The Blackpool Boomerang Tour, Saturday June 1st 1985.
Pre Tour Moves
85016 on 1B07 Evening Cobbler began the pre tour moves from Leighton to Northampton for a 310 unit back. Then it was a fast car with the girlfriend to Bedford for an evening meet with some of her workmates, yawn. I was deposited at Bedford station before the 0005 had even left Pancras!
A long fester then 45110 arrived and it was a comfortable compo overnight to Derby with 45132 forward to Sheffield on the Penzance – Newcastle overnight. A DMU leap to Chesterfield with at least 10 other bashers simply to keep warm! Required 37215 was raked in to Masboro on the Blackpool, 47193 back, then required 08857 on the Bradford – Poole portion shunt at Sheffield.
Required 37249 on the Chesterfield – Scarborough to Donny to await the “Blackpool Boomerang” tour.
31/5/85 Fr
85030 1B06 1714 Euston-Northampton
85016 1B07 1718 Euston-Northampton LB-NO
060 1730 Birmingham-Euston NO-LB
85019 1B09 1815 Euston-Northampton
86420 1B08 1745 Euston-Northampton
1/6/85 Sat
45110 1P03 0005 St.Pancras-Derby BE-DE
45132 1E61 2035 Penzance-Newcastle DE-SH
54015} 0529 Sheffield-Chesterfield SH-CH
53001}
53001} 0607 Chesterfield-York CH-SH
54015}
45026 1E17 0710 Sheffield-Skegness
31107 1E83 0725 Chesterfield-Yarmouth
37215 1M89 0715 Sheffield-Blackpool SH-RO
47193 1O27 0645 York-Portsmouth RO-SH
31119 1O13 0600 Bradford-Poole
08857 1O13 0600 Bradford-Poole onto Leeds-Poole SH snt
47197 1O13 0714 Leeds-Poole
37249 2H10 0805 Chesterfield-Scarboro SH-RO
54006} 0851 Sheffield-Cleethorpes RO-DO
53025}
31110 1D20 0850 Leeds-Skegness
The tour
37245} 0715 Kings X-Blackpool Railtour DO-HM
37019}
25175} 0715 Kings X-Blackpool Railtour HM-BL
25198}
25198} 1645 Blackpool-Kings X Railtour BL-SH
25175}
37245} 1645 Blackpool-Kings X Railtour SH-KX
37019}
The tour was already an hour down due loco issues, required 37245 being added to 37019 at Posh. On joining I met up with Smudger Smith aka as the “Buzzard” but despite the good weather and reasonable power the tour atmosphere seemed flat. Also on our table was some spotty type with his very normal girlfriend. I don’t think they were too impressed with 2 hairy arsed bashers “fresh” off an overnight bellowing and enjoying themselves!
From Healy Mills the main event in 25198 and 25175 replaced the 37’s. Both were dud, 25198 apparently being fixed for Mustoe we’d had 25198 on the return Eastbourne – Bedford Adex the previous month. Still the rats performed well, a really loud small Sulzer attack on Copy Pit was perhaps the highlight of the day.
25198 and 25175 at the Blackpool blocks with the tour, June 1st 1985
At a sunny hot Blackpool we had 3 hours to kill, Smudger did some trams I just wandered around admiring the Northern lassies in various states of undress on the prom. The rats return run didn’t live up to our hopes. 25198 kept shutting down and we steadily lost time. At Manchester Victoria there remains an unanswered question, did 31280 bank up Miles platting bank????
We thought 25175/25198 stormed out of Vic at such great pace that 31280 was left wallowing behind and didn’t bank. Six Bells Jn claims 31280 did bank, a mystery! 25198 after these execrations continued to plod and shut down resulting in us losing our path through Edale. We were stuck behind an all stations Manchester – Sheffield DMU so the lateness increased and our tour atmosphere dipped.
From Sheffield 37245/37019 replaced our rats and we took the Worksop and Retford route to reach the ECML. A little of the lost time was made up and it was a relief to get off the Cross and stroll down the Euston Road for 310073 home on the 2302. Not an epic tour by a long way but 170 miles behind each “rat” definitely made it worth doing……
Can anybody confirm 31280 didn’t bank???
Tour Organiser – Hertfordshire
Stock 11 x FO mk I (Beryl and Cheryl rake)
end
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