GBRf Class 66 No. 66748 ‘St Michael’s Mount’ leads as classmate No. 66744 ‘Heart of Wales’ brings up the rear on the “Britannic Explorer” stock as the train approaches Shawford on its way back to Eastleigh running as ECS. Door locking issues resulted in the Belmond run luxury train being cancelled at Bedford St John’s en-route to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway on Friday 1st August. Issues with the doors have blighted the “Britannic Explorer” since its inception. This working reported as 5J03 0900 Wellingborough Neilson Sdg to Eastleigh East Yard
Caroline, Yoshi & I enjoyed lunch at Marco’s Platform 1 – the Shawford Station Community Cafe – while we waited for the sheds to pass. The Three Rivers CRP (a subsidiary of the Hampshire CRP), worked with partners South Western Railway, the Railway Heritage Trust, Winchester City Council, Cross Country Trains, building contractors Avon Construction, and specialist architects EP projects. The former booking hall has been converted into a community café, which opened in early 2023. This is run by Marco Bertacchini, who also runs Platform 2 situated at Romsey station.
Shawford station is located 69 miles from London Waterloo on the South Western Main Line to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It was originally named “Shawford and Twyford” and opened on 1st September 1882.
We can well recommended a visit to Platform 1!! – 04/08/2025