Duke of Gloucester pulling the THE CATHEDRALS EXPRESS on the Steam hauled: Southend-Gloucester-Southend run. How about that then! And given the timetable information, It should be possible to catch the return passage at about twenty to nine this evening, weather permitting.

Yes, isn’t the internet clever sometimes.

Here’s a picture of the said Duke of Gloucester steaming through Woodgrange Park station only about 5 minutes late at 8.49 pm tonight.

Duke of Gloucester

Duke of Gloucester

1Zxx
0.0 Southend Central d 09:34 71000  
  Pitsea 09:50    
    d 09:46    
  Upminster a 10:04    
    d 10:06    
  Barking 10:18    
    d 10:22    
  Leyton Midland Rd 10:35    
  South Tottenham 10:45    
  Harringay Park Jc 10:50    
  Gospel Oak 10:57    
  Willesden Jc HL 11:11    
  Acton ML 11:25    
  Southall 11:36    
  Heathrow Airport Jc 11:39    
  Slough 11:49    
  Maidenhead 11:59    
  Reading 12:16    
  Didcot Parkway 12:33    
  Challow a 12:45 water  
    d 13:08    
  Swindon 13:23    
  Kemble 13:47    
  St Marys Crossing 13:57    
  Standish Jc 14:09    
  Gloucester a 14:20    
1Z83
0.0 Gloucester d 16:58 71000  
  Standish Jc 17:10    
  St Marys Crossing 17:19    
  Kemble 17:32    
  Swindon 17:49    
  Challow 18:02    
  Wantage Road a 18:07 water  
    d 18:43    
  Didcot Parkway 18:55    
  Reading 19:15    
  Maidenhead 19:29    
  Slough 19:36    
  Heathrow Airport Jc 19:46    
  Southall 19:48    
  Acton Main Line 19:55    
  Willesden Jc HL 20:01    
  Gospel Oak 20:15    
  Harringay Park Jc 20:20    
  South Tottenham 20:25    
  Leyton Midland Rd 20:35    
  Barking 20:46    
  Upminster a 21:08    
    d 21:10    
  Pitsea 21:25    
  Southend Central a 21:42  

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