30th June 1963

Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (West Riding Branch)
The Three Summit Rail Tour

Locos Used 103, 46255 'City of Hereford', 57581, 60004 'William Whitelaw' & 60023 'Golden Eagle'
Stock Used 10 coaches including a buffet car

Route : 1X36 throughout

Loco(s) Route
60023 Leeds City - Shipley - Skipton - Settle Jn - (via S&C) - Petteril Bridge Jn - Carlisle
46255 Carlisle - Beattock - Carstairs
103 + 57581 Carstairs - Lanark Jn - Lanark Race Course - Happendon - Muirkirk - Cronberry - Auchinleck
60004 Auchinleck - Cumnock - Sanquhar - Dumfries - Annan - Gretna Jn - Carlisle
60023 Carlisle - Penrith - Tebay - Low Gill Jn - Sedbergh - Ingleton - Clapham - Settle Jn - Skipton - Leeds City

Note :
(1) The day began poorly due to mechanical problems with A4 60023 with a mediocre ascent to Ais Gill. The descent into the Eden Valley finally produced some fine 90mph running, but the lost time attributed to the A4 was never recovered completely, not helped by some pathing decisions made by 'Control'. David Whittaker comments: There were problems with the injectors on 60023 which spoiled the climb to Blea Moor, though the crew tried to make up for this with a very fast (90 m.p.h.) descent into the Eden Valley. Later in the day 60023, with the problems seemingly corrected, made a good climb from Penrith to Shap Summit on the return journey.

Sources : David Hills (compiled from contemporary reports), David Whittaker & Robin Lush

Photo Review


60023 at Leeds City prior to setting off with first leg of tour from Leeds to
Carlisle (photo: © 2016 - Peter Brumby / 53A Models of Hull)


103 & 57581 at Carstairs with the Carstairs to Auchinleck portion of the
tour (photo: © 2016 - Peter Brumby / 53A Models of Hull)


60004 backing onto the tour's stock at Auchinleck prior to working the tour
to Carlisle (photo: © 2016 - Peter Brumby / 53A Models of Hull)


60023 & 60004 at Carlisle, with 60023 waiting to replace 60004 for the final
  run back to Leeds (photo: © 2016 - Peter Brumby / 53A Models of Hull)


From The John Debens Ticket Collection.


Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from David Murray, Terry Jackson & Robin Lush)

M.C Location Booked Actual
0.00 Leeds City 09.43d 09.47
0.29 Leeds City Jn 09/44 09/48
10.57 Shipley Leeds Jn 09/57 10/01
17.00 Keighley 10/06 10/09
25.01 Snaygill 10/14 10/27
26.15 Skipton 10.16a ~ 10.18d 10.29 ~ 10.39
? Skipton MPD ? 10.45 ~ 11.05
36.16 Hellifield 10/43 11/38
39.36 Settle Jn 10/47 11/43
53.36 Blea Moor 11/09 12/05
64.51 Ais Gill Summit 11/22 12/18
82.19 Appleby West 11/39 12/33
112.11 Durran Hill 12/10 12/56
113.01 Carlisle 12.13a ~ 12.21d 13.00 ~ 13.13
121.49 Gretna Jn 12/32 13/24
138.54 Lockerbie 12/54 13/39
152.49 Beattock 13/10 13/52
162.50 Beattock Summit 13/33 14/10
? Symington 13/51 14/41
186.39 Carstairs 14.00a ~ 14.55d 14.51 ~ 15.25
188.59 Lanark Jn 14/59 15/29
190.35 Smyllum East Jn 15/03 15/33
190.59 Lanark Race Course 15/05 15/35
197.44 Happendon 15/15 15/46
200.52 Douglas West 15/22 16/01
210.05 Muirkirk 15.35a ~ 16.00d 16.20 ~ 16.32
216.35 Cronberry 16/10 16/42
220.19 Auchinleck 16.20a ~ 16.28d 16.51 ~ 17.04
222.21 Cumnock 16/44 17/08
238.31 Sanquhar 17/01 17/33
250.26 Thornhill 17/19 17/50
264.41 Dumfries 17.40a ~ 17.50d 18.06 ~ 18.28
279.78 Annan 18/17 18/44
288.68 Gretna Jn 18/32 18/53
297.36 Carlisle 18.43a ~ 18.50d 19.05 ~ 19.21
310.34 Plumpton 19/13 ?
315.25 Penrith 19/20 19/52
329.00 Shap Summit 19/45 20/07
334.36 Tebay 19/51 20/14
338.51 Low Gill Jn 19/59 20/23
342.54 Sedbergh 20/07 ?
349.00 Barbon ? ?
357.38 Ingleton 20/29 ?
361.55 Clapham 20/37 20/53
369.13 Settle Jn 20/47 21/01
372.33 Hellifield ? 21.06 ~ 21.07
382.34 Skipton 21.03a ~ 21.05d 21.19 ~ ??.??
383.48 Snaygill ? ?
391.49 Keighley 21/16 ?
397.72 Shipley Leeds Jn 21/24 ?
408.20 Leeds City Jn ? ?
408.49 Leeds City South 21.43a ?


Back to "The Railtour Files"