19th - 20th July 2002

Pathfinder Tours
The Ayr Receeder

Route:
1Z27 : Newport to Glasgow Central
1Z28 : Glasgow Central to Newport

Notes:
(1) Train was booked via Selly Oak, Birmingham New Street and Aston but was re-routed for reason(s) unknown.
(2) plus 56069 dead-in-tow.
(3) 37667 & 37682 on rear.
(4) the train finished with the rear at Fouldubs Jn, the train having been routed beyond the junction on to the line to the oil terminal.
(5) 56069 on rear.
(6) Train was booked to reverse in Paisley Up Goods Loop but carried on to Paisley Gilmour Street (Ayr line down platform).
(7) Train was booked to traverse the Watsonhead branch to the Railtrack Limit but a signal failure prevented this. Someone from Railtrack was attempting to resolve the problem (lack of "detection") but was called away owing to a nearby bridge bashing incident. The train therefore continued to Law Jn and simply reversed.

Sources : Gary Thornton, David Clark & Alan Vickers

Tour Review
(by "Selby")

Some photos of the tour.

What can you say about a tour that didn't go down any of the branches that it was originally advertised to do, and then didn't hardly do any of the replacement branches on the day either?!!!

I won't bore you about the switch from Ayrshire, but the Ayr Receeder was booked to visit Grangemouth, Deanside and Watsonhead, however on the day this is what happened:

Grangemouth: Train went about halfway down and reversed about one and a half train lengths beyond Fouldubs Jct due to the paperwork not being in order to travel any further.

Deanside: Refused in the days running up to the tour due to the state of track.  This is the second PF tour that I have booked on to do this branch, and the second time I haven't done it!!  The brochure stated that some people might be pleased that the train was now going to reverse in the Paisley Goods Loop, well they might of being if we had done, but due to a points failure on the day we didn't.

Watson head: We could not traverse the branch due to signal failure.  It is doubtful we would have got much beyond half way again anyway due to the paperwork not being in order again!  This is the second PF tour that I have booked on that has meant to do this branch, the last time it was to Coltness and that time the train reversed after about a train length down the branch!

So out of three branches we did about half of one!!  Track-wise it was a complete waste of time and money.  The last time there was a tour that did this badly we received a full refund, but I don't think that will happen in this case.  I must say that obviously most of the above was not PF's fault, and on the day they were as frustrated as the rest of us.  And I do support PF because they seem to be the only company that has the guts to run traditional freight branch tours nowadays.  But it is so disappointing when the above happens, yes there might be a re-run, but we will probably have to pay out another £70 to do what we should have done on this tour, and there are no guarantees that it will go right that time, as mentioned above I have now been booked on two tours to do two of the branches and have failed in traversing both branches both times....

It was not all gloom and doom though, there were a couple highlights:

1) The tour did run as advertised over the Shields Jct - Terminus Jct - Muirhouse C Jct section.

2) The run on the Grid over Beattock and the 20's over Shap.  Then best of all was the 20's departure from Preston, so loud and so fast, those at Preston won't forget that in a hurry!!!

As a general note that indicates the current environment:  PF are planning to run a tour to Aintree in October this year, and although loads of people that I know want to do it, no one has booked on it because no one believes it will get to Aintree.  What a situation to be in!!  This is bad for PF, but the confidence in freight line tours actually doing what they are advertised to do is so low at the moment it is hardly surprising.

I saddens me to say that this tour, regardless of who was to blame, was a big disappointment for the travelling public.

"Selby"

Timings (Booked and Actual)
(from Gary Thornton, David Clark & Alan Vickers)

(1) Train stopped for a considerable time at Tebay....owing to a failed Alligator on the line ahead (yes, honestly ... that's what we were told!)

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 and an adjustment is required for the overdistance at Paisley and the missing-out of the Watsonhead branch.

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