Out and about with ‘Bahamas’ | Ingrow Loco Museum & Workshop

31 December 2020
In addition to the tours operated through Vintage Trains (see below), 45596 Bahamas will be hauling some tours for Steam Dreams during the Autumn and details can be found on the Steam Dreams website and in its brochure.
https://www.steamdreams.co.uk

The first to be announced is a tour from London to Penzance on 28 September returning to London on 1 October with a trip to Par and back on 30 September.

These tours offer 45596 an opportunity to work out of London for the first time in preservation and the loco will work over several new routes for the engine.

17 December 2020
Vintage Trains have recently published a press release which gives details of their plans for 2021. Bahamas will feature in some of their tours and details and booking information will be found on their website: http://www.vintagetrains.co.uk/

Those currently announced include:
Saturday 12th June – Welsh Marches Express
Saturday 24th July – The Buxton Jubilee
Saturday 7th August – The Welshman (to Holyhead)

28 August 2020

There are no planned rail tours with Bahamas for the remaining part of 2020. However the engine has been invited to the Mid Hants Railway to appear at their October gala event. For further information please visit their website at: https://www.watercressline.co.uk/product.php/164/autumn-steam-gala

22 February 2020

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is DSC08747-45596-Outhgill-small-1024x627.jpg — Between intermittent showers of freezing rain and a strong westerly wind, Stanier ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 45596 ‘Bahamas’ makes easy work of its eleven coach trailing load as she romps towards Ais Gill summit, the fireman giving it his all. The 1Z58 15:29 Carlisle to Keighley charter on Saturday 22nd February 2020. © Gordon Edgar – All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission.
*Photo courtesy of Gordon Edgar*

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is DSC08692-45596-Niffany-small-1024x609.jpg — It’s exhaust whipped away on the strong westerly wind, double-chimney Stanier ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 45596 ‘Bahamas’ heads away from Skipton at Niffany viaduct in charge of the 1Z57 09:10 Keighley & Worth Valley Railway to Carlisle charter on Saturday 22nd February 2020. The sunshine belies the conditions of the day and experienced over the previous night, with extreme flooding in North and West Yorkshire. The River Aire is actually some 300 metres distant from the railway at this point! © Gordon Edgar – All rights reserved. Please do not use my images without my explicit permission.
*Photo courtesy of Gordon Edgar*

The Bahamas Locomotive Society is extremely grateful to the national lottery and thousands purchasers of national lottery tickets for their support with the project to overhaul 45596. Without their assistance the locomotive would not have become operational in the manner achieved.

Whilst the majority of the overhaul was undertaken by Tyseley Locomotive Works some key elements of the work were undertaken on a voluntary basis by members of the Society at our base at Ingrow.

We are now in a position to enable this unique steam locomotive to be seen in action by the general public in accordance with the ethos of the national lottery and the aims of the Society.

Whilst the Society has been fortunate to receive this financial support, the future wellbeing of Bahamas will rely on our ongoing ability to maintain fund raising, details of which can be found elsewhere on this Web site.

For information on steam rail tours throughout the UK – including those utilising 45596, please follow the link HERE.

Bahamas creates the ‘light fantastic’ after leaving Hellifield bound for Keighley, 16 February 2019.
Photo by David Kippax

9 February 2019

45596 ‘Bahamas’ passing through Long Preston on the return to Keighley. – photo by David Kippax

45596 Bahamas, successfully completed its first rail tour on Saturday, 9 February 2019 between Oxenehope, on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR), and Carlisle. The train was organised by the KWVR, in conjunction with West Coast Railway Company.

Following a long delay to leaving the surroundings of Keighley, as a result of a fallen tree caused by incessant storms occurring the previous night, the train made up all lost time and arrived in Carlisle on time.

The train had sold out within days of tickets going on sale, the popularity was so great that a further train was organised to run on the following Saturday, 16 February.

At Carlisle and the engine is surrounded by throng of onlookers