Six Bells Junction

Locos Used	66730, 73204 & 73212
Stock Used	3107+3098+1683+3141+3069+3068+1691+3149+3097+17015

Route :
1Z10 : London Liverpool Street to Bury St Edmunds
1Z11 : Bury St Edmunds to London Liverpool Street

Loco(s)

Route

66730 (1)

London Liverpool Street - Liverpool Street [P10] - Bethnal Green [Down Main] - Bethnal Green East Jn - Bethnal Green North Jn - Hackney Downs - Tottenham Hale - Harlow Town - Bishops Stortford - Cambridge [Down Main, then Through Line] - Dullingham - Bury St Edmunds - Stowmarket - Ipswich [Up Main] - Chelmsford - Shenfield [P2, then Up Main to Up Electric] - Ilford Flyover - Stratford [P5] - Bishopsgate Jn [Up Electric to Up Main] - Liverpool Street [P10]

A group of work colleagues suggested we get together for this relatively easy jolly around East Anglia some months ago. In the end, 10 of us agreed to go and we met at Liverpool Street station. (Well actually a nearby pub at 10.30am, for a pre-tour drink).

Unfortunately, most of us had had to make some manic and very roundabout journeys across London due to the fact that virtually half the Tube and National Rail lines were shut for "so called" essential engineering work!!!

Anyway, suitably watered and relaxed, we ventured down to Platform 10 where 66730 was waiting at the head of the train, with 73204+73212 on the blocks. The ED's having worked the ECS in, as well as having been involved in the GB Staff Special to Portsmouth the previous day.

We set off on-time at 11.15am up Bethnal Green bank, and duly turned left after the station on to the lines via Hackney Downs and Tottenham Hale. As this was an all-dining train, the drinks started flowing early and shortly afterwards the food orders were taken....

As we continued Northwards towards Bishops Stortford, lunch was served and more drinks followed. (The Champagne went down well with the roast beef it has to be said)!!!!

Passing Cambridge we took the through line avoiding the platforms, before swinging right on to the single-track line via Newmarket. A brief 15-minute pause and photo stop was offered at Bury St Edmunds (change of headcode too) before it was back on board for dessert, cheeses and coffees as we started our journey back to the capital.

The return journey took us via Ipswich, with several Freightliner 66's and 90's and 1 unidentified Class 70 being noted on the stabling point, then on towards Chelmsford and Shenfield. At the latter we crossed from the fasts to the slows, (actually called the 'Electrics'), from where we then seemed to follow a slow moving local train all the way back to London. But hey, not to worry, as this allowed more time to drink the Champagne!!!

So we eventually arrived back into Liverpool Street just over 4 hours after we had left, and very merrily disembarked and headed off to the nearest watering hole again....