29th June 2002

Worksop Depot Charity Train Committee
The Worksop "Highlander"

Route:
1Z58 : Worksop to Blair Atholl
1Z25 : Blair Atholl to Worksop

Sources : David Clark & Scott Spencer

Tour Review
(by David Clark)

After last years excellent trip to Canterbury, Ramsgate and Margate it was the turn of Edinburgh, Perth and Blair Atholl with a pair of EWS Class 58s which we are led to believe that would not be with us much longer.  And after being on the previous three Worksop Charity tours it was not a hard decision to book on this tour.

The weeks leading up to the tour saw a pair of grey 58s quoted with 025, 029, 041 and 045 all possibilities.  In the end 025 / 045 were chosen, both of which were dud (Dukeries Collier and Freightliner Phoenix Respectively)

With the tour departing Doncaster at 0623 it was going to be quite a leisurely departure time from Scunthorpe.  Usually railtours involve getting up before 5am and not getting home to after midnight.  But not today (well
one can hope!)

Whilst we were heading to Doncaster the stock was being shunted out of Worksop Yard to Worksop Station with the gronk providing the power.  Now, only a few Stewards / helpers got the haulage off the gronk including a work colleague who took great delight in telling me.  A few young ladies got the gronk in too. I bet they didn't realise how lucky they were!!!!!

The tour arrived at Doncaster at 0630 and there was one slight problem. Down at Bounds Green there was a coach missing.  It turns out that someone had a) either sold too many tickets, or b) put one extra buffet car instead of a first class open coach.  So there was no coach J (our coach incidentally).  The occupants of Coach J had to sit where they could and there was no way we were going to stand all the way to Perth.

The Tour departed Doncaster at 0640 and picked up speed down the East Coast Main Line.  The stewards found two seats for my dad and I (all credit to the Stewards who did manage to find seats for most people.  Only one person didn't get a seat). And we just sat and relaxed.   The Speed of the bones was always in the high 70s and early 80s as the Only GNER heading north to Scotland had departed Doncaster before our tour arrived.  A stop was made at York for the EWS Management to get GNER services to Edinburgh to enable people to have their seats.  Awww bless.

We passed Northallerton 13 late, were put through the platform at Darlington (12 late), Durham (11 late), Birtley Jn (9 late) and took a Crew Stop at Newcastle from 0822-0826.  Worksop Drivers and route conductors from various EWS depots worked the train throughout.

Just outside Newcastle 142072 (incidentally my last Arriva Trains Northern 142 required for haulage) departed out to Gateshead.  Typical.

All was going well north of Newcastle until we got put in to Crag Mill Loop for the Leeds to Aberdeen HST service to pass us with the EWS Management who gave up their seats waving as they flew North!!!!!!

But at Dunbar the roles were reversed (remember D9009 at Retford with 90029 on the pioneer DPS tours?) when we came to a standstill at Dunbar to allow the HST to depart again.  Due to Mining subsidence and other associated problems a long Temporary Speed Restriction meant that the journey from Drem to Monktonhall Jn was a stagger with 20mph for most of the way.  However, we arrived at Edinburgh Waverley at 1031 (19 late).

Here, quite a few people went shopping, did some train spotting or just went to the pub.  But some Scottish cranks got the opportunity to sample 58 haulage for £15 to Perth / Blair Atholl.  We departed Edinburgh at 1039 (5 late) and set off for the delights of Blair Atholl.  We crossed the Forth Bridge (the last time a pair of 58s made this move?) and passed Inverkeithing 2 late at 1054.  Between Thornton and Ladybank some of the trees were quite violent and twice they caught the butterfly clip on the restaurant cars that led to the emergency brakes being applied.  But we set off again, and arrived at Perth at 1210 (12 late).  From here we took the Highland Main Line to Blair Atholl where the scenery changed to some quite lovely scenery that you expect from Scotland.  Well at 1303 we arrived at Blair Atholl 12 late.

What was there to do in Blair Atholl?? Well the post office was closed, the hotel was open, the chippy was quite some distance away from the station, and the local newsagent was open!!! And apart from that it started to rain. Well we were in Scotland wasn't we?  I did buy some Scottish shortbread and telephoned a friend who had wanted to come on the tour but couldn't due to work reasons, and so I telephoned him to cheer him up (the poor boy missed a gret 58 the week before (043), and two today (025/045).  Awww bless.

By 1348 it was time to depart (but we were 10 late due to a Edinburgh to Inverness service and taking quite a while running round the locos).  The journey was to take us via Perth, Stirling, Falkirk, and up the ECML to Doncaster via York avoiding line.

BY the time we got to Perth (1430) we had a wait for some reason, and the tour didn't depart till 1444 so we had a nice leg stretch.  By this time the day was beginning to take its toil, and tiredness took over.  But by Stirling we were 3 late (1517), Falkirk Grahamston 1 late (1530), but at Haymarket we were early until we went in to Princess Street Tunnels, and like Henry (for the uneducated Thomas the Tank Engine - the sad story of Henry) we went in to the tunnel and never came out again.  Well that's what it felt like!!!!!  And no, no-one did brick up our tunnel!!!!!

After awaiting a platform we arrived in to Edinburgh at 1617 (14 late). Time for a quick walk, tea and a rest before setting off on the final leg home.  After the nice walk and looking at a Railtourer railtour to Stevenage (which departed 60 late).  Note: Saturday 29th June was not a good day for charters.  The SRPS tour to Inverness failed on the return with the 47 failing at Pitlochry, the Pathfinder tour to Penzance saw 58021 fail at Penzance Long Rock, and the Railtourer tour was late due to stock problems!

Hmm, so the tour finally departed Edinburgh at 1709 (4 late due to GNER service - what a surprise eh?), and we were 6 late at Drem, 7 late Grantshouse (1750) and were biting in to our schedules so by Alnmouth we were only 1 late (1831), and we were due to stop at Wooden Gate Jn for a Aberdeen to London Kings Cross HST, but due to it running late we carried on in to Newcastle and arrived at Newcastle at 1903 (10 early). Here, the HST that was following us (which incidentally turned out to be the same set as which overtook us in the morning - set does Leeds to Aberdeen for the 1455 Aberdeen to Kings Cross) departed Newcastle just before us and we set off on our merry way at 1916 (just one late).

I don't know who the driver was but he did really well and by Tursdale Jn we were 2 early (1935), Ferryhill South 4 early (1937).  At Darlington we arrived there 3 early, but were held (presumably for a unit to / from Saltburn) and departed again passing Northallerton (1 late at 2005), and carried on the fasts down to Tollerton where numerous bellowing took place as we overtook an Arriva 158.  At Skelton Bridge Jn we crossed over on to the slow lines to take the York Station Avoiding Line.

We joined the Main Lines at Colton Jn (2039 one late) and took the final journey down to Doncaster where we arrived at 2105 (one early).  The 58s departed for Worksop with great clag coming out the front engine.  Hmmm.

Anyway a final car journey home saw us get home at 10pm!!!! Something unheard of normally with charters!!!!!!

Verdict: Another great tour from the Worksop Depot Open Day Committee.  And I hope they continue their good work next year as the locos were good, and it enabled lots of normal people to enjoy Edinburgh, Perth and Blair Atholl and the non cranks too. Next year Class 56s please?

David Clark (2002)

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Martyn Brailsford)

Key;
a : arrival time
d : departure time
/ : passing time

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