For years, enthusiasts have been starved of their ‘fix’ in the winter months, with Christmas trains taking over from as early as November, while the months of January, February, and sometimes even March were reserved for routine maintenance and major infrastructure projects.
But with rising base costs now rapidly eating into festive profits, some lines have more recently decided that it is time for change in order to balance the books.
The first weekend after New Year's Day is now a regular gala time in the Purbeck Isles, with its Winter Warm Up offering mileage behind traction to appease both steam and diesel enthusiasts alike.
This year's event had an extra lure: it was the first gala appearance of the newlyrestored LSWR T3 No.
