Organiser: Pathfinder Headcode: 1Z38
Power: 25322, 31327/31294 Load: 10 x Mk 1
Route o/w – (Swindon) – Stockport – Guide Bridge – Stalybridge – Huddersfield – Mirfield – Wakefield K – Whitehill Jn – Shipton – Skipton Avoider – Rylstone.
Route r/t – Rylstone – Skipton – Hellifield – Carnforth – Morecambe – (Heysham –
Morecambe – Swindon)
Timekeeping….160 + late Ching..£28
Highlights….1/ My first rat haulage on the main line since Sep 86.
2/ Rateable Rylstone branch with 31’s going through the works to the stops.
3/ Much rat thrash
Farces………1/ Advertised pick-up stop at Stockport became an authorised ballast leap for fifty odd passengers here as train wrongly routed onto the left hand avoiding line!
2/ Lime ridden tracks prevented quarry departure due load 10 and 2 31’s on rear not assisting. Tamworth Castle eventually shifted the train out unassisted.
3/ Very late running – tight timings/wet rails
4/ Trapped all day – no breaks
5/ Having to flag Heysham leg for us London based passengers having to go for the last Glasgow – Euston home, at least 87009 produced on this!
Rating…..6
Weather…Grey all day
Photo Stops…Stockport (for a few), Morecambe (after dark)
Tour Review
Imagine the scene, you have been travelling for 4 hours and have spent the last hour admiring your immaculate railtour traction in 25322 Tamworth Castle, ticking over small Sulzer style. Around 30 down 47826 arrives at Stockport with the tour, but is on an unplatformed avoiding line to the far left of the station!
Around 50 prospective passengers gathered on the nearby platform, at least we got reasonable phots of the 25, unlike those stuck on board! Once the 47 has been removed and 25322 has backed on, common sense prevailed. We bailed off the nearby platform crossed some tracks and joined the tour via a BSK with full steps…I don’t think that would happen on todays railway!
We enjoyed a good run behind passing Guide Bridge, Huddersfield, Wakefield and onwards to Skipton. Here 31294/31327 backed on to the rear of the 10 coach tour and hauled us down the scenic, quite long Rylstone branch. We were allowed right into the works right down to the stops. Whilst rateable this gave 25322 a real problem with damp, lime covered tracks, load 10 and 2 dead 31’s to shift out of the works. Eventually 25322 made her unassisted departure but we were now well late and us London lot began to worry about getting home.
We returned through Skipton, Hellifield and Carnforth to a very dark Morecambe where Pathfinder advised us to leave the tour and catch a DMU to Lancaster for the last Glasgow – Euston home. So it was a disappointing end to an enjoyable day, i have still to get the Heysham branch in and obviously i’ll never get a rat there.
Still 87009 was soon howling South from Lancaster in fine form and got us all home , a top “seven” after a good day with a “top rat”!…
My moves and gen from the day
321432 0554 Euston – Northampton LB-MK
87017 0615 Euston – Liverpool MK-STAF
85103 U Liners – Rug
87035 0650 Euston – Manchester STAF-STOCKPORT
51911} 0958 Stockport – Southport STOCKPORT – MP
54489}
47477 0925 Liverpool – Southport
47443 0719 Newcastle – Liverpool
304005 0955 Altrincham – Crewe MP-STOCKPORT
85102 LO
85018 ecs
47826 0625 Swindon – Morecambe Railtour
25322 0625 Swindon – Morecambe Railtour STOCK-SKIPTON
31294} 0625 Swindon – Morecambe Railtour SKIPTON-RYL
31327}
47417 Skipton
25322 0625 Swindon – Morecambe Railtour RYL-MO
53958} 1854 Morecambe – Lancaster MO-LA
54227}
87009 1705 Glasgow – Euston LA-MK
321416 2140 Northampton – Euston MK-LB
END
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