The last time any special train visited Chesham was on 16 August 2013 when Met no.1 and L150 with Sarah Siddons and the Chesham carriages, made two round trips to the small Chiltern town. We’re coming up to the anniversary of the Steam on the Met programmes thus here’s an appropriate subject for that! Other special Chesham workings included C stock in 1994 and 1998 and the 1960 (Cravens) again in 1998. These are invariably LT stock. But what of non electrified/non LT stock?
Bubble Car W55023 took over some Chesham duties during the 1994 Steam on the Met (this is mentioned on the internet) and I am sure I have photographs of that somewhere. Recently I found my pictures of Class 205 033 which had been given several Chesham turns during the following year’s Steam on the Met event. I have searched on the internet for any record of 205 033 on the branch but it seems there’s none so here’s some pictures I took on 20th May 1995.
205 033 with the 13.48 for Chesham. There was a southbound A stock departing and one just arriving and I didn’t have a lens wide enough to get all three trains in!
Second trip the 14.02 – readying for ‘thumping’ up the gradients to Chalfont.
It was one of only a handful of times a diesel working ran in place of the usual A stock. Not only that this occasion was even more unusual that it was a Network South East train! The unit is now preserved at the Lavender line.
The 14.02 departing from Chesham for Chalfont.
The 14.18 from Chalfont crossing the main road into Chesham.
The bridge over Waterside is one of only three overbridges on the branch, two of which are in Chesham itself. Both this bridge and Moor Road bridge had been replaced just a few years earlier.
Departing at 14.36 for Chalfont.
Our Network South East ‘Thumper’ arriving on the 14.48 from Chalfont.
It seems the only other unusual Network South East liveried train to work the Steam on the Met was a Class 312, dragged by a locomotive of course. This was for the 1990 events and although the 312 unit is unidentified the locomotive was Standard 4 no.80080
Chalfont & Latimer just before the last round trip to Chesham at 15.18pm.
Trying to take a photo from the inside of the train of the pretty Chess valley! This was the last trip up from Chesham.
I think this was the section I was trying to photograph from inside the ‘Thumper!’
205 033 continued in normal service to Watford via the North Curve. Upon arrival there it joined another Thumper, 205 009. Both had paired for a run from Marylebone to Rickmansworth earlier in the day.
The pair of 205’s weren’t the only unusual stock seen that day. The LNER designed AM6 (Class 306) stock (for the 1949 Shenfield electrification) joined the festivities, having been dragged up from Ilford depot specially for the occasion.
