It was a cold day for this trip round the Surrey Hills with the British Pullman – a Belmond train. There was even a brief snow shower at six o’clock in the morning at Stewarts Lane. However, the sun came out later, giving the opportunity for some wonderful photographs.
Despite the cold, quite a few of our passengers came to admire Clan Line before our departure from London Victoria.
The first part of the run is not particularly exciting. We have to follow other trains, and allow other trains to pass us. We could easily save half an hour or more on the journey to Chertsey if we had the railway to ourselves, but we are not in any hurry.
We stopped at Chertsey to take water from a waiting tanker, and to pull some coal forward.
The run from Chertsey, via Gomshall Bank, and back to Victoria gives us the opportunity for some faster running, which we took advantage of.
Our passengers thoroughly enjoyed their trip, and were very appreciative. We hope to see some of them again soon.
