{"id":5843,"date":"2023-04-05T20:47:41","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T19:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/?p=5843"},"modified":"2023-04-05T20:47:41","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T19:47:41","slug":"mostly-britannia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/therailwaydog.co.uk\/?p=5843","title":{"rendered":"Mostly Britannia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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British Railways Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ on the turntable at the Yeovil Railway Centre – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hello there \u2013 after a week away, we are back with a lot to catch up on. We hope you found last times Beeching blog<\/a> of interest \u2013 it\u2019s certainly a period in railway history which incites discussion and reflection. This time we are concentrating on more recent events concerning the Swanage Railway including our visit to their excellent March 2023 Steam Gala – which featured British Rail Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 \u2018Britannia\u2019 – and the first diesel multiple unit train departing Wareham connecting the Purbeck heritage railway to the main line.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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British Railways Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ approaches Yeovil Junction working 5Z70 Crewe HS to Swanage having used the connecting curve from Yeovil Pen Mill – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday 22nd<\/sup>\u00a0March 2023, we headed over to Yeovil to see No. 70000 \u2018Britannia\u2019 arrive at Yeovil Junction in readiness for her being turned on Yeovil Railway Centre’s turntable. I always enjoy watching locomotives on the turntable, and despite a few initial barks form Yoshi, he mostly watched on with quiet fascination. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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British Railways Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ is turned on the Yeovil Railway Centre turntable – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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British Railways Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ after being turned at the Yeovil Railway Centre – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Following her spin on the turntable, \u2018Britannia\u2019 backed out onto the main line at Junction station and we drove down to Yeovil Pen Mill so that we could capture a pair of Class 37 diesel locomotives working test train 1Z22 Derby Railway Technical Centre to Bristol Kingsland Road via Weymouth which was scheduled to pass through at around 1500, 20 minutes or so before \u2018Britannia\u2019 was due to arrive at Pen Mill prior to a tender first run down to Weymouth. The test train, however, top and tailed by Colas No.\u2019s 37116 and 37254 arrived at Pen Mill almost thirty minutes late and by this time \u2018Britannia\u2019 had already made the run down from Junction with her support coach. We were also able to see a Great Western Railway (GWR) Class 800 IET pass through on a divert as engineering work was taking place on the Taunton line and services to Exeter were taking the West of England route.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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British Railways Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ having turned at Yeovil Junction nears Yeovil Pen Mill where she will run round her support coach before proceeding to Weymouth – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Colas Class 37 No. 37116 arrives at Yeovil Pen Mill with 1Z22 Derby Railway Technical Centre to Bristol Kingsland Road. British Railways Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ stands in the sidings waiting to run round her support coach before proceeding to run tender first to Weymouth – 22\/03\/2022 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Colas Class 37 No’s. 37116 and 37254 depart Yeovil Pen Mill top and tailing 1Z22 Derby Railway Technical Centre to Bristol Kingsland Road as No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ waits to reverse out of the station and back on to her support coach – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Great Western Railway Class 800 IET No. 802102 works the diverted 1C84 1404 London Paddington to Plymouth service through Yeovil Pen Mill – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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British Railways Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ prepares to reverse out of Yeovil Pen Mill and run back in to couple up with her support coach – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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British Railways Standard Class 7 4-6-2 No. 70000 ‘Britannia’ at Weymouth here she again ran around her support coach in preparation for the journey to Poole, where she again changes ends on the coach, before working back down to Swanage (Image courtesy of Scott Lewis) – 22\/03\/2023<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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