We start next day with an early morning departure by car from West Moors, Dorset headed for Somerset hoping to pick up a mainline steam excursion from London to Plymouth hauled by the unique ex BR pacific 71000 "Duke of Gloucester ". We find a road overpass close to Whiteball, Somerset, the bottom of an incline that peaks at Whiteball tunnel - we arrive only a few minutes ahead of the train that is soon in view and going " like the clappers" . We had planned our next photo op to be Exeter , however it is going so fast we decide to head further west to Rattery bank - west of Totnes, Devon. Here we get great video of the train climbing up through the hills, and after lunch set up for the return trip at Dainton bank, finding a small one track road with an overbridge, we view the traffic on the mainline , HST's , local multiple units & light engine moves. After 71000’s passage- again flying like the wind (which turns out to be the fastest trip up Dainton bank its ever done), we try chasing it again , but it's too fast, we get stuck in the UK traffic - next place is Silverton - east of Exeter, Devon , we set up, but have to shoot into the sun - but hey it's mainline steam - 75 mph and it's gone.

Next day is spend retracing tracks around Romsey (my home town) , Eastleigh and Southampton in Hampshire. A road trip along the Fawley branch finds fully operational semaphore signals and manual crossing gates, and then down to Lymington -for a short trip along the Brockenhurst - Lymington branch line , although 3rd rail electric, the units are painted in heritage colours - and still use slam type doors, the only place in the UK still running this type of unit .

Wednesday finds us heading out for ' 71000 Duke of Gloucester' again - this time running from London to Westbury, Wiltshire - but first we go to Winchfield on the Waterloo - Bournemouth mainline again for steam - this time Bulleid Pacific 35028 'Clan Line'-running a Cathedrals Express from London to Bath via Salisbury.

Weather is typically English -- rain! , but we get our photo's anyway, then head over to the Berks & Hants mainline east of Newbury, Still rain, 71000 is going well, but the video is some what gray. Due to the inclement weather , we sojourn to a pub for lunch - just happens to be owned by an enthusiast! - lots of railway signs & lamps all around - great atmosphere. The afternoon brightens up & we visit the mainline again for modern traction at Patney & Chirton station - long since closed but a good place for action . We plan to get 71000 & 35028 on their return trips at Edington , east of Westbury - both are due within an hour of each other on the main line (2 steam excursions , same line, in an hour !!). After some great shots in the evening sun we head for Bishops Lydyard on the West Somerset Railway, this is our overnight stay and our project for Thursday. Thursday is spent taking photo's along this scenic west country branch line, late afternoon I take the train hauled by ex GWR 2-8-0 # 3850 & 6 carriages (cars) recently restored & looking great . I try for a cab ride, but no joy -have to apply ahead of time due to health & safety regulations. The ride is typical of the branch line trips I knew as young enthusiast, many happy memories, as well as plenty of loco coal cinders in the hair & eyes - great stuff ! My friend Andrew takes the car & follows lineside and we meet up after an hour & half round trip . We go for supper in a local pub - great food & warm beer & steam trains what else is there !!

Friday we plan on visiting the steam gala at the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire railway in Toddington, Gloucestershire. We head off early morning from Somerset, as we have to navigate the motorway system to avoid going into Bristol & we have to meet another friend at Cheltenham station at 10:00AM. All works well & meet just on time - we obtain our lineside passes & head off into the countryside to shoot the action. It's a full service today with some visiting loco's , we join other fans out in the fields to capture the action in full sun - we observe Bulleid 4-6-2 - 34007 Wadebridge , LNER 2-6-2 4771 Green Arrow, GWR 4-6-0 7903 Foremark Hall, BR 2-10-0 92203 , S&D 2-8-0 # 88 , plus several other smaller loco's on passenger , freight and autotrains , before long it's all over & we head for home in Dorset again.

We are now at the weekend and this Saturday my friend Andrew has arranged a guided tour of the Mid Hants Railway starting in the village of Alresford ( prounounced Allsford) near Winchester , Hampshire .We meet our guide Jim Russell who is chairman of the MHRPS, who kindly takes us on a tour of all the signal boxes on the line (towers on North American railways), then arranges a cab ride for me on ex BR standard class 5 4-6-0 # 73096 from Alresford to Alton & back to Medstead, where I meet up with Jim & Andy. Our next stop is the workshops & engine depot at Ropley. Inside we find A4 Pacific 60019 Bittern in the final stages of restoration, other loco's around are Bulleids -34016" Bodmin", 35005 "Canadian Pacific". After inspecting all the projects going on in the shops and yard, we walk the line & sidings where most of the spare rolling stock is kept & we get to see the next loco in line for restoration, ex BR class 4 75079 - just a boiler, frames & some equipment - no tender ! - at least Hudson # 2860 had most of its parts!

Arriving at Sunday we slow the pace a little - we are off to my home town of Romsey - here a group of local enthusiasts has saved & restored the signal box - now situated away from the line in the grounds of the junior school . Today is the Annual General Meeting of the society & we are going to play with the block bells & levers in the box as well as some site cleaning & restoration, a pleasant day is had chatting with fellow enthusiasts & catching up with old friends from my youthful days spent in the local signal boxes where we got to learn the art of manual signalling.

Monday still has some steam action. Off we travel to the Purbeck Line at Swanage , Dorset. Today we have # 6695 an ex GWR 0-6-2 tank engine running the daily service , we stop in at Swanage station bookstall for some souvenirs and also find out there is a signalling problem - some wiring is out - so we are unable to visit the signal boxes - we decide to go out lineside for a few shots in the pleasant Dorset countryside, where we are also able to get Corfe Castle in the background on some of our photographs. Taking a look at the engine shed on the way we also find a couple of ex BR standard 4 tank engines in light steam- but steam nevertheless.

Tuesday is the last day in the UK - we travel to Didcot, Oxfordshire to the Great Western Society loco depot , but it's closed - only open on weekends - should have checked before we left , well now what to do? - Swindon is only a short drive away & they have the "Steam" museum , off we go & visit all things Great Western . I must admit to being a GWR fan - brass nameplates & copper capped chimneys etc , so even though we do not have any live steam today - being in the cab of 4-6-0 6000 "King George V" & playing with the controls has a certain fascination. We tour round for a couple of hours looking at displays, locos, nameplates & all sorts relating to the glory days of the GWR. Then it's back to Dorset and packing for the trip to Switzerland tomorrow.

Big travel day today - leaving Bournemouth on the 07:10 to London Waterloo we arrive on schedule & have time to grab a tea & say goodbye to Andrew, as I go on the 10:40 Eurostar train to Paris. A new experience for me travelling 300kph - making the road vehicles look as if they are standing still ! - through the Channel Tunnel and on to Gare Du Nord . I must brave the Paris traffic in a taxi to get to Gare Du Lyon (I'm still alive- with more grey hairs) . Departure from here is at 16.40 on the TGV to Lausanne, Switzerland . Right time departure sees us cross France at high speed - after Dijon we start going across country and our speed stays in the 60-70 mph range , crossing the Swiss border (no inspection here!) at Vallorbe , we arrive in Lausanne on time at 20.45, now its time to visit my daughter for a few days .

Even with the family reunion, tourist visits, we manage to get some railway action as well. We make a trip from Lausanne via Montreux to Interlaken using SBB the Swiss National Railway , then go to Lauterbrunnen & Murrin using private railways to visit the Bernese Oberland & its mountains . We return to Lausanne via Bern on the intercity train using a 460 class electric loco pushing the train with a cab car leading.

One last railway adventure comes on the final Sunday as we head over to Travers near the French border , we arrive to find no trace of steam - even though the website leads us to think there is ,on checking at the booking office at the station & buying tickets we are still suspicious. After waiting for 15 mins we are surprised to see a double headed steam train arrive around the corner, after splitting the locos ( Polish tank engines) & coaches to make two trains, both set off in the same direction but take separate routes after 2 miles. We are on the train to St Sulpice where after 10 miles or so we arrive to find a museum at the station.

Inside we find several more tank engines - again Polish in origin together with a Swiss 2-8-2 and the best of all - a ex SNCF 241P 4-8-2 - 241P30 . Though not operable, it is complete and with some time & money could run again -- any volunteers from Squamish !!! - After that final railway fling it was back to the airport in Geneva on Wednesday and the British Airways flight to London - connecting with the Air Canada back to Vancouver .

As a postscript - thanks go to the WCRA travel agency & Bill Johnston for booking most of the air & railway journeys - all went very smoothly .