Saturday 19th December would see SR Bulleid Pacific Rebuilt West Country steam locomotive No. 34046 Braunton head to York hauling The Christmas White Rose.
The White Rose is a railtour ran by Saphos Trains and runs ‘steam-hauled’ from Crewe to York and return via the Hope Valley Line & the Calder Valley Line. The White Rose runs three times a year with December having a Christmas White Rose. This would be the first Christmas White Rose run by Saphos Trains starting from Telford Central, originally meant to be starting at Wolverhampton, however, due to Wolverhampton being in tier 3, the tour was started at Telford Central.
2020 saw two other White Rose tours. 7th March with 70000 Britannia, starting from Shrewsbury and 22nd August with 46100 Royal Scot starting at Wolverhampton.
This tour was originally meant to be hauled by 46100 Royal Scot but was replaced by 34046 Braunton.
The White Rose would see 70000 head through places such as Acton Bridge, Warrington Bank Quay, Salford Central, Manchester Victoria, New Mills Central, Edale, Hathersage, Grindleford, Sheffield, Meadowhall, Swinton (South Yorkshire), Goldthorpe, Pontefract Baghill, Church Fenton, Castleford, Wakefield Kirkgate, Brighouse, Hebden Bridge, Todmorden & Rochdale.
In this video, RailView captured the West Country on the outward leg at:
- Chinley East Junction, near Chinley, Derbyshire, passing through at 11:18 1 minute early.
- Cowburn, near Chinley, Derbyshire, passing through at 11:20 on time.
Info about 34046 Braunton:
- Designed by Oliver Bulleid
- Built by The SR in 1946 at Brighton Works
- Originally numbered 21C146
- Rebuilt by BR in 1959
- Withdrawn from BR service in 1965
- Transferred to Woodham Brothers Scrapyard in Barry, South Wales in 1965
- Purchased for preservation in 1988, she was moved to Brighton for restoration
- She was purchased by the West Somerset Railway in 1996 and later punched by a private individual where her restoration began.
- She returned to steam in 2007 running on the WSR
- In 2013 she returned to the mainline
- From 2016 to 2019 she ran as scrapped sister loco Battle of Britain Class No. 34052 Lord Dowding
- Braunton is currently owned by Jeremy Hosking and hauls railtours around the country hauling tours for Saphos Trains under the operational of Locomotive Services
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