Although this happened a week or so ago now on Saturday 25th February, and already quite widely reported, I thought I would for the record, post a few links to the interesting night time working of ex LSWR Beattie Well Tank 30587 doing some tests on the London Underground Circle / Hammersmith and City Line between Lillie Bridge Depot, Earls Court and Baker Street.
This was testing in advance of next year’s 150th anniversary of the Inner Circle line and the feasibility of special steam hauled trips to mark the event, hopefully utilising some of the preserved ex London Underground stock such as the Metropolitan Railway ‘Ashbury’ stock from the Bluebell Railway and maybe the Metropolitan Railway ‘T’ Stock from the Spa Valley Railway.
The testing with 30587, from the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, along with Metropolitan electric locomotive ‘Sarah Siddons’ and a couple of LU Battery Locomotives was to test and evaluate the effect on station fire alarm panels and passing trains of running steam engines through this section. Once again the London Underground demonstrate their forward thinking and willingness to hold such unique events, which they should be heartily congratulated for.
A selection of Photographs can be found on the London reconnections site here and also Bowroaduks Flickr Photostream here.
A great short video of the testing at Baker Street is on Leon Daniel’s, Managing Director of surface transport at TfL, youtube site here and also here if the embedded first clip below does not appear.