14th June 2003

Steamy Affairs
The Irish Mail

Locos Used 6201, 9016 (1), 47789 & 66156
Stock Used 4949+ 4996+4916+5008+1671+3110+3144+3131+80041+3132+3133+21245
plus support coach 80213 whilst 6201 was on the train.

Route:
1Z73 : Colchester to Holyhead
1Z74 : Holyhead to Colchester

Locos Route (2)
66156 (1) Colchester - (via GE) Stratford - Dalston Jn - Camden - Willesden West London Jn - (via WCML, Northampton & Trent Valley) - Crewe
6201 Crewe - Chester - Holyhead
6201 Holyhead - Chester
47789 Chester - (reverse of outward route) - Harlesden Jn - Kensal Green Jn - Gospel Oak - Camden - (reverse of outward route) - Colchester

Notes :
(1) 9016 dead-in-tow (failed at Colchester). 9016 did not work the train at any stage.
(2) Originally advertised as from Ipswich but in the event it was from Colchester only.

Sources : various including Graham Hardinge

Tour Review
(by Graham Hardinge)

9016 successfully worked 5Z73 22.30 (Friday) Old Oak to Parkeston to run-round and return to Colchester. On arrival at Colchester a fault was detected and so 'GH' was shut down while the two on-board fitters attempted to resolve the problem (something that sounded very technical and meant absolutely nothing to me!). After an half an hour or so blocking the up main with AR/GE services having to run wrong line to get past the obstruction, an assisting loco was called up from Parkeston and 66156 duly materialised at around 06.45 by which time 9016 had been fired up! But to no avail; Control insisted that the Shed would drag the train with 9016 dit. It was not to be my day as I'd previously had 66156 on Pathfinder's 'Tone Bone'  tour on 27/10/01.

So, sitting in the front vehicle, we left Colchester 97' late at 07.07 and couldn't hear a thing! As will be seen from the timings below, progress was hardly startling but the generous recovery allowances saw the arrears reduced to 66 minutes by the time we reached Crewe where purple-met-purple in that 9016 stood next to 87002 off the Euston - Holyhead which, incidentally, had been taken onwards by 47810 'Porterbrook'!  At Crewe, 9016 was started again and after 66156 towed 9016 off the train, 9016 returned the favour as the locos headed south through the station. The Deltic was seen in the evening at Crewe L&NWR's shed while 66156 was on CD.

After some delay (the Birmingham - Holyhead was changing 47s from '746 to '737), immaculate 'Princess Elizabeth' then backed onto the train. A shame that the support coach was chocolate & cream as this broke up the otherwise all maroon loco/train combination. We restarted 73 mins down and progress was decidedly slow as far as Chester. Perhaps 47737 was holding us up!  After Chester, 'Lizzie' was really opened up and a storming, nay thunderous, performance then ensued with long stretches at 72.5mph (according to a GPS gizmo) along the wonderful North Wales coast in beautiful weather.

Not wishing to be stuck in Holyhead for three hours, our party took advantage of the free optional coach laid on by Steamy Affairs to get us from Bangor (65' late arrival) to Caernarfon. Unfortunately, the lateness meant that we were unable to do the hoped for round trip to Waunfawr on the Welsh Highland Railway so we repaired to the only Welsh-speaking Wetherspoons we had ever been in to woof down a quick meal in time to catch the 15.55 WHR train to Dinas. Traction was provided by our second four-cylindered loco of the day, ex South African Railways Garrett 2-6-2+2-6-2 no. NG143. What a machine! It was then back to Caernarfon by somewhat less prosaic Dennis Dart for another pint and the coach to Bangor.

Commendably, the crew had clawed back nearly an hour, departure from Bangor being just 12 mins behind schedule. We were ready to leave the Llandudno Jct watering stop near enough to time but cretinous regulation (WHY??) saw the 18.40 all stations ex Llandudno (formed of 150207) allowed to precede us and so spoilt the run to Chester which was reached 20' late in consequence. At Chester, 47789 was waiting to relieve 6201 and departure was 18' down.

The 47 seemed not to be in the best of health in that it took awhile to build up speed but once it got into its stride it performed well enough to reach Milton Keynes just 9 minutes late. Then due to 'an incident' at Watford (reportedly some clown brandishing what looked like a gun) we became stuck in the resulting queue which cost us another half hour. We got back on home (GE) territory at Stratford at 00.45 and following additional Ilford and Romford stops, plus a prolonged stop at Shenfield after a lady fell out of the train, we eventually staggered into Colchester 49' late at 02.19! And so to bed, 23 hours after I'd got up.

Despite the failure of 9016 and the 20 hour Colchester to Colchester timing we were compensated by the fine weather and 6201's performance. However, how much longer will the market be able to sustain loadings with these ridiculous timings? It is bad enough for us enthusiasts but it is the normals that formed 90+% of the full loading on Saturday; will they be so keen next time, especially after being stuck at the likes of Stratford with nowhere to sit for nearly two hours waiting for the train?

Graham Hardinge

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(actual from various including Graham Hardinge)

Location Booked (out) Actual (out) Booked (rtn) Actual (rtn)
Colchester 05.30d 07.07 01.30a 02.19
Marks Tey 05/36 07/13 01/22 02/14
Witham 05/43 07/20 01/16 02/08
Chelmsford 05.52a ~ 05.54d 07.33d 01.04a ~ 01.07d 01.56 ~ 01.59
Shenfield 06.05a ~ 06.07d 07.47d 00.51a ~ 00.54d 01.36 ~ 01.46
Gidea Park 06/13 07/54 00/42 01/27
Ilford 06/19 07/59 00/31 01.12a ~ 01.14d
Forest Gate Jn 06/22 08/01 00/21 01/06
Stratford 06.26a ~ 06.28d 08.04 ~ 08.07 00.15a ~ 00.18d 01.03 ~ 01.05
Channelsea Jn 06/31 - 00/12 -
Dalston Jn 06/39 08/17 00/06 00/51
Camden Road East Jn 06/46 - 00/00 -
Camden Road 06/49 08/26 23/58 00/45
Camden Jn 06/52 08/29  
Gospel Oak   23/55 00/41
Willesden West London Jn 06/56 08/38 23/45 -
Harlesden Jn 06/58 08/39 23/40 00/23
Wembley Central 07/00 08/40 23/37 00/18
Harrow & Wealdstone 07/03 08/43 23/34 00/16
Watford Junction 07.11a ~ 07.13d 08.48 ~ 08.52 23.25a ~ 23.28d 00.05 ~ 00.09
Tring 07/33 09/12 23/10 23/19
Ledburn Jn 07/41 09/17 23/00 23/10
Bletchley 07/48 09/27 22/53 23/02
Milton Keynes Central 07.52a ~ 07.55d 09.32 ~ 09.36 22.45a ~ 22.48d 22.54 ~ 22.57
Hanslope Jn 08/05 09/43 22/37 22/46
Northampton 08/14 09/52 22/27 22/35
Long Buckby 08/25 10/03 22/17 22/25
Rugby 08.36a ~ 08.38d 10.12 ~ 10.17 22.03a ~ 22.05d 22/13
Nuneaton 08/52 10/30 21/48 22/01
Tamworth Low Level 09/04 10/41 21/37 21/52
Lichfield Trent Valley LL 09/09 10/46 21/32 21/45
Armitage Jn 09/14 10/50 21/27 21/42
Colwich Jn 09/19 10/54 21/18 21/38
Stafford 09/28 10/59 21/14 21/32
Stafford No.5 09/29 - - -
Norton Bridge 09/40 11/03 21/04 21/25
Madeley 09/55 11/10 20/55 21/16
Basford Hall Jn 10/06 11/18 20/50 21/08
Crewe 10L16a ~ 10L54d 11.22 ~ 12.07 20L32a ~ 20L43d 20.55 ~ 21.05
Crewe Steel Works 11/01 - 20/28 -
Beeston & Tarperley Castle 11/11 - 20/20 -
Chester 11/26 12/36 19.48a ~ 20.09d 20L08 ~ 20L27
Chester South Jn 11/27 - 19/46 -
Saltney Jn 11/29 - 19/44 19/55
Rockliffe Hall 11/39 - 19/33 -
Holywell Jn 11/48 12/53 19/24 19/41
Rhyl 12/05 13/04 19/07 19/24
Colwyn Bay 12/17 13/13 18/53 19/05
Llandudno Junction 12w23a ~ 13w03d 13.22 ~ 14.06 18w07a ~ 18w47d 18.18 ~ 18.55
Penmaenmawr 13/11 - 17/59 -
Bangor 13.23a ~ 13.26d 14.28 ~ 14.33 17.44a ~ 17.47d 17.57 ~ 17.59
Menai Bridge 13/31 - 17/39 -
Llanfairpwll 13/33 - 17/35 -
Gaerwen 13/37 - 17/32 -
Valley 13/53 - 17/14 -
Holyhead 14.05a 15.02 17.02d 17.23


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