28th April 1979

6000 Locomotive Association Railtours &
Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society
The Red Rose

Locos Used 40055, 47077 'North Star', 81008 & steam: 35028 'Clan Line'
Stock Used 12 Mk 1's (11 Mk 1's on non steam sections)

Route : 1Z83 throughout

Loco Route
47077 Cardiff – Newport – Bristol Parkway – Cheltenham – Worcester Shrub Hill – Ledbury - Hereford
35028 Hereford - Leominster - Craven Arms - Church Stretton - Shrewsbury - Gobowen - Ruabon - Chester - Mickle Trafford Jn - Mouldsworth - Northwich - Knutsford - Altrincham - Skelton Jn - Northenden - Stockport Tiviot Dale - Woodley - Hyde North - Guide Bridge East
40055 Guide Bridge East - Guide Bridge - Denton Jn - Heaton Norris Jn - Stockport
81008 Stockport - Wilmslow - Sandbach - Crewe - Norton Bridge - Stafford - Wolverhampton - Birmingham New Street
47077 Birmingham New Street - Selly Oak - Kings Norton - Bromsgrove - Stoke Works Jn - Droitwich - Worcester Shrub Hill – (reverse of outward route) - Cardiff

Notes :
(1) Brian Basterfield comments: Clan Line was heading north to Carnforth for a season on the Cumbrian Coast Express, and this tour took the locomotive most of the way. From Hereford, we were 12 minutes late, and there was some good running early on. From a 30 mph slack at Craven Arms, we topped Church Stretton bank at 43 mph. And by Chester we were almost on time. Then we were checked at Altrincham, and the route thereafter was a series of tortuous junctions, the highlight being the climb from St Georges Jn up past the one time station at Tiviot Dale. At Guide Bridge, it was nice to see a line-up of class 76 electrics. I failed to note the number of the Class 40 that took us on to Stockport. I noted 40001 and 40037 as we came into Guide Bridge, so it was possibly one of them. 81008 left Stockport 8 late, and was still 8 late into Birmingham New Street, though we had suffered delays en route at Edgeley, Great Bridgeford, and Bushbury. And 47077 North Star finished the day with an unchecked run from Birmingham New Street to Worcester Shrub Hill, taking just under 34 minutes to arrive 4 minutes early. I do not have a note of where the tour originated.

Sources : Ian Monkton (joined/left the train at Bristol Parkway), Brian Basterfield
& Jim Sparks (joined/left the train at Newport)
Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Brian Basterfield, Jim Sparks & Brain Ovington)

Miles Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual Miles
0.0 Cardiff Central 06.35d ?   21.42a ? 465.3
11.8 Newport 06.48a ~ 06.50d ??.?? ~ 07.00   21.24a ~ 21.26d 21.19 ~ ??.?? 453.5
21.6 Severn Tunnel Junction 07c01 ~ 07c03 07/11   21c11 ~ 21c13 21.08 ~ 21.09 443.7
22.4 Severn Tunnel West 07/05 07/13   ? ? 442.9
28.5 Pilning 07/11 07/20   ? ? 436.8
32.1 Patchway 07/25 07/24   ? ? 433.2
33.4 Bristol Parkway 07.17a ~ 07.19d 07.29 ~ 07.30   20.51a ~ 20.55d 20.50 ~ 20.52 431.9
38.0 Westerleigh Jn 07/25 07/36   ? ? 427.3
39.4 Yate 07/29 07/38   ? ? 425.9
46.3 Charfield 07/35 07/42   20/37 20/36 419.0
59.3 Standish Jn 07/45 07/52   ? ? 406.0
66.2 Barnwood Jn 07/54 08/01   ? ? 399.1
714.2 Lansdown Jn 07/58 08/05   ? ? 393.9
72.5 Cheltenham Spa 08.00a ~ 08.05d 08.07 ~ 08.10   20.12a ~ 20.14d 20.09 ~ 20.11 392.8
79.8 Ashchurch 08/13 08/18   ? ? 385.5
90.5 Abbotswood Jn 08/20½ 08/26½   19/50 19/52 374.8
91.3 Norton Jn 08/23 08/28     ? 374.0
94.4 Worcester Shrub Hill 08.30a ~ 08.35d 08.34 ~ 08.37   19.42a ~ 19.44d 19.39 ~ 19.45 370.9

 

Miles Location Booked Actual
95.0 Worcester Foregate Street 08/37 08/39
95.7 Henwick 08/39 08/40
104.1 Malvern Wells 08/51 08/57
109.9 Ledbury 09/00 09/05
122.0 Shelwick Jn 09/12 09/17
123.7 Hereford 09L15a ~ 10L00d 09.20 ~ 10.12
125.4 Shelwick Jn 10/08 10/18
136.3 Leominster 10/17 10/30
142.6 Wooferton 10/25 10/36
154.8 Craven Arms 10/45 10/57
162.1 Church Stretton 10/55 11/08
173.8 Sutton Bridge Jn 11/08 11/22
174.7 Shrewsbury 11c11 ~ 11c13 11.24 ~ 11.30
192.6 Gobowen 11/46 11/54
199.9 Ruabon 11p55a ~ 12p10d 12.07 ~ 12.14
204.8 Wrexham 12/18 12/21
209.5 Rossett 12/24 12/28
216.9 Chester 12.36a ~ 14.36d 12.38 ~ 14.37
219.2 Mickle Trafford Jn  14/43 14.47 ~ 14.49
223.3 Mouldsworth 14/50 15/01
232.0 Greenbank 15/06 15/14
233.8 Northwich 15pc11a ~ 15pc31d 15.19 ~ 15.33
239.9 Knutsford 15/40 15/45
246.0 Hale 15/47 15/50
246.6 Altrincham 15/55 15.56 ~ 16.01
248.5 Deansgate Jn 15/58 16/05
247.9 Skelton Jn 16/00 16/06
251.4 Northenden Jn 16/06 16/13
253.6 Cheadle Jn 16/11 16/16
256.1 Brinnington 16/20 16/30
258.5 Woodley 16/20 16/30
260.2 Hyde North 16.25 ~ 16.40 16.35 ~ 16.38
261.9 Guide Bridge East 16L44a ~ 16L56d 16.45 ~ 17.03
262.6 Denton Jn 16/59 17/06
267.3 Stockport 17L05 ~ 17L15 17.14 ~ 17.25
287.7 Sandbach 17/34 17/44
292.3 Crewe 17/45 17/51
301.6 Madeley 17/53 17/53
316.9 Stafford 18/06 18.13 ~ 18.15
332.1 Wolverhampton 18/21 18/34
344.9 Birmingham New Street 18L40 ~ 18L53 18.49 ~ 19.05
355.5 Barnt Green 19/15 19/19
365.2 Droitwich Spa 1/30 19/31

Timings continue in first table.

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