White Cliffs Luncheon Express

22nd December 2008

Last Friday the Met Office was confidently predicting that Monday would be a sunny day, consequently I thought I'd take the day off and get some last minute pictures before everything closes down for Christmas. My intention was to go looking for the extra mail trains on the WCML. But over the weekend the Met Office started to back pedal; there seem to be some climatic conditions which they are simply unable to predict with any degree of certainty. And Monday was one of those.

So instead of north of London I thought I'd head south and get some pictures of Tangmere on its native heath on Steam Dream's White Cliffs Luncheon train, the last steam special of 2008.

This morning the weather forecast gave some reason to suggest this was a good choice, by 15:00 East Kent was supposed to be bathed by one of those big sun symbols according to the Met Office's SE England web page. Of course nothing could have been further from the truth, it was dull and grey and drizzly.

But seeing Tangmere at the head of what could reasonably pass for a Dover Marine boat train was a real thrill, and to catch her on the racing straight through Headcorn was a treat.

Passing the 16.5 milepost at Knockholt we could be back in the late 1950s as Tangmere raises the roof as she storms through on the ascent of the North Downs towards Polhill Tunnel. 3840x2560 20081222_01.jpg	As on Saturday there were plenty of fans out to enjoy the spectacle. 4188x2608 20081222_02.jpg	East of Tonbridge Tangmere was let off the leash. 3748x2444 20081222_03.jpg	This footpath crossing just east of Headcorn is a great location, Tangmere stormed past at track speed, which is 75 mph. 3952x2468 20081222_04.jpg
By the time the train passed through Dover and headed back towards Shakespeare Cliff Tunnel the light was pretty atrocious. 3356x2664 20081222_05.jpg