[milton-chat] Yesterdays steam train; railway timetable changes

[Martin Thorne]

Did anyone see and photograph No.71000 "Duke of Gloucester" on the Steam
Dreams London Victoria-Ely charter train yesterday morning as it passed the
village?

I bet no-one saw it come back in late afternoon after dark - minus its
passengers - as apparently (according to a member of 'one' railway staff
that I spoke to at Cambridge station late last night, so it might not be
true) the loco didn't have enough coal in the tender to make it back to
London, so the train went empty back to Cambridge to await a tow by a diesel
locomotive, the passengers presumably being sent back to London on First
Capital Connect services.

As I was working yesterday (so I didn't see it), afterwards I went to
Stratford in east London for a train trip to North Woolwich and back on part
of the North London line (it was the last day of service on said part of
line; some of it is to be used for an extension to the Docklands Light
Railway), an enthusiast on board tipped me off that the charter train was
coming through Stratford at about 2010 (the time, not the year!) so I got
off there and waited...and waited...and waited! At about 2130 - with no
steam train having appeared - and with feeling going rapidly in the fingers
due to the cold I gave up and headed back to Liverpool Street for a train
back to Cambridge. Imagine my surprise when I arrived back and saw the train
sitting in one of the sidings (this was about 2330 hrs last night so it may
still be there today). It was then that I found out - supposedly - what had
happened.

Station staff at Cambridge late last night? Yes, they were busy changing the
timetable posters for the Winter/Spring timetable which comes into effect
today. One item that might interest those who have friends/relations in east
London is that on Sundays the 'one' Cambridge-Liverpool Street stopping
services will run to/from Stratford instead, engineering works permitting.

Martin.