8th November 2003

Pathfinder Tours
The Roxby Renegade

Locos Used 37890, 37893 & 60022
Stock Used 5350+5309+4902+4963+5040+5009+1863+21272+3107+3140+3122+3066+6310

Route:
1Z27 : Bristol Temple Meads to Roxby Gullet
1Z28 : Roxby Gullet to Bristol Temple Meads

Loco(s) Route
37893 + 37890 Bristol Temple Meads - Stapleton Road - Filton Jn - Bristol Parkway - Westerleigh Jn - Charfield - Cheltenham Spa - Abbotswood Jn - Stoke Works Jn - Barnt Green - Selly Oak - Birmingham New Street - Proof House Jn - Landor Street Jn - Water Orton - Whitacre Jn - Kingsbury Jn - Burton-on-Trent - Stenson Jn - Sheet Stores Jn - Toton Centre - Pye Bridge Jn - Kirkby Lane End Jn - Shirebrook East Jn - Worksop - Retford Low Level - Gainsborough Central - Kirton Lindsey - Barnetby - Grimsby Marsh Jn - Pyewipe Road SB - Immingham East Jn - Brocklesby Jn - Barnetby - Wrawby Jn - Scunthorpe Trent Jn
37893 + 37890 (1) Scunthorpe Trent Jn - Roxby Gullet
60022 (2) Roxby Gullet - Scunthorpe Trent Jn
37893 + 37890 Scunthorpe Trent Jn - (via Scunthorpe station avoiding line) - Thorne Jn - Bentley Jn - Hexthorpe Jn - Mexborough - Thrybergh Jn - Aldwarke Jn - Rotherham Central - Broughton Lane Jn - Woodburn Jn - Nunnery Main Line Jn - Sheffield - Dore Station Jn - Chesterfield - Ambergate Jn - Derby - Stenson Jn - (reverse of outward route) - Bristol Temple Meads

Notes :
(1) 60022 on rear.
(2) 37893 + 37890 on rear.


A pause at Gainsborough (photo : David Russell)

Sources : various including Pathfinder Tours, Ian Evans & Alan Sheppard

Tour Review
(by Melvyn Teale)

The main purposes to book on this tour was to cover the Immingham loop and Roxby branch (both required) with a chance to see one or more of the 6 grids I require, 4 of which are stored at Immingham.

The original tour brochure advertised Tamworth as a pick up point. Great as this is just up the road from where I stay! However, Pathfinder later mailed me to say that the Tamworth stop had been declined due to the time it would take the heavy train to stop and start again potentially delaying Central and Virgin plastic. Why Burton's nevertheless ok as a collection point I don't know, maybe they didn't want the train to stop twice on that section? However, I decided to stick with it and duly turned up at Tamworth to buy a day return to Burton on a grey and cold Saturday morning.

A Central unit saw me at Burton in good time to stock up on supplies at the newsagents. Only a minute or so late growlers 893 and 890 headed the train into the station. (I understand 893 had headed a Pathfinder Tour recently).

The tour wasn't full by any means but presumably enough had booked to make it worthwhile. At Stenson Jct we veered right towards Trent Jct on one of the more boring of freight lines in the UK. At Trent Jct. we turned sharp left and headed up the "middle" line to Toton where we paused for a few moments while most of the train scrambled to the left to get as many numbers as possible on the shed. Certainly a few forlorn 58s a 47 & a 56 were seen dumped on the scrapline south of the depot. A few sheds were noted on the depot proper as we accelerated away.

At Pye Bridge Jct we turned left to cover a more interesting freight line to Mansfield. Pinxton was the next place of note with its traditional Midland Box controlling the level crossing and numerous semaphores. A short colliery freight line branches off left here (and was covered by a Pathfinder tour with a pair of 33s back in 1999) which is now out of use. After Kirkby Lane end Jct. we were back on passenger metals . At Worksop we turned right and past through Retford Low Level some 13 minutes early!  Then over Gainsborough Trent Jct and into Central station for an hours break. What can you say about Gainsborough? Well, it's a pleasant enough market town, but I'm unsure as to why we had an hours break there. The last time I was at this very station was in 1984 when I was doing my final year project at college. As I recall I arrived at Central and went back to Loughborough from Lea Road where I had to wait ages & ages for a train! Has Central changed since '84? In a word no. However its nice to see plenty of semaphore signals about. What can you do in an hour in Gainsborough? Well, its chip shop or pub. I chose the latter.

On the dot at 12.52 we left to trundle up the single line to Wrawby Jct, through the semaphore forests of Barnetby, past Grimsby Marsh West Jct to take the Immingham loop which we were to transverse anti-clockwise rather than clockwise as previously advertised. Interesting branch, but what a stagger! We past the 3 recently arrived redundant class 86s in a holding siding on the left, and then the highlight, Immingham depot on the right. Binos at the ready to note what we could as the depot was packed with locos. Frustratingly, not many numbers could be seen in the depot itself due to the positioning of the engines, however there was a long line of rusting grids parked at the end of the shed. Disappointingly, only 1 of my 4 was seen (128- see Gary's personal pages) don't know where the other 3 were, would be nice if Immingham held an open day!

Anyway, due to the protracted stagger we arrived at Ulceby 15 minutes down, and sped off back to Wrawby Jct, taking the Scunthorpe line for the Roxby Gullet branch. At Scunthorpe we were routed into the goods loop while 60 022 was added to the back of the train. We then crossed the main taking the Roxby branch at (another!) Trent Jct. By this time we were 30 minutes down and it was starting to get dark so there wasn't much to see, however more red track is now in the book! A return to Scunthorpe to drop off the 60 and we were away towards Doncaster now only 15 minutes late given the recovery time allowed.  A nice touch was covering the Doncaster avoiding line to the Mexborough line over the bridge north of the station (thought I needed it but didn't!) and then the back route from Mexborough through Rotherham Central down towards Tinsley. A right turn then took us onto the Worksop line at Woodburn, then a sharp left down to Sheffield Midland where a few baled off unofficially. A straightforward run down the main line found me back at Burton 12 minutes early!

Verdict- A good straightforward trip covering all advertised routes with minimal delays.  Would have preferred grids to tractors though!

Melvyn Teale

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(booked courtesy of Pathfinder Tours, actual from various including Alan Sheppard)

M.C Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual M.C
0.00 Bristol Temple Meads 06.26d 06.32   22.26a 22.39 209.05
5.62 Bristol Parkway 06.36a ~ 06.39d 06.44 ~ 06.47   22.05a ~ 22.08d 21.58 ~ 22.01 203.23
10.32 Westerleigh Jn 06/46 06/55   21/59 21/51 198.53
? Gloucester Yard Jn 07/12 ?   21*25a ~ 21*32d ? 171.05
38.67 Barnwood Jn 07/13 07/20   21/23½ 21/23 ?
44.30 Cheltenham Spa 07.21a ~ 07.24d 07.29 ~ 07.32   21.13a ~ 21.16d 21.13 ~ 21.17 165.42
51.41 Ashchurch 07/32 07/40   21/05 21/07 158.31
62.28 Abbotswood Jn 07/41 07/48   20/55 20/58 147.44
73.45 Stoke Works Jn 07/50 07/56   20/47 20/49 136.27
79.21 Barnt Green 07.58a ~ 08.00d ??.?? ~ 08.04   20.38a ~ 20.40d 20.41 ~ 20.41 130.51
84.29 Kings Norton 08/16 08/18   20/30 20/33 125.43
86.43 Selly Oak 08/21 08/22   20/27 20/30 123.29
89.74 Birmingham New Street 08.30a ~ 08.39d 08.30 ~ 08.39   20.18a ~ 20.20d 20.18 ~ 20.22 119.78
91.39 Landor Street Jn 08/43 08/44   20/14 20/08 118.33
97.45 Water Orton 08/49 09/02   20/08 19/49 112.27
100.30 Whitacre Jn 08/54 ?  
102.60 Kingsbury Jn 09/05 09/05   19/57 19/43 108.32
108.41 Tamworth High Level 09/09 09/12   19/52 19/38 102.51
115.69 Wichnor Jn 09/15 09/19   19/45 19/33 95.23
131.32 Burton-on-Trent 09.23a ~ 09.24d 09.24 ~ 09.26   19.35a ~ 19.38d 19.23 ~ 19.27 89.60
127.49 Stenson Jn 09/32 09/35   19/27 19/18 83.33

 

M.C Location Booked Actual
140.03 Sheet Stores Jn 09/55 09.54a ~ 10.02d
140.46 Trent East Jn 09/56 10/04
142.43 Toton Centre 09c59a ~ 10c01d 10.08 ~ 10.12
145.68 Trowell Jn 10/05 10/18
154.48 Pye Bridge Jn 10/21 10/31
159.06 Kirkby Lane End Jn 10/40 10/44
164.77 Mansfield Woodhouse 10/49 10/54
168.39 Shirebrook East Jn 10/56 11/00
172.14 Elmton & Creswell Jn 11/04 11/05
177.07 Shireoaks East Jn 11/20 11/13
178.03 Worksop 11/25 11/14
185.57 Retford Low Level 11/35 11/22
194.49 Gainsborough Trent Jns 11/48 11/34
195.67 Gainsborough Central 11.51a ~ 12.52d 11.41 ~ 12.52
206.10 Kirton Lindsey 13/14 13/05
215.37 Wrawby Jn 13/38 13/19
216.01 Barnetby 13/40 13.21a ~ 13.42d
220.64 Brocklesby Jn 13/45 13/49
229.14 Grimsby Marsh West Jn 13/58 14/01
230.78 Grimsby Pyewipe Road SB 14/09 14.11a ~ 14.12d
235.33 Immingham East Jn 14/23 14/33
241.31 Ulceby 14/36 14/51
242.28 Brocklesby Jn 14/38 14.54a ~ 14.55d
247.11 Barnetby 14/44 15/03
247.55 Wrawby Jn 14/46 15/05
257.38 Trent Jn 15L01a ~ 15L21d 15.30 ~ 15.46
261.55
0.00
Roxby Gullet (3m 60ch) 15.37a ~ 15.50d 16.12 ~ 16.19
4.17
0.00
Trent Jn 16L15a ~ 16L40d 16.42 ~ 16.55
1.15 Scunthorpe signal 319 16/50 17/03
15.43 Thorne Jn 17/06 17/23
22.47 Bentley Jn 17/12 17/37
25.71 Hexthorpe Jn 17/24 17/36
30.76 Mexborough 17/32 17/43
33.27 Thrybergh Jn 17/44 17/47
34.03 Aldwarke Jn 17/49 17/50
36.40 Rotherham Central 17/54 17/54
39.64 Broughton Lane Jn 17/59 18/00
41.20 Woodburn Jn 18/02 18/03
41.61 Nunnery Main Line Jn 18/04 18/08
42.18 Sheffield 18/06 18.10a ~ 18.12d
46.08 Dore Station Jn 18/12 18/19
54.38 Chesterfield 18/22 18/27
58.48 Clay Cross South Jn 18/26 18/30
68.56 Ambergate Jn 18/38 18/42
69.69 Broadholme 18*41a ~ 18*57d 18/42
78.49 Derby 19c06a ~ 19c20d 18.59 ~ 19.12

Timings continue in first table.

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