Speed To The West: 2025 On the Railways

With another year gone, it's time for the usual big ol' compilation of stuff, looking back over my outings to various heritage railways and sightings of main line rail tours in 2025. It was a much quieter year, certainly on the main line front, with the increasingly hotter and drier summer months seeing prolonged steam bans, due to lineside fire risks. Still, it wasn't without its highlights, not least seeing the long awaited return to steam and the main line of both 71000 'Duke of Gloucester' and 5029 'Nunney Castle'. We also saw 34028 'Eddystone' joining the fray, being kitted out to work on the main line for the first time in its preservation life, in a bid to help bolster the limited pool of locomotives able to work with West Coast Railway Company's air braked stock. The big returnee on the heritage railway circuit was almost certainly the flagship of the Mid Hants Railway's fleet, 35005 'Canadian Pacific', back in steam for the first time since 2008 after a major overhaul, which commenced in 2011.

As always, thanks for watching, and thanks to all the people and organisations who put in the hard work to make the things I film even happen in the first place.

Filmed on a Panasonic HC-X1500 with an Audio-Technica BP4025 microphone.

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Chapters:

00:00 Intro Sequence
00:17 Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway - 2nd January
02:02 Severn Valley Railway, 'Winter Steam Gala' - 4th January
06:26 Mid Hants Railway - 21st & 23rd March
12:11 Swanage Railway, 'Spring Steam Gala' - 29th March
16:54 Swanage Railway, 41313 Running Day - 2nd April
20:29 Swanage Railway, 4953 Running Day - 7th April
23:20 70000, 'Steam Dreams To Cardiff' - 16th April
24:19 5029 & 57311, 'The Chairman's Train' - 17th April
25:38 Severn Valley Railway, 'Spring Steam Gala' - 20th April
33:37 Mid Hants Railway, 'Spring Steam Gala' - 25th & 27th April
49:46 D1015, 'The South Devon Explorer' - 11th May
50:51 Severn Valley Railway, 'Rail 200' Gala - 5th July
54:59 5043, 'The Shakespeare Express' - 27th July
57:40 D1015, 'The Western Wanderer' - 25th August
59:52 5029, 'The English Riviera Express' - 6th September
01:02:03 7029 & 45596, 'The Mayflower' - 6th September
01:05:23 Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, 'Summer Steam Gala' - 13th September
01:15:30 Severn Valley Railway, 'Autumn Steam Gala' -18th & 21st September
01:25:08 Mid Hants Railway, 'Autumn Steam Gala' - 5th October
01:29:53 34028, 'The Chiltern Explorer' - 1st November
01:30:55 Great Central Railway, 'Bahamas Farewell Weekend', 12th October
01:36:38 71000, 'The Bath Christmas Market Express' - 2nd December
01:37:42 71000, 'The Bath Christmas Market Express' - 4th December
01:39:03 61306, 'The Bath Christmas Market Express' - 12th December
01:41:46 61306 & 71000, 'The Bath Christmas Market Express' - 12th December
01:43:02 34028, 'The Bath & Bristol Christmas Express' - 13th December
01:47:57 Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway, 'Mince Pie Specials' - 31st December