Steam locomotive 34046 Braunton was at the helm of The Pennine Moors Christmas Explorer on Wednesday 17th December 2020.
The Pennine Moors Christmas Explorer was steam hauled from Crewe to Blackburn and return, with the tour originating at Birmingham International.
Braunton passed through Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Bamber Bridge, Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley Manchester Road, Todmorden, Rochdale and Manchester Victoria on its circular tour, which included a climb up Copy Pit.
This tour was originally meant to be hauled by 46100 Royal Scot but was replaced by 34046 Braunton.
In this short video, RailAdvent filmed the tour passing through Burnley Manchester Road, passing alongside a Northern service to Blackpool North. It was running 5 minutes late due to a delay at Accrington.
Braunton was designed by Oliver Bulleid and was built by Southern Rail in 1946 at Brighton Works. The locomotive was originally numbered 21C146 but was rebuilt by British Rail in 1959 before being withdrawn from BR service in 1965.
34046 Braunton was transferred to Woodham Brothers Scrapyard in Barry, South Wales in 1965 before being purchased for preservation in 1988 and was then moved to Brighton for restoration. In 1996, Braunton was purchased by the West Somerset Railway and was later purchased by a private individual where her restoration began.
In 2007, Braunton returned to steam and ran on the West Somerset Railway before returning to the mainline in 2013.
Owned by Jeremy Hosking, the locomotive hauls rail tours across the country for Saphos Trains and Locomotive Services Ltd.
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Braunton’s brief appearance was most certainly well worth waiting for – esp the unique sound of that Bulleid whistle as she flew through – makes the hairs on the back of one’s neck stand up! As a former 1950s schoolboy on the SR, such were regular happenings! Thank you, I shall now go happily to bed….. 🙂