The “Capital City Transfer”, Saturday April 14th 1984
An F & W tour featuring class 25/37/50 traction…from Plymouth to North Woolwich via the Midlands for just £12.95.
Tour itinary. Note the Aylesbury – Amersham actual time of 11 mins against 18 scheduled!! See below for sample speeds
Recently repainted, renamed “frog green” 50007 brings the “Capital City Crusader Tour” into Coventry and was quickly replaced by 25042 and 25083. The tour then left Coventry right time or possibly a minute or so early.
We joined this tour at Coventry and when 50007 rolled in right time and after a rapid loco change to 25042/25083 we were a bit concerned about our missing 3rd tour member
of our party…. We crossed a Euston – Wolves service shortly after leaving Coventry and jokingly suggested our missing tour member “the Buzzard” of Cornish fame may
be on this train as he was renown for doing tight “connections” (this was a minus two anyway, but as we know tours normally ran at least 20 late).
After a reasonable run South over Bletchley Flyover, Aylesbury and then a breath taking storm South towards Amersham (7 early) we arrived at Marylebone.
Here to much laughter was the “Buzzard”, he had missed the “minus two” off the Euston – Wolves we had viewed on the tour near Coventry and so had done
the next 86 back to Euston and then Marylebone.!!
Lots of detail in this view from the tour crossing Bletchley Flyover. Plenty of stone tipplers!, class 25/31 in the holding sidings and just visible in the parcels dock on the far right is 86318. This had worked 2A23 0350 Euston – Bletchley “Milk empties” and was spare loco for the weekend.
25042 and 25083 swing onto the Aylesbury line at Claydon jn as the good weather held
1Z40 Capital City Transfer Railtour 140484
Power – 25042/25083 10 Mk I’s
Mileage Sched-arr/pass/ dep Actual-arr/pass/ dep Av speed
0 Bletchley Flyover Summit 0959 1012 ——-
12.7 Claydon Jn 1040 1041 1040 1042 27.25
25.38 Aylesbury 1115 1116 1113 1116 24.54
39.67 Amersham 1134 1127 77.94
47.19 Watford South Jn 1144 1134 64.45
53.05 Harrow-on-Hill 1152 1144 35.15
57.1 Neasden S Jn 1156 1149 48.6
62.28 Marylebone 1204 1155 51.79
Thanks to Trev Rolfe for this view and his caption…” as the tour hammered through Amersham…..and I do mean hammer! I have never seen a train go so fast through Amersham kicking up all sorts of debris and terrifying the normals awaiting a pondering A60 unit”
2 “blocks” views of the rats resting at Marylebone after their storm through the Chilterns.
Unfortunately this was the last “rat” action on the tour, 50040 then took over for a rerouted run that included a run round at West Ruislip then via Greenford, Acton Wells, Willesden Jn HL, Kensal Rise, Gospel Oak to Stratford low level and the rare loco hauled haunt of North Woolwich. Rather dull boilered 37038/37089 then took the tour back towards Stratford High level via Stratford LL, Temple Mills yard and Lea Bridge (station about to close) where the 50 took over towards the rare 50 haunts of Barking, Ockenden and Stratford HL where i bailed. The tour then continued West via the North London line to Acton Wells and the GW main line. An interesting tour but the highlight (the flying rats) were over by midday making the rest an anti climax.
A rare loco hauled haunt, 37038 and 37089 wait to leave North Woolwich bound for Lea Bridge (nr Temple Mills)
Pre/post tour moves
Saturday April 14th
85025 2315 (13/4) Glasgow C – Euston (sleepers only)
86101 2310 (13/4) Glasgow – Euston night rider
86252 2355 (13/4) Glas/Edin – Bristol Glasgow C – New St, 45126 fwd
this train was normally a good bet for a roarer so not impressed, but a good night doss
47473 0600 Derby – Poole New St – Coventry
50009 0550 Padd – Manchester Coventry – Bir Intl
47606 0740 Wolves – Brighton Bir Int’l – New St
210 1706 Southend-Liverpool St Stratford – Liverpool St (302 unit)
085} 1902 Euston-Birmingham Euston – L.Buzzard
077}
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