A STEAM train is planning to stop at three Berkshire towns on its trip to the seaside this summer.

The West Somerset Steam Express, run by heritage rail operator The Railway Touring Company, will be leaving London Paddington and will stop at Slough, Reading and Newbury as it heads to Minehead.

The vintage train, scheduled to be No. 45596 Bahamas, will pick up Reading and Slough residents for the seaside excursion on July 23 and August 13. 

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Passengers will have the added treat of seeing a second historic steam locomotive in action during the day. 

The train will be joined by a West Somerset Railway loco at Bishops Lydeard for the stretch into Minehead. 

On Saturday, August 27, The Railway Touring Company’s Cotswold Venturer will also stop at Slough on route for Worcester.

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Kelly Osborne, The Railway Touring Company’s managing director, said: “The West Somerset Steam Express makes for a memorable summer’s day out combining steam, scenery, sea, sand and fingers crossed, sun.

“Historic locomotives like Bahamas are an amazing sight and we are delighted that our day trips provide hundreds of people with the opportunity to travel in the company of these fine feats of British engineering.”

The West Somerset Steam Express will be steam hauled by an historic locomotive both on the outward and the return journeys on both dates.