Saturday 1st July 2000, Rebuilt Merchant Navy Class 4-6-2 `pacific' locomotive 35005, `Canadian Pacific' photographed while waiting to work a Vintage Trains railtour special back to Birmingham.

This special 300 mile excursion train from Birmingham Railway Museum was Diesel hauled from Birmingham Snow Hill via: Oxford, Southampton and Bournemouth to Poole by 47575. The coaching stock was set back into the far siding behind a modern!? E.M.U. 47575 then left Poole running light to Bournemouth. The Railtour returned to Birmingham Steam Hauled by Merchant Navy class steam locomotive 35005 Canadian Pacific which arrived in Poole, light engine, running tender first down the Up line into the Poole up sidings. She was smoothly backed onto the rake of coaches, coupled up in the old fashioned way with the screw link coupling attached manually by a member of the loco crew standing between the loco and the coaches. In these modern days of the buckeye coupler and other clever remote couplings it is a rare thing to hear the sound of a steam train being coupled to its next working :-) Canadian Pacific was allowed to rest for a short while before being called to duty, she gracefully pulled off towards platform one where she stood awaiting the starter signal. Everyone was watching this splendid locomotive standing in the sun, some were taking photographs and there were a couple of people with video cameras, without a doubt steam engines are an attention grabber for most people. Three people decided it would be good to stand under the road overbridge (Towngate Bridge) in the shade and watch the train leave, I tried to tell them it was not the best place to stand pointing out the smoke deflection plate fitted to the underside of the road bridge above them. They decided to stay put so I retreated to a safe distance and took a couple of photos, The last picture above (cabside & driver) was taken as she pulled away from the platform, As I lowered the camera to watch I saw the sooty blast hit the bridge and with a whirl of smoke and a whiff of steam Canadian Pacific pulled away round the 10 chain curve over the Poole Highstreet level crossing and along the straight towards Baiter. I watched her until the train had passed Seldown Bridge at Baiter and was approaching the left hand curve at the foot of Parkstone bank. I looked back to the station to see the three people who had been standing under the bridge trying in vain to beat sooty marks out of their clothing, I guess they just Had to learn that one by experience ;-)

For further information on this train visit the `Vintage Trains' website listed on my Links page.

Since most people seem to photograph the locomotives and forget about the rest of the train, here are some photographs of the stock used on this railtour.