22nd February 2003

Pathfinder Tours
The Spinning Sparkey

Locos Used 66231, 73131, 73136, 86604, 90038, 90039 & 92031
Stock Used 6310+3122+3140+3098+1863+5009+4927+5040+4963+5309

Route :
1Z68 :
Crewe to Harwich Town
1Z69 :
Harwich Town to Crewe

Loco(s) Route
90039 Crewe - Norton Bridge - Stafford - Wolverhampton - Portobello Jn - Bescot Stadium - Aston - Stechford - Birmingham International - Coventry - Rugby - (WCML via Weedon) - Wembley Europort
73136 + 73131 Wembley Europort - Acton Canal Wharf Jn - Acton Wells Jn - Kew East Jn - New Kew Jn - Barnes - Clapham Junction - Kensington Olympia - Mitre Bridge Jn - Willesden WL Jn - Wembley Europort
92031 Wembley Europort - Harlesden Jn - Primrose Hill - Camden Road - Dalaston Jn - Channelsea North Jn - Stratford - (via GE) - Manningtree - Mistley - (4) - Harwich International
92031 (1) Harwich International - Harwich Town
86604 (2) Harwich Town - Harwich International - (4) - signal P21
92031 (1) signal P21 - Harwich International
66231 (3) Harwich International - Manningtree East Jn - Manningtree North Jn - Ipswich - Haughley Jn - Bury St Edmunds - Dullingham - Cambridge T.C.
86604 Cambridge T.C. - Elsenham - Bishops Stortford - Cheshunt - Bury St Jn - Seven Sisters - South Tottenham - Copper Mill Jn - Temple Mills East Jn - High Meads Jn - Lea Jn - Dalston Jn - Camden Road - Gospel Oak - Kensal Green Jn - Harlesden Jn - Wembley Europort
90038 Wembley Europort - (reverse of outward route) - Crewe

Notes:
(1)  86604 on rear.
(2) 92031 on rear.
(3) plus 86604 dead-in-tow.
(4) Booked route was via carriage sidings (with engine changes there) but the train did not do this, the engine changes being made in the platform at
Harwich International.

Sources : Gary Thornton (joined/left the train at Coventry) & Kevin Driscoll

Tour Review
(by 'Selby')

Here are some photos from the day.

Weather:  Very foggy within the hours of darkness, but then a bright, sunny and correspondingly cold winter's day.

Loco's Used: 90039  73131+136  92031  86604  66231  90038.  I believe 66231 was a winner for everyone on board.  Unfortunately, the much hoped for 92005 did not arrive at Wembley in time to work our railtour, having being delayed in the Midlands on its in-bound freight working.

Track:  All the track was covered as booked except for the Parkeston Carriage Sdgs.  This was clearly not Pathfinder's fault as they seemed to be as much in dark as most people on the train.  I had seen a revision to the timings late on Friday and saw that a shunt manoeuvre had been inserted into the timings to enable the tour to move from Plat.2 to Plat.1 at Harwich International.  Thus I speculated that this was a sign that the Carriage Sdgs would be omitted, which was a shame as I needed the track!  I guess it must have been for safety reasons as operationally it would have been far simpler to do the loco changes in the yard, and there certainly was capacity in the yard for us and the necessary loco changes.  Anyway, despite that omission, credit is due for covering the rest of the route as booked as a number of spurs and curves were covered as we crossed London.  This is no easy task with the lines being so busy.

Time keeping:  The tour ran broadly to time throughout, however a protracted engine change from 86604 to 90038 in Wembley Europort in the evening saw us arrive approximately 20 late into Watford Junction where I left the train.

Verdict:  Another good tour from Pathfinder.  Well done to those down Woodchester way.

The only thing I will mention is that with the spin and win market now saturated and having largely succeeded in its aim to produce as many winning traditional freight locos as possible, railtour operators are going to have to put some effort in to try and get required 66's, because if they don't a large number of people will cease to score any engines on spinner tours.  Yesterday's tour was a case in point.  Spin and Win tours have always been most attractive to the scratch merchants, however most of them have now had all the 73's 86's and 90's.  And with only three winning class 92's currently available most were banking on scoring the 66 on yesterday's tour.  However no one new what the 66 was going to be until it backed on the train and I would wage that it was just the first one 'off the line'.  This of course is of concern because it could have quite easily been dud!  I hope that PF continue to run Spin and Win tours as many people enjoy thrashing around the network behind locos of different classes, and indeed not everyone has had the same amount of engines.  That said I think that effort does now need to be put in to producing required 66's or many of the people that have supported the spinners over the years since their conception will start to turn their back on them. 

Anyway, back to yesterday's tour.  Well done Pathfinder it was an enjoyable day out!

PS.  Other things of note:  As the Royal Train passed us in Wembley yard Her Majesty was seen ranting at one of the Royal Train stewards about her train getting 47798 and 47799 again whilst we just about to gain a pair of 73's!!

'Selby'

Timings (Booked & actual)
(from Gary Thornton & John Clifford)

M.C Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual M.C
0.00 Crewe 05.53d ?   22.51a ? 157.45
8.06 Madeley 06/02 ?   22/40 ? 149.39
19.08 Norton Bridge 06/11 ?   22/31 ? 138.37
24.37 Stafford 06.17a ~ 06.19d ?   22.23a ~ 22.25d ? 133.08
38.14 Bushbury Jn 06/29 ?   22/12 ? 119.31
39.68 Wolverhampton 06.36a ~ 06.38d ?   22.05a ~ 22.08d ? 117.57
41.52 Portobello Jn 06/43 ?   21/59 ? 115.73
45.69 Bescot Stadium 06/47 ?   21/55 ? 112.74
50.26 Perry Barr North Jn 06/51 ?   21/48 ? 107.19
52.48 Aston 06/56 ?   21/44 ? 104.77
55.41 Stechford 07/02 ?   21/36 ? 102.04
59.74 Birmingham International 07.08a ~ 07.29d ?   21.26a ~ 21.29d ? 97.51
70.50 Coventry 07.39a ~ 07.41d 07.59 ~ 08.01   21.14a ~ 21.17d 21.42 ~ 21.44 86.75
82.09 Rugby 07.51a ~ 07.58d 08.13 ~ 08.15   21.02a ~ 21.04d 21.30 ~ 21.31 75.36
94.73 Weedon 08/11 08/26   20/51 21/21 62.52
108.02 Hanslope Jn 08/19 (08/33)   20/43 21/12 49.43
114.64 Milton Keynes Central 08/23 08/36   20/37 21/03 42.61
118.03 Bletchley 08/25 (08/39)   20/30 20/51 39.50
126.39 Ledburn Jn 08/31 ??/??   20/21 20/40 31.12
133.02 Tring 08/36 08/53   20/13 20/32 24.49
147.20 Watford Junction 08.49a ~ 08.51d 09.09 ~ 09.11   19.53a ~ 19.56d 20.16 ~ 20.18 10.31
153.25 Harrow & Wealdstone 09/01 09/18   19/46 20/10 4.26
156.45 Wembley Central 09/06 09.23 ~ 09.25   19/44 20/04 1.00
157.45
0.00
Wembley Europort 09Laa1 ~ 09L31d 09.28 ~ 09.54   19L19a ~ 19L39d 19.25 ~ 20.00 66.69
0.00

 

M.C Location Booked Actual
0.79 Willesden No.7 09/46 09.59 ~ 10.02
1.34 Acton Canal Wharf Jn 09/49 10/06
1.74 Acton Wells Jn 09/51 10/10
3.60 South Acton Jn 09/59 10/15
4.40 Kew East Jn 10/02 10/18
4.79 New Kew Jn 10/05 10/20
7.26 Barnes 10/10 20/24
10.39 Clapham Junction 10/15 10.30 ~ 10.32
10.73 Latchmere Jn 10/19 10/34
13.56 Kensington Olympia 10/25 10/38
16.01 Mitre Bridge Jn 10/30 10/42
16.42 Willesden WL Jn 10/31 10/46
17.30 Willesden No.7 10/33 10/47
18.29
0.00
Wembley Europort 10L40a ~ 11L05d (10.53) ~ 11.16
1.13 Harlesden Jn 11/16 11/22
1.67 Willesden WL Jn 11/22 11/23
5.40 Camden Jn 11/28 (11/26)
6.26 Camden Road Jn 11/31 11/32
9.14 Dalston Jn 11/42 11/42
12.12 Channelsea Jn 11/49 11/49
12.54 Stratford  11/54 11.52 ~ 11.59
14.34 Forest Gate Jn 11/56 12/02
15.79 Ilford 11/59 12/03
22.12 Gidea Park 12/05 12/08
28.67 Shenfield 12/13 12/15
38.36 Chelmsford 12/21 12/26
47.43 Witham DPL 12*32a ~ 12*37d 12.36 ~ (12.39)
55.20 Marks Tey 12/45 12/46
60.08 Colchester Goods Line 12/54 12/53
68.06 Manningtree 13/03 13/03
69.62 Mistley 13/07 13/06
77.14 Parkeston Quay C.S. 13.22a ~ 13.32d DIV
77.44 Harwich International 13/36 13L27 ~ 13L43
79.32
0.00
Harwich Town 13L42a ~ 13L47d 13.49 ~ 13.55
1.58 Harwich International 13/54 14/01
2.08
0.00
Parkeston Quay CS 13*58a ~ 14*23d DIV
(?.??/0.00) signal P21 DIV 14.02 ~ 14.06
(?.??/0.00) Harwich International DIV 14L08 ~ 14L29
7.42 Mistley 14/38 14/41
8.66 Manningtree East Jn 14/42 14/44
9.10 Manningtree North Jn 14/45 14/46
18.00 Ipswich 14/56 14/58
32.20 Haughley Jn 15/09 15/03
44.28 Bury St Edmunds 15/31 15.27 ~ 15.30
56.68 Chippenham Jn 15/47 15/43
62.18 Dullingham 16/00 15/51
72.49 Coldham Lane Jn 16/14 16.07 ~ 16.13
73.48
0.00
Cambridge T.C. 16L19a ~ 16L41d 16.19 ~ 16.38
2.49 Shepreth Branch Jn 16/45 16/43
13.77 Audley End 16/57 16/57
20.07 Elsenham 17/05 17/06
22.24 Stansted Mountfitchet 17/11 17/10
25.25 Bishops Stortford 17/19 17/19
31.16 Harlow Town 17/30 17/30
36.58 Broxbourne 17/41 17/46
39.74 Cheshunt 17/46 17/51
46.12 Bury St Jn 17/57 17/58
49.64 Seven Sisters 18/09 18/05
50.07 South Tottenham 18/13 18/07
50.53 Tottenham South Jn 18/16 18.09 ~ 18.15
51.20 Copper Mill Jn 18/19 18/17
53.08 Temple Mills East Jn 18/24 18/24
53.66 Lea Jn 18/29 18/30
56.50 Dalston Jn 18/38 18/39
59.38 Camden Road Jn 18/48 18/49
60.49 Gospel Oak 18/53 18/53
64.56 Kensal Green Jn 19/09 19/01
65.56 Harlesden Jn 19/14 19.06 ~ 19.07

Timings continue in first table.

Distances do not allow for the run through Harwich International to signal P21 and reversal back (undertaken to access platform 1).

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