A day out to London to see 61306 Mayflower at the head of the Steam Dreams Santa Special . Victoria to Willesden with 47593 leading and then Mayflower back from Willesden via Kew, Barnes Bridge, Putney and Clapham Junction
Four trips, we saw three of them and eldests video is here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvh9XGgtkS8
61306 Mayflower - Steam Dreams Santa Specials by
Martin Creese, on Flickr
61306 Mayflower - Steam Dreams Santa Specials by
Martin Creese, on Flickr
Firstly, those are some great photos of Mayflower
.
Secondly, yes, Steam Dreams has been running them since Christmas of 2021 around the London suburbs, and honestly, I think it's a genius idea.
Prior to this, Steam Dreams often did a fair amount of Xmas tours; however, with the low amount of daylight hours with it being Winter (and yesterday the Winter Solstice), a lot of the Xmas tours were spent with the return trip in pitch darkness. Unless you are the front coach, and you can see the shadow of the steam locomotive from all the lighting, there isn't much to see along most of the UK's mainlines, with there being nothing but countryside for a lot of it.
For Instance, I have done a couple of their tours at Xmas times in the past to places such as Lincoln or Statford Upon Avon last decade and for the reasons stated above, there isn't much to see at night. Steam Dreams often, as a yearly tradition, did a Christmas circular around the 18th-21st of December around the Kent coast as a last steam tour for the year, though they were timed to only run during the daylight hours.
The genius thing about these tours is that they make the most of their setting, running around West and South-West London. There are plenty of Xmas lights on houses and streets you can spot from the train and there is actually something to see as a result of this. They are great tours to spot as they often get up to some decent speeds along these routes, along with plenty of whistle and chuff from the locomotives.
With there being so many of these tours being run on the days these tours take place, you aren't missing out if you miss one of them. A perfect time to do some Xmas shopping, go get something to eat, etc. There has been a decline in the amount of tour dates since 2024, costs of running said tours, pathing, and there being rivalry now in the form of the Polar Express tours in North West London, it has meant you have 2 days to decide from, as opposed to almost a week at one point (2023 I think?).
