Photo: LordTaldo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsA cross-country day out from Essex to Chester's Christmas Market, steam hauled up the West Coast Main Line.
This Steam Dreams tour starts at Southend Central and picks up at Leigh-on-Sea, Barking and Milton Keynes. The train skirts London, where the steam locomotive takes over for an express run up the West Coast Main Line through Warwickshire, Staffordshire and rural Cheshire to Chester.
Chester's Tudor and Victorian centre hosts a Christmas Market of around 80 traders around a 90 ft tree by the town hall, and the medieval Rows offer galleried shopping. The outward run is steam hauled from West London; Britannia 70000 is the rostered engine.
The Thames estuary is on the left leaving Southend; beyond that the West Coast Main Line is mostly farmland seen from both sides.
Sides are given facing the direction of travel. Miles are approximate from the start of the journey.
| Date | From | Traction | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu 19 Nov 2026 06:35 |
Southend Central Steam from West London to Chester on the outward run. |
70000 Britannia | On sale |
No. Steam works the outward run from West London to Chester.
Southend Central, Leigh-on-Sea, Barking and Milton Keynes.
SteamScotland's famous steam train from Fort William to Mallaig over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, past Loch Shiel and the silver sands of Morar.
SteamCoast-to-coast Wednesday steam excursion across Lancashire and Yorkshire to York and Scarborough, with two alternative routes.
SteamWest Coast Railways' summer steam train over the Settle to Carlisle line from York or Chester, marking the route's 150th anniversary in 2026.