8th May 2004

Mid Cheshire Rail Users Association
The Thames Valley Express

Route:
1Z67 : Chester to Reading
1Z29 : Reading to Chester

67022 passes Plemstall, east of Mickle Trafford Jn (photo: John Cowlishaw)

Sources : various including Steve Perriman

Tour Review
(by Steve Perryman)

“The Loneliness of the long distance basher”.

I first booked on this tour because it had all the elements I am looking for in a good day out.

• A bit of required track (Northenden Junction-Hazel Grove)

• A required loco with the strong possibility of a second one later (so chance of a surprise) given their fuel constraints.

• A required destination, rail linked and with scope for a bit of bashing (3 Great Western power cars required), and the steam centre at Didcot to take a Kettle out of my steam loving colleague Andy.

Unfortunately I must have been the only Basher in the world to see these benefits as apart from two youngsters who came specially for the 67's the rest were wrinklies.

A shame as the tour ran well to time with the locos proving to be up to some smart timings. Both 67's were scratched and because of the tour Didcot operated a tank engine 4144 on a coach on what would ordinarily be a non operating day. 08604 was operating as well providing air for a test on the brakes of support coach but although it did shunt and I asked for a ride, Health and Safety and liability etc nowadays defeat us all.

All in all a good day out where the tour did what it said on the tin and we arrived back in Altrincham ½ an hour early. But boy Oh boy was I lonely.

Steve Perryman

Timings (Booked & Actual)

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