34028 "Eddystone" & 71000 "Duke of Gloucester" pace the Berks & Hants | Bath Christmas tours 2025

'Eddy' and 'The Duke' would demonstrate pacific prowess to the full effect, as they led respective railtours along the Berks & Hants line to Bath in conjunction with its famous Christmas Market.

Christmas railtours to Bath are a regular and recurring annual event, with Ex-SR Rebuilt 'West Country' Class - 34028 "Eddystone" leading the first of these excursions for the 2025 programme. Operating on the 29th of November and titled ‘The Bath and Bristol Christmas Express’, the tour began out of London Paddington with 34028 at the helm, travelling down the Great Western Mainline to Reading to traverse onto the Berks & Hants line to Westbury, then joining the Wessex Mainline to Bath before terminating at Bristol. Support would be provided by West Coast Railways Class 47 - 47812.

A few days later on the 2nd of December, BR Standard Class 8P - 71000 "Duke of Gloucester" would take up the reins of ‘The Bath Christmas Market Express’, operating under the Saphos Trains banner of the Locomotive Services Group; with support provided by BR Class 47 - 47593 "Galloway Princess". This tour started out of Rugby under diesel haulage, travelling south on the West Coast Mainline to the outskirts of London where it worked around to Hanwell. From here, 71000 would take charge of proceedings, tracing the same route as “Eddystone”. This tour would terminate to passengers at Bath, with the empty stock working onward to Bristol for servicing.



00:00 - 34028 Maidenhead
01:32 - 34028 Crofton
02:33 - 71000 Slough
03:52 - 71000 Crofton
04:57 - 71000 Twerton Tunnel
06:01 - 71000 Keynsham

All footage filmed on Saturday the 29th of November, and Tuesday the 2nd of December, 2025.