22nd May 1976

6000 Locomotive Association
The Merchant Venturer & The Lakelander

Locos Used at least 1013 'Western Ranger', 86015 & steam: 790 'Hardwicke', 1306 'Mayflower' & 4472 'Flying Scotsman'
Stock Used [1] : Booked out of Bristol as load 12 (included a Gresley buffet car 9135E) but actual formation given as 12x mark 1 & 2x Gresley's when steam-hauled
[2] : ???

The Merchant Venturer
Route : 1Z76 throughout

Loco(s) Stock Route
1013 [1] Bristol Temple Meads - Stapleton Road - Bristol Parkway - Westerleigh Jn - Yate - Standish Jn - Barnwood Jn - Cheltenham Spa - Ashchurch - Abbotswood Jn - Stoke Works Jn - Bromsgrove - Kings Norton - Selly Oak - Birmingham New Street
86015 [1] Birmingham New Street - Soho South Jn - Galton Jn - Dudley Port - Wolverhampton - Stafford - (via WCML) - Carnforth
4472 + 790 [1] Carnforth - Grange-over-Sands - Ulverston
4472 + 1306 [1] Ulverston - Dalton - Dalton Jn - (via Barrow avoiding line) - Park South Jn - Ravenglass ( - Sellafield) (3)
4472 + 1306 [1] (3) (Sellafield - ) Ravenglass - (reverse of outward route) - Ulverston
4472 + 790 [1] Ulverston - (reverse of outward route) - Carnforth
86015 [1] Carnforth - (reverse of outward route) - Birmingham New Street
1013 [1] Birmingham New Street - (reverse of outward route) - Barnwood Jn - Gloucester - Chepstow - Severn Tunnel Junction
1013 [1] Severn Tunnel Junction - Patchway - Stapleton Road - Bristol Temple Meads

The Lakelander
Route :

Loco(s) Stock Route
electric [2] London Euston - (via WCML, Northampton & Trent Valley) - ???
electric [2] ??? - (reverse of outward route) - London Euston

Notes :
(1) Ran in association with the National Railway Museum, Steamtown Carnforth & Flying Scotsman Enterprises. Originally advertised to feature 4079 'Pendennis Castle' & Midland Compound 1000 however at the end of February passengers were advised that neither was available (4079 due to programmed boiler maintenance). 44871 & 790 were then suggested by the organisers as alternatives to haul the train double-headed from Carnforth to Sellafield and back.
(2) Phil Bullock comments that during its layover at Birmingham, 1013 was used on a BR Day Excursion to Weston-super-Mare (and back presumably?).
(3) Route confirmation required. It is unclear if the 'Merchant Venturer' and 'Lakelander' ran as separate trains or if they combined somewhere en-route? Cardiff and Newport passengers were to use service trains to/from Bristol Temple Meads using the tour ticket. Tour brochure gives the routing for the steam section as Carnforth to Sellafield and back which is at odds with the information above - was this an on-the-day alteration or did the train in fact go through to Sellafield as planned? There was an option to leave the train at Ravenglass for a journey on the R&ER. John Titlow suggests from his photographic evidence that the train only ran as far as Ravenglass. Originally uploaded as 4472+1306 back to Carnforth but since revised based on photographic evidence from John Titlow that 790 took over from 1306 at Ulverston.

Sources : Mike Barnsley, Mark Alden, Phil Bullock, John Debens & John Titlow

Photo Review

 
From The John Debens Ticket Collection.


Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from John Debens)

Miles Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual M.C
0.0 Bristol Temple Meads 07.15d 07.15   23.55a 00.16 567.1
1.6 Stapleton Road 07/18 07/18   ? ? ?
- Patchway   23.41a ~ 23.43d 00.00 ~ 00.06 561.1
- Severn Tunnel Junction   23.18 ~ 23.28 2.20 ~ 23.47 550.4
- Chepstow   23/08 23/05 543.2
- Lydney   23/00 ? 535.2
5.9 Bristol Parkway 07.25a ~ 07.27d 07.025 ~ 07.27  
11.9 Yate South 07/36 07/36  
18.8 Charfield 07/42 07/42  
31.8 Standish Jn 07/51 07/52  
? Gloucester   22/41 22.38 ~ 22.40 515.7
39.5 Barnwood Jn 08/00 08/02   ? ? ?
45.0 Cheltenham Spa 08.08a ~ 08.10d 08.09 ~ 08.11   22.28a ~ 22.30d 22.24 ~ 22.30 509.2
52.3 Ashchurch 08/18 ?   22/20 ? 501.9
62.9 Abbotswood Jn 08/26 08/26   22/12 ? 491.3
76.3 Bromsgrove 08/37 08/37   21/02 ? 477.9
79.8 Barnt Green 08/44 08/47   21/58 ? 474.4
90.4 Birmingham New Street 09L09a ~ 09L12d 09.06 ~ 09.14   21.32a ~ 21.42d 21.28 ~ 21.41 463.8
97.7 Dudley Port 09/21 ?   21/23 21/18 456.5
103.2 Wolverhampton 09.27a ~ 09.30d 09.29 ~ 09.30   21.13a ~ 21.16d 21.09 ~ 21.11 451.0
113.1 Penkridge 09/39 09/39   21/04 ? 441.1
118.4 Stafford 09.46a ~ 09.48d 09.48 ~ 09.48   20.56a ~ 20.58d 20.53 ~ 20.55 435.8
133.7 Madeley 10/01 10/06   20/45 ? 419.5
143.0 Crewe 10.13a ~ 10.16d 10.17 ~ 10.20   20.32a ~ 20.36d 20.28 ~ 20.31 411.2
159.2 Weaver Jn 10/30 10/33   20/16 20/11 395.0
167.1 Warrington Bank Quay 10/37 10/40½   20/11 20/06 387.1
178.7 Wigan 10/46 10/50   20/02 19/55 375.5
194.0 Preston 11/06 11/07   19/44 19/36 360.2
221.2 Carnforth 11L38a ~ 12L50d 11.44 ~ 11.54   19L08a ~ 19L18d 18.50 ~ 19.12 333.0
230.3 Grange-over-Sands 13/08 ?   18/45 18/32 323.9
234.1 Cark and Cartmel 13/19 ?   18/35 18/27 320.1
240.0 Ulverston 13L28 ~ 13L41 13.29 ~ ??.??   18L14 ~ 18L24 18.15 ~ 18.22 314.2
245.3 Dalton Jn 13/51 13/53   18/04 18/06 308.9
246.4 Park South 13/55 13/56   18/00 18/03 307.8
248.4 Askam 14/02 14/01   17/56 18/00 305.8
253.7 Foxfield ??p??a ~ 14p23d 14.12 ~ ??.??   17/47 17/52 300.5
258.3 Millom 14/31 ?   17/39 17/47 295.9
266.8 Bootle 14/45 ?   17/24 17/38 287.6
271.3 Ravenglass 14.53a ~ 14.55d 14.55 ~ ??.??   17.12a ~ 17.14d ??.?? ~ 17.31 282.9
275.4 Seascale 15/05 ?   17/04 ? 278.8
277.1 Sellafield 15.08a ?   17.00d ? 277.1

R&ER special trains timings:

Location Booked (out) Booked (rtn)   Booked (out) Booked (rtn)   Booked (out) Booked (rtn)
Ravenglass 15.00d 16.45a   15.10d 16.55a   15.20d 17.05a
Dalegarth ??.??a ??.??d   ??.??a ??.??d   ??.??a ??.??d

Service train timings:

Location Booked (out) Booked (rtn)
Cardiff Central 06.00d 00.03a
Newport 06.14d 23.45a
Bristol Temple Meads ??.??a -
Severn Tunnel Junction - 23.32d


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