Time for a long lie in before joining this tour, as this was a tour that actually stopped at Leighton, quite an event at the time and with 125 or so punters waiting to join it obviously made commercial sense for Past Time Rail to call at “top shack”. A “winner” in 67005 arrived about 10 down at 0927 and we all piled aboard, just 2 and a half coaches were for us non diners, the rest of the 12 coach Mk IId/e consist were for the Christmas meal brigade.
Our coach 5769 was second behind the “skip” but very limited thrash could be heard as what typifies “coffin” stock. To be fair this was more a “pensioner”, normal Merrymaker type trip to the Christmas Market in Lincoln. Still we had a table of four to sit back and enjoy the Bedford – Bletchley branch in the sun, a slowed down run across the impressive Harringworth viaduct, non stop middle road at Nottingham and bellowing on crossing the Fastline grid working 4O90 Doncaster – Grain.
Lincoln was pretty unimpressive, vast crowds for a Christmas market selling “tack” according to my son! It was busy at Lincoln Central though with packed service trains and 47826/47804 on a Linlithgow SRPS special, plus 67019 and 67021 on the VSOE stock from Victoria.
The return run was obviously in the dark and followed the same route as the morning’s jaunt except for going Leicester – Kettering direct. Obviously any early running on the WCML was a no no, so we sat outside Bletchley TMD for 20 odd minutes. We got back to Leighton at 2109, a reasonable day ended as we alone watched 67005 storm South on departure..
Organiser…Past Time Rail
Headcode…1Z78/1Z79
Power….67005
Load…12 x Mk IId/e
Route o/w…(Euston – Watford) – Leighton Buzzard – Bletchley – Bedford – Kettering – Harringworth Viaduct – Oakham – Syston N – Loughborough – Nottingham (non stop) – Newark Castle – Lincoln C
Route r/t…Lincoln C – Newark Castle – Nottingham – Leicester – Bedford – Bletchley – Leighton Buzzard – (Watford – Euston)
Timekeeping – 10 late to 30 early
Ching..£39
Highlights…1/ Loco hauled off Leighton…2/Storming up Sharbrook…3/Harringworth viaduct…4/ Non stop middle road at Nottingham…5/Crossing 4O90 nr Newark
Farces…1/ Aged pensioner consist..2/vast dining section of tour…3/20 minute signal check outside Bletchley TMD.
Weather..Sunny am, damp pm
Photo stops..none
Score…7
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Leighton Lists 