Titanic rail trip to Southampton recreated for anniversary event

The journey to Southampton docks was recreated on Hampshire's Watercress line steam railway

A train journey taken by passengers before boarding the Titanic has been recreated to mark the 111th anniversary of the ill-fated ship sinking.

Families of victims and survivors of the tragedy were invited to the special event on Hampshire's Watercress line steam railway at the weekend.

It was organised as part of the British Titanic Society's annual convention held in Southampton.

The society said it was important the Titanic's legacy was not forgotten.

The Titanic sank in April 1912 with the loss of more than 1,500 lives

More than 1,500 people perished when the famous passenger liner hit an iceberg in the north Atlantic, just five days into her maiden voyage in 1912.

Some of those on board had travelled to Southampton docks from London Waterloo by steam train before setting sail.

Dorothy Kendle, whose parents managed to escape the sinking ship on a lifeboat, was among those to go on the recreated rail journey.

Dorothy Kendle went on the train to recreate the journey her mother took in April 1912

She said: "I lost my grandfather... his body was never found.

"My mother and grandmother were both survivors and they were in lifeboat number 14 - they rowed away for about half a mile and then they pulled the oars in and watched as the Titanic was slowly disappearing."

Titanic facts

• Titanic was the biggest and most luxurious passenger ship of its time at 269m long, 28m wide and more than 53m tall, which is roughly the same height as Nelson's Column in London

• It had ten decks, three engines and its furnaces burnt through more than 600 tonnes of coal a day

• Although Titanic had four funnels, only three were functional - the fourth one was just for show

• Titanic's full title was RMS Titanic as it was a Royal Mail ship carrying nearly 3,500 sacks of mail

• It took three years to build and cost about £1.5m, which is about £170m in today's money

Source: BBC Bitesize

Senior figures from the cruise industry also joined the event, reflecting on the lessons learned from the disaster.

Commodore Ron Warwick, former master of the QE2 and Queen Mary 2, told the BBC: "There were not enough lifeboats on the ship, the Morse code communications were in their infant stage - all these things came into being, and during my life of 50 years of bashing the ocean.

"My life was made safer - but not only for me but for all the other crew members and all the passengers we carried."

Jessica Blyth-Sweetingham from the British Titanic Society helped organise the event

Jessica Blyth-Sweetingham, of the British Titanic Society, said the event had been an opportunity for people to immerse themselves into the feelings of those who had been travelling on the train.

"We're really keen to tap into the thoughts and feelings [the passengers] would have felt and the atmosphere here today is very much around that anticipation and excitement," she said.

"The excitement we're feeling today must have been exactly the same for the passengers, obviously without them knowing about their sad fate."