8th May 1982

British Rail (Doncaster Division)
(Flower Festival Avoider)

Route : 1Z72 throughout

Notes :
(1) Gordon Lacy comments: The name given to this railtour was unofficial, it being a day excursion. Rather surprisingly, Doncaster Division decided to run this ADEX away from the Spalding area on the day of the town's Flower Festival!  Needless to say, it didn't load very well. I had cause to speak with the Divisional Rep a few days before, and suggested that the local enthusiast element might be attracted to travel if, say, a class 40 was advertised as the motive power. However, by this date, there were few spare, and of those other railtours had first call. The conversation was left with a promise I'd travel anyway, as the route was a good 'un, and the Rep promising to "See what I can do - I've an idea that might work....!" I duly turned up at Lincoln Central to find a Gateshead 47 heading the still sparcely filled 11 coach train. However, I was met by the Rep and a cheery, "Wait and See!"  It turned out that a Healey Mills driver was booked to take the train forward (from Doncaster?), and his 'taxi' was - 40077! Sure enough, at Doncaster, the Brush spluttered off and the unscheduled loco change took place. The subsequent crew changes were not required and by Shipley, we were almost 10 early! A warm, sunny day, windows open and the front coach almost to myself.  The run over the S&C was a hard slog and the time lost on the early part of the run was not recovered on the class 47 timings. We took Blea Moor at 31.5mph and Ais Gill at a presentable 59mph. The return journey was, of course, over Shap!  The service train we were booked to follow, was 8min late off Carlisle, so we were heavily checked, even before the climb. A long pws by Thrimby Grange (to 37.5mph) made the summit speed at Shap of 46.5mph look pretty good. The noise (again, from the front coach!) was to use that overworked word, awesome!  From Preston, we took the Manchester road, and after pausing here, we headed off, via Cheetham Hill, over the 'other' Trans-Pennine route. All in all, a fabulous day out over routes class 40s had long since relinquished to alternative motive power.

40077 runs out of the bay platforms at Doncaster to relieve 47429
(photo: Gordon Lacy)

Source : Gordon Lacy

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Gordon Lacy)

Timings continue in first table.

Back to "The Railtour Files"