On Wednesday 16th May 2018, Clan Line hauled the British Pullman to Bath and Bristol. Rather than take what was, at the time, the usual Berks & Hants route, we went by the Great Western mainline between Reading and Bristol.
The following is an extract from the log produced by Alan Goodwin at the time:-
Load: Thirteen vehicles for 504 tons tare.
Crew: Inspector Geoff Ewans, driver Steve Matthews and fireman Jim Clarke.
Weather: Sunny periods.
| Location | Miles. Ch | B'ked | Actual | Sp'd | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bath (dep) | 0:00 | 17:43 | |||
| Bathampton Jcn. | 2.16 | 0:04 | 0:04 | 50 | |
| Box | 4.76 | 0:07½ | 60/50 | ||
| Corsham | 8.44 | 0:11½ | 55 | ||
| Thingley Jcn. | 10.68 | 0:14 | 0:14 | 67 | |
| Chippenham | 12.74 | 0:16 | 0:16 | 72 | |
| Dip. | 15.02 | 0:17½ | 76.5 | ||
| Dauntsey | 19.12 | 0:21 | 74/65 | ||
| Wooton Bassett Jcn. | 23.72 | 0:27 | 0:25 | 69 | |
| Swindon | 29.52 | 0:35 | 0:30 | 73/77 | Pathing stop omitted |
| Bourton Crossover | 34.40 | 0:33½ | 76 | ||
| Shrivenham | 35.32 | 0:34½ | 75.5 | ||
| Uffington | 40.32 | 0:57 | 0:38½ | 76 | |
| Challow | c42.72 | 1:00 | 0:41½ | 47 | Braking for signal stop |
The following notes were made by the time-keeper at the time:-
A stunning lift out of Bath, and what a wonderful feeling going full speed through the home of the GWR with the whistle shrieking.