I only did this tour because of a bargain 2 for 1 offer, £54.50 for a Railtour in 2025 is good value. 57305 failing on the return leg caused massive delays for all aboard, we bailed at Donny to join some rancid Azuma to the Cross. Signalling/Fast line closures meant we missed the 0009 Euston – Northampton (the last train) anyway, so it was the 0200 ex Euston Rail Replacement bus getting us home at 4am, 24 hours after we’d left. Unless a type 2 or “roarer” gets back on the mainline for a tour, then thats my last in almost 50 years of doing em, what an appalling last hoorah!
Sat December 20th 2025
Organiser – UK Railtours Headcodes – 1Z56 (FP-KX), 1Z57/1Z58
Power – 66315, 57305, 66515 (49 chains), 57012
Load – 10 – 9525, 12021, 12064, 12032, 12091, 10413, 11078, 10229, 11090, 11095 (Eastern Rail Services rake)
Route o/w – Finsbury Pk – Kings X – Hitchin – Posh – Doncaster – York – Durham
Route r/t – Durham – York – Doncaster (bailed here) – Posh – Kings X
Timekeeping – 3h30m late on return!
Ching £54.50 (2 for 1 bargain offer)
Highlights –
1/ Quality Eastern Rail Services ex Anglia Mk IIIs
2/ No wittering, overlong PA announcements
Farces
1/ Empty seats – loads of em, Coach J empty all day!
2/ Little fast running, KX – Durham in 5 and a half hours is pedestrian pace
3/ 57305 burst at North end of Ferryhill South loop on return tour, a mere 3h 50m before we rejoined the mainline behind Newark thunderbird 57012.
4/ Solitary GBRf manager going through train arranging taxis for stranded passengers
5 / UK Railtour staff more interested in collecting rubbish, than assisting their seriously delayed customers at least in our coach.
Rating …3 out of 10
Weather Foggy am, dull pm
Photo stops – Just FP, KX and Durham
66315 at the Kings Cross blocks after working the emcars as a class 1 from Finsbury Park. With pay on the day excesses of £35 for the 2.4 mile trip a good few beat the grip!
57305 at the Cross prior to the tour’s departure at 0721 to Durham
Not the best of phots but just room for a record shot of 57305 at Durham after a slow 5h 10min totter from the Cross
57305 arrives at Durham with the return tour, this particular “Rancid Ronnie!” failed 10 minutes after departure in Ferryhill loop
The Newark thunderbird 57012 piloting failed 57305 leaves Doncaster almost 4 hours down with the return tour…
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