4th March 1967

Ian Allan
The Birkenhead Flyer Railtour
& The Zulu Railtour

Locos Used Birkenhead Flyer : 4079 'Pendennis Castle', 73035 & D1028 'Western Hussar'
Zulu : D70xx, D70xx, 7029 'Clun Castle' & 73026
Stock Used Birkenhead Flyer : load 11
Zulu : believed to have been load 11

Route : 1X82 (Birkenhead Flyer)

Loco Route
D1028 London Paddington - (via GWML) - Didcot
4079

Didcot - Didcot North Jn - Oxford - Banbury - Birmingham Snow Hill - Wolverhampton  Low Level - Shrewsbury - Chester General
73035 Chester General - Birkenhead Woodside
73035 Birkenhead Woodside - Chester General
4079

Chester General - Shrewsbury - Wolverhampton Low Level - Birmingham Snow Hill - Banbury - Oxford - Didcot North Jn - Didcot
D1028 Didcot - (via GWML) - London Paddington

Route : 1X83 (Zulu)

Loco Route
D70xx London Paddington - High Wycombe - Banbury
7029

Banbury - Birmingham Snow Hill - Wolverhampton Low Level - Shrewsbury - Chester General
73026 Chester General - Birkenhead Woodside
73026 Birkenhead Woodside - Chester General
7029

Chester General - Shrewsbury - Wolverhampton Low Level - Birmingham Snow Hill
D70xx (3)

Birmingham Snow Hill - Banbury - High Wycombe - London Paddington

Notes:
(1) On this day, Ian Allan ran two train trains to Birkenhead to commemorate the last through working from Paddington to Birkenhead. The first train was the Birkenhead Flyer on which Terry Jackson travelled and which was worked by 4079 'Pendennis Castle', the second was the Zulu which was worked by 7029 'Clun Castle'. The locomotive details that are given for the Zulu have been gleaned from magazines at the time and need to be confirmed. Carl Ford, fireman on 'Clun Castle' and Kenneth Street both confirm it was D70xx 'Hymek' that brought the train into Banbury (was uploaded as a D10xx 'Western' originally as this was what was booked).
(2) Some sources show a "reversal" of which train 73026 & 73035 were used on however Terry Jackson confirms that, despite what may have been published elsewhere, 73026 was definitely on the 'Zulu' and 73035 was on the 'Birkenhead Flyer'.
(3) Originally shown as having taken over at Wolverhampton LL however Neil H Treadwell who was on the train confirms the Hymek took over at Birmingham Snow Hill.

Sources : Terry Jackson (on the 'Birkenhead Flyer' throughout), Kevin Driscoll,
Carl Ford, The Bluebell Railway Museum, Neil H Treadwell & Tony Pirie

Photo Review


4079 'Pendennis Castle' passes Didcot North Jn headed for Chester.
(photo: H.O. Vaughan/Adrian Vaughan Collection)


7029 'Clun Castle' gets away from Banbury. The loco was burning Yorkshire
coal, instead of the Welsh that it was designed for, hence the black smoke!
(photo: Peter Cooper)


From Andrew Fairholm's ticket collection.


Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Terry Jackson, John Broderick & The Bluebell Railway Museum)

Miles
1X82		 Miles
1X83		 Location Booked (1X82) Actual (1X82)   Booked (1X83)
0 0 Paddington 08.25d 08.24   08.40d
? ? Subway Jn [ML] ?   [ML]
1¼ 1¼ Westbourne Park 08/29 08/27   08/44
- ? Old Oak Common West   08/46½
- ? Northolt Jn   08/53½
- 26½ High Wycombe   09/14
- 34¾ Princes Risborough   09/24
- ? Ardley   09/42
9 - Southall 08/36½ 08/35   -
18 - Slough 08/43½ 08/42   -
24¼ - Maidenhead 08/47½ 08/46   -
31 - Twyford ? 08/51   -
36 - Reading General 08/58 08/54½   -
53¼ - Didcot East Jn [RL] ?   -
? - Didcot 09L15 ~ 09L35 09.09 ~ 09.33½   -
63½ - Oxford 09/53 [TL] 09/49   -
75¼ - Heyford 10/10 ?   -
86¼ 67½ Banbury 10w26 ~ 10w33 10.17 ~ 10.31   09L52 ~ 10L02
106 87¼ Leamington Spa 10/55 10/59   10/25
118¾ 100 Knowle & Dorridge 11/12½ 11/20   10/42½
129½ 110¼ Birmingham Snow Hill 11.26 ~ 11.30d 11.38 ~ 11.41½   11.00 ~ 11.03
142¼ 123 Wolverhampton Low Level 11w50 ~ 11w57 12.05 ~ 12.12½   11w23 ~ 11w27
160¾ 141½ Wellington 12/26 12/37½   11/51
172 152¾ Shrewsbury 12w40 ~ 12w48 12.55 ~ 13.01   12w04 ~ 12w12
190 170¾ Gobowen 13/11 13/25   12/35
202¼ 183 Wrexham 13/25 13/40   12/49
214½ 195¼ Chester General 13L47 ~ 13L57 14.03 ~ 14.14   13L12 ~ 13L22
229½
0		 210¼
0		 Birkenhead Woodside 14.25a ~ 15.20d 14.36½ ~ 15.22   13.50 ~ 15.37
15 15 Chester General 15L48 ~ 15L58 15.45 ~ 16.08   16L05 ~ 16L15
27¼ 27¼ Wrexham 16/21 16/30   ?
39½ 39½ Gobowen 16/38 16/49   ?
57½ 57½ Shrewsbury 17w01 ~ 17w09 17.09 ~ 17.22   17w19 ~ 17w29
67¾ 67¾ Wellington 17/25 17/55   17/45
87¼ 87¼ Wolverhampton Low Level 17w50 ~ 17w57 18.05 ~ 18.11   18L35 ~ 18L45
99¾ 99¾ Birmingham Snow Hill 18w18 ~ 18w23 18.34 ~ 18.36   19.03 ~ 19.06
110¼ 110¼ Knowle & Dorridge 18/37 19/00   19/17
123 123 Leamington Spa 18/59 19/15   19/27½
142¾ 142¾ Banbury 19w25 ~ 19w32 19.39 ~ 19.46   19.47 ~ 19.50
153¾ - Heyford 19/48 ?   -
165½ - Oxford 20/18 [TL] 20.13½ ~ 20.16   -
175¼ - Didcot 20L35 ~ 20L50 20.31½ ~ 20.51½   -
? - Didcot East Jn [ML] 20.31½ ~ 20.51½   -
193 - Reading General 21/08 21/08   -
198 - Twyford 21/13 21/12   -
204¾ - Maidenhead 21/18 21/17   -
211½ - Slough 21/22 21/20½   -
221 - Southall 21/29 21/27   -
- ? Ardley   19/59
- 175½ Princes Risborough   20/18
- 183¾ High Wycombe   20/28
- ? Northolt Jn   20/45
- ? Old Oak Common West   20/50 [RL]
228¼ 209 Westbourne Park 21/40 ?   20/55
229½ 210¼ Paddington 21.45a 21.37   21.00a


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