A steam train is passing through Rainham, Barking and Stratford tomorrow and this is how you can see it!

Tomorrow (Saturday, March 23) Steam Dreams Rail Company will be taking passengers on a steam-hauled scenic trip from Southend to the Bluebell Railway via the beautiful Surrey Hills.

Taking the helm for this trip will be the newly restored B1 Mayflower which this year makes a welcome return to the mainline after a three year absence.

Passengers can join the train from Southend, Rainham, Barking and Stratford, before making their way to the preserved heritage line – The Bluebell Railway.

The train will be setting off from Southend East at 7.40am and will arrive at Rainham (Platform 1) at 8.30 (only for two minutes though, so blink and you might miss it) before stopping at Barking (Platform 8) at around 8.40.

For a full list of timings go to the Steam Dreams website.

The 1306 Mayflower is one of two surviving B1 Class locomotives originally built for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER).

When in full use, the B1’s were mixed traffic locomotives designed for passenger and freight traffic.

With design and construction taking place in wartime conditions, the LNER’s desire was to keep the design simple for maintenance, construction and standardisation. As powerful, go anywhere engines, the B1’s were well travelled across the whole of the UK rail network from East Anglia to Scotland.

Mayflower was built in 1948 by the North British Locomotive Company in Glasgow but was delivered post-nationalisation and acquired the number of 61306 by British Railways. She was first allocated to Hull Botanic Gardens Depot, Kingston upon Hull.

After a spell at Hull Dairycoates Depot, she was finally transferred to Low Moor Depot, Bradford, from where it was withdrawn in September 1967.

Chairman of Steam Dreams, David Buck said: “Passengers are in for a real treat on this fabulous trip. It is the first of its kind for us and we are very excited to be running it with this fantastic locomotive, which is from the same design stable as the famous Flying Scotsman.”

Tickets for the day start at £119 per person through to £279 per person where passengers can sit back and relax in elegant 1950’s or 1960’s carriages with wood panelled walls, table lamps, curtains and our most comfortable seats with the highest level of service

To book tickets visit www.steamdreams.co.uk or call 01483 209888.