jay_mond0
73128 tnt 73119 and 700008 - Bickley, 29/04/2026
GBRf 73128 'Kent & East Sussex Railway “50 Years of Heritage 1974-2024”' and TL 700008 are seen at Bickley whilst working 5Y87 13:41 Dover Priory to London Victoria and 9Y38 14:52 Sevenoaks to London Blackfriars respectively on the 29 April 2026.
73119 was on the rear of 5Y87.
Regrettably, I wasn't able to reach the Dover cliffs for the shot I wanted because of work, so had to make do with the suburbs. This thin cloud had come in from the south much earlier than forecast, so I really had no hopes for the shot. It then nearly all went tits-up when I arrived, to discover that it was on the slow! But at the last minute, the route was set to the fast and ran parallel with the Thameslink.
Now onto the train, DB's contract with the pullman is reaching its renewal, but whether they continue to operate it remains to be seen. They chose not to take on the new Britannic Explorer, so would come as little surprise if their deployment on the pullman is discontinued, along with the steam licence. This was a test to try out the compatibility of the coaches with EDs, in preparation for a private charter in which they requested 'green traction'. So there was a bit of confusion about this being training for GBRf to take over...
Note: highlights tweaked because of the strange light situation.
73128 tnt 73119 and 700008 - Bickley, 29/04/2026
GBRf 73128 'Kent & East Sussex Railway “50 Years of Heritage 1974-2024”' and TL 700008 are seen at Bickley whilst working 5Y87 13:41 Dover Priory to London Victoria and 9Y38 14:52 Sevenoaks to London Blackfriars respectively on the 29 April 2026.
73119 was on the rear of 5Y87.
Regrettably, I wasn't able to reach the Dover cliffs for the shot I wanted because of work, so had to make do with the suburbs. This thin cloud had come in from the south much earlier than forecast, so I really had no hopes for the shot. It then nearly all went tits-up when I arrived, to discover that it was on the slow! But at the last minute, the route was set to the fast and ran parallel with the Thameslink.
Now onto the train, DB's contract with the pullman is reaching its renewal, but whether they continue to operate it remains to be seen. They chose not to take on the new Britannic Explorer, so would come as little surprise if their deployment on the pullman is discontinued, along with the steam licence. This was a test to try out the compatibility of the coaches with EDs, in preparation for a private charter in which they requested 'green traction'. So there was a bit of confusion about this being training for GBRf to take over...
Note: highlights tweaked because of the strange light situation.