Weymouth Seaside Express steam train on video near Southampton

I admit it: I enjoy watching steam trains. It’s probably a man thing or, more accurately, a ‘little boy never quite grown up’ thing. Belching smoke, chuntering up gradients and whistling at crossings, they remain an evocative sight, smell and sound.

Steam trains were supposed to have been banished to preserved railways when steam was phased out by British Railways in the 1960s but, in recent years, they have enjoyed a major renaissance on the mainline. Most ‘steam specials’ are one-offs but a number are now being scheduled on a weekly basis and, despite charging quite steep ticket prices (£200+ for first-class dining, in some cases), they appear to have few problems in attracting passengers.

This is a short sequence that I filmed using my phone of the Weymouth Seaside Express on 13 September, captured beside the River Test near Southampton:

I added captions and credits using Windows Movie Maker; as with my phone’s camera, I’m impressed with its ease of use and quality.