34028 'Eddystone' & 47826 on the Great Britain XVIII + GBRF 66742 & 66748 on the Britannic Explorer!
We begin on Saturday 18th April with a look at the Britannic Explorer at rest at Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway, ahead of a run down to Penzance, top and tailed by GBRF Class 66s 66742 ‘ABP Port of Immingham Centenary 1912-2012’ + 66748 ‘St Michael's Mount’. The pair are then seen at Norton Fitzwarren after a newly refurbished pair of XC Voyagers had passed, easing onto the mainline, heading for Taunton where 66742 would run round and lead the double headed formation of the luxury railtour.
With the Britannic Explorer underway, we turn our attention to the main event, as Southern Railway West Country class Bulleid Pacific 34028 ‘Eddystone’ arrives and depart Taunton with the first leg of the Railway Touring Companies 2026 ‘Great Britain XVIII’ a 7 day heritage railtour of the UK. After leaving taunton ‘Eddystone’ is watered in Fairwater Yard, before departing for a stop in Exeter. We catch 47826 dragging the consist back to Exeter Riverside North Yard where the steam locomotive was coaled up, before finishing Saturdays coverage at Langstone Rock in Dawlish Warren where ‘Eddystone’ makes an impressive pass heading for Cornwall.
Sunday 19th April saw 34028 'Eddystone' head back through with the second leg of this ambitious railtour, where we pick up the action as the train arrives at Taunton, before heading to hold under 40 Steps bridge while the locomotive moved into Taunton sidings for watering and coaling. Once back on the stock we move up to Magor where I met @southwalestrainspotting5090 to catch the water stop which was scheduled here, before the final sequence shows the West Country Pacific absolutely hammering through Abergavenny with a fantastic doppler whistle hurrying towards Chester, bringing to a close a brilliant two days chasing this tour!
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This video features the Southern Railway West Country class Bulleid Pacific 34028 'Eddystone' operating on the Great Britain XVIII railtour, as well as GBRF Class 66 locomotives 66742 and 66748 working with the Britannic Explorer. The footage includes scenes from Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway, Norton Fitzwarren, Taunton, and other locations across the UK. Additional stock numbers and headcodes are present in the metadata, reflecting a variety of railway operations and heritage events.
Fishplate has identified 6 locomotives in this video. We’ve also matched 5 headcodes and 9 operators . Create a free account to see where they appear, unlock timestamps and locations, and view the full breakdown.
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