1st May 2004

Pathfinder Tours
The Buxton Rotator

Route:
1Z97 : Yeovil Junction to Buxton
1Z41 : Buxton to Yeovil Junction

Notes :
(1) 33103 + 33202 on rear.

Passing Longbridge on the return (photo: Jonathan Wilcox)

Sources : various including Howard Parker (joined/left the train at Birmingham New Street)

Tour Review
(from Giddy Aunt)

Niger Keer captured the tour passing Great Rocks.

This tour had originally been advertised as class 56, so was not in my diary. However, during the ‘Tyneside Valentine’ tour on 14^th February, which itself was worked by 47635 instead of the booked Cromptons because they did not have TPWS fitted in time, there were discussions about what would replace the ‘Grid’ on 1^st May.

As luck would have it, everyone saw sense and 2 Fragonset 33s became the main traction for the day. When I say everyone, I do not mean Network Rail with their 0409 departure from Yeovil Junction! Fortunately the tour picked up at plenty of other places and was almost fully booked with Berts and Adas going along for coach trips to Crich Tramway Village and Chatsworth House.

So, rather bleary eyed I arrived at Yeovil Junction at 0320 to find Cromptons 103 & 202 already attached to the train with ‘202 busily heating the 12 coach train. I always find Cromptons providing ETH amusing with the way they run at half revs until the driver takes power, then they go back to tick over before accelerating normally.

Seats in Coach A were located and I soon settled down for a snooze while the train picked up the passengers with no sense of adventure from Yeovil Pen Mill, Castle Cary, Frome, Westbury, Trowbridge, Bath Spa and Bristol Parkway. By now it was daylight and it looked like we were in for a wait when the Eastleigh Driver stated that there was no-one to relieve him! Then the taxi with the relief arrived and we left Bristol Parkway a few minutes late.

The run to Cheltenham Spa was as speedy as ever, and upon arrival there was the rather shocking occurrence of a Pathfinder representative asking for the ETH to be turned off! Coach A was a Mark 2, and did not seem as baking hot as the Mark 1s in the rest of the train. There was some delay at Worcester, then the signal cleared and were on our way. In time honoured fashion, the driver slowed considerably to about 30 mph through Bromsgrove to give the Cromptons the best possible chance at being very noisy going up the Lickey Incline! They did not disappoint. Speed dropped off very slightly and a GPS guru stated that 25 mph was maintained until the summit, the thrash factor being extremely high with copious amounts of clag from both locos.

The last pick up was Birmingham New Street, yet again silly timings meant we festered here for half an hour, 202 looked worse for its ascent of the Lickey with puffs of blue smoke from its exhaust on tick over, followed by a cloud of blue/white/grey smoke when pulling away, before settling down to the usual Sulzer dark brown clag when under full power. It stayed like this for the rest of the day but did not seem to affect its performance.

After crew changes at Derby and Chesterfield it was on to almost new track for Cromptons at Dore West Junction for the Hope Valley Line, by now we were being treated to blazing sunshine. Which did not help me staying awake for this ‘winner’ track. Diverged onto the freight only Peak Forest line at Chinley for the typical freight line stagger to Buxton XYZ Sidings. Fortunately the line climbs all the way to Buxton and has some sharp curves, so the Cromptons were able to make some noise at times.

33103 almost kissed the mound of earth which serves as a buffer stop at XYZ Sidings, then 60060 was attached to the other end for the short distance to Buxton Station itself. There was a beak of just over two hours, which was only just long enough for lunch and beers in Wetherspoons, after watching the Cromptons haul the train out of the Station and disappear off to Peak Forest Depot for fuel.

I got back to the Station to see that not only had the 33s and 60 run round each other, but also that the 2 Cromptons had been run round each other to ensure 202 was next to the stock again, apparently because 103 is ‘no-Heat’. It was disappointing that the 33s did not actually power the train with customers on board either into or out of the Station and but at least someone must have been pleased to scratch 60060 for about a mile!

The same route back to Chinley was taken and then for some more ‘winner’ track via Woodley, Guide Bridge and Heaton Norris to Stockport. There was no need for 202 to provide heat because the sun was doing quite well by itself. The Crewe driver had the Cromptons firmly under control with sustained 85mph running until Rugeley, and then we waited, and waited for half an hour before finally being able to cross over the WCML to access the Walsall line. Progress from here to New Street was somewhat interrupted with most of the real signals against us. Normal service was resumed after New Street, it was a change to use the Worcester avoiding line before re-tracing the outward journey back to Bristol Parkway. From then on, it seemed like the WR signallers were not expecting us because we stopped at almost every junction for them to ask the driver where we were going, or so it seemed. Despite their efforts, arrival back at Yeovil Junction was only a few minutes late.

An excellent day, only marred by the very early start and failure to have 33 power at Buxton Station.

Giddy Aunt

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(courtesy of Pathfinder Tours & Janet Cottrell)

Timings continue in first table.

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