31st August - 1st September 2001

Pathfinder Tours
The Poly Granite

Route :
1Z37 : Birmingham New Street to Aberdeen
1Z38 : Aberdeen to Waterloo Goods to Aberdeen
1Z39 : Aberdeen to Birmingham New Street

Notes :
(1) Tour started on Friday 31st August, 20.08 departure from Birmingham New Street. Saturday arrived near Castleford.
(1) plus 37411 & 37415 dead-in-tow.
(2) Passengers had the option to alight at Montrose for road transport to the Caledonian Railway or stay on to Aberdeen. Double-decker buses took half the passengers to Brechin to start their journey and the rest to Bridge of Dun. All were transported by bus from Brechin or Bridge of Dun directly to Aberdeen to rejoin the train.
(3) 37669 on rear.
(4) 37411 & 37415 on rear.
(5) Train was booked to take direct WCML route via Motherwell and Beattock but was re-routed on the night due to problems on the WCML near Lockerbie (a train was reported as having brought the overhead wires down).
(6) Train was booked a class 56 (56088) from Carlisle back to Birmingham but the class 90 was substituted in order to get the train back quicker and thus try to avoid an engineering possession between Stafford & Wolverhampton.

During the visit to the Caledonian Railway the following services were operated for the use of railtour passengers;

Notes :
(a) 26014 on rear.
(b) 27024 on rear.
In addition, 08046 and R-H 458957-1961 were used providing, at extra cost, rides in Brechin yard using coach 4249.

Here are some photos taken on the day.

Source : Gary Thornton
(joined/left train at Crewe, travelled on C.R.)
C.R. coach identities confirmed by Simon Hickman

Tour Review

Another marathon overnight tour arrives! The opportunity to travel on a railtour in 2001 which would use 2 x 20's, 26, 27, 3 x 37's and a 56 in addition to more a modern 67 and 92 was not one to be missed for me. Track-wise the chance to traverse the Waterloo Goods line at Aberdeen was another thing to attract me to the tour.

The finalised timings saw me at Crewe for the 21.44 Friday evening departure time. My colleagues were already on board in coach N (the rearmost one) when 56088 pulled in. A dud one for me but a good winner for former Pathfinder steward Bob Hannaford as it was his last one - and Bob had flown over from his home in Canada to get it in the book!! Being at the back was probably the best place - 14 coaches away from the grid meant a nice quiet nights sleep then later on we'd be at the front for Waterloo Goods, the 20's and return 56 from Carlisle.

The route north was quite unusual and we headed via Warrington, Earlestown, Manchester Victoria, Standedge, Wakefield and York. Good running and slack timings gave us about 40 minutes at York so time to stretch the legs and get a few photos. To Newcastle I remember little as I went into "stand-by" mode. 56088 was abandoned at Newcastle in favour of 92008. As 92's cannot be coupled directly to passenger stock 37411 & 37415 were added at the same time. So, four locos into the tour and four dud ones for me....oh well....

I should mention that this was the first use of a 92 on a passenger train the ECML - though quite a few slept through and therefore didn't really appreciate this piece of history being made! 

My next recollection was the approach to Edinburgh Waverley a touch before 5am. A colleague wandered off and came back with a list of the units around the station - including my penultimate 170/4 (170470) so off I piled to get a look at it.

Oh, so much for our quiet trip north at the back of the train.... one of our group was performing very well as he slept - he was silent until we stopped then he started snoring loudly! Another of our group even ended up sleeping in the end vestibule to escape the noise!!

37411 & 37415 powered us northwards, over the Forth Rail bridge and via Perth to Montrose. Here the majority of the passengers baled off and climbed on board one of the many double-decker buses for the short run to either Brechin or Bridge of Dun, the end stations of the Caledonian Railway.

I ended up on a Brechin-bound bus and once there here was the chance to score 08046 on rides in the yard. I didn't as I had it back in the late 80's on my first visit to this particular preserved line. The service train then arrived with a rather lumpy sounding 27024 (in an equally strange two-tone green livery) with 26014 on the rear. The run to Bridge of Dun and back was not the most enthralling and 27024 really did sound (and smell) quite sick, but we made it nonetheless. As I needed the 26 and 27 I could now count two winners for the day.

Subsequent note : All credit should go to the volunteers on the C.R. who I am informed worked late into the previous night to ensure 27024 was able to participate on the day - thanks guys, I'm sure I speak for all those who attended in saying we really appreciated your efforts!

A longer bus journey now - as the tour stock could not be stabled at Montrose it had run to Aberdeen, therefore we had a run up the A90 to the granite city in the fleet of Strathtay double-deckers. As myself and a colleague walked on to Aberdeen station in rolled 37415/411 with the train. Down at the back we now had 37669 (score number 3 for me) for company.

A slow run to Kittybrewster Junction and down the branch to Waterloo Goods - but it was nice to see we made it as far as we practically could - only a large closed gate stopping us going any further. I believe this is the furthest a passenger train has made it down the branch in recent times.

 Retracing our steps to Aberdeen station and we lost our 37's for 67004 "Post Haste" - both a sight score as well as haulage requirement for me.  A quiet run southwards ensued, even though the "skip" was only a few feet away from us in coach N. At Perth e were halted for about 10 minutes - important as it was to replenish the beer supply on board. Despite this, it ran out again about 20 minutes later!!

As we approached Cumbernauld, running basically on-time, we were stopped at a red signal. A colleague muttered something to the effect "time for the obligatory railtour farce?". Yes, they always seem to start from an innocent unexpected signal stop....

We were soon on the move again, but then an announcement was made to chance the quite bubbly atmosphere on board - the WCML was effectively blocked at Lockerbie after 87012 had brought the wires down. As a result we would now be re-routed via the G&SW line (Glasgow - Kilmarnock - Dumfries) to Carlisle. A quick scan of Bakers bible revealed two things;

1) I'd probably gain a new piece of freight track (Larkfield to Muirhouse South Jn's)
and....
b) the 20's wouldn't be on our end of the train after all :-(

Sure enough, as we ran into Braidhurst loop, 20307 & 20310 were waiting to be attached onto the other end of the train. Interest in Motherwell depot was increased owing to reports of the depot fire a few days before. Can't say anything significant was seen, though a couple of blackened shunters were observed. Sighting 67001 was pleasing, another sight score for me!

20310 was my fifth new haulage of the day. We set off northwards to go south - via Uddingston and the Glasgow suburbs to gain the G&SW line near Crossmyloof. We duly covered the piece of non-passenger track I wanted, so some compensation for loosing out on the sound-effects with the pair of choppers at our end of the train.

We had a very good run south to Carlisle and ran into the station only 14 minutes behind the booked departure time. As we did so an announcement as made that, in order to avoid the possibility of getting caught out by engineering possessions in the south, we would not be getting the booked 56, but rather a 90 with the faster top speed. Some moaning about this went on, but I personally think it as completely the correct choice - if we were late into Crewe then the tour would be terminated and buses would have to be found for those travelling further south. OK, at full blast a 56 could probably keep up with a 90 along the WCML, but rather lets talk about what what we could do legally with a Skoda up front!

90019 was attached to the front (dud, never mind) and we set-off or Birmingham 34 minutes late. The additional speed and slack-ish timings had us gobbling up the arrears and we arrived into Crewe a full eight minutes early! Seeing a red signal at the platform end didn't bode well however it soon changed to a green and 90019 sped off into the darkness as those of us who had left the train headed for home under our own power.

Verdict :  Yet another superb outing. In the circumstances we escaped very lucky in getting home, and early at that! I am more than happy to record my thanks here to all those involved re-planning our homeward route and motive power - well done chaps, a very successful job done there!

Stupid thought no.1 :
I think this must be the first ever railtour which I've been on that started in one month ... and finished in another!

Gary Thornton.

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Gary Thornton & Alan Vickers)

Actual passing times recorded on diversion route;
Barrhead : 18/08
Kilmarnock : 18/31
Auchinleck : 18/55
Dumfries : 19/38
Annan : 19/54

Timings continue in first table.

All distances, in miles and chains (M & C), are taken from the timing sheet given out on the train. No attempt has been made to verify the mileages given but obviously those for the class 20's are not valid owing to the diversion. Duncan Jennings suggests the mileage for the DRS 20's was 126.11 from Braidhurst Loop to Carlisle.

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