26th June 1982

Ian Allan
The Ian Allan Limited

Traction Used ER class 254 HST set

Route :

Traction Route
as listed London Paddington - Slough - Reading - Didcot - Swindon - Chippenham - Bath Spa - North Somerset Jn - Dr Days Bridge Jn - Stapleton Road - Filton Jn - Bristol Parkway - Westerleigh Jn - Yate - Standish Jn - Barnwood Jn - Cheltenham Spa - Abbotswood Jn - Stoke Works Jn - Kings Norton - Bordesley Jn - Landor Street Jn - Water orton - Tamworth HL - Burton-on-Trent - Derby - Ambergate Jn - Clay Cross South Jn - Chesterfield - Dore Station Jn - Sheffield - Rotherham Masborough - Aldwarke Jn - Cudworth - Goose Hill Jn - Engine Shed Jn - Whitehall Jn - Skipton - Settle Jn - (via S&C) - Petteril Bridge Jn - Carlisle (2)
as listed Carlisle - Hexham - Newcastle
as listed Newcastle - (via ECML) - London Kings Cross

Notes :
(1) From advert: 'The Ian Allan Limited' will be formed of an Eastern Region Class 254 Inter-City 125 diesel unit running 1,000 miles over four BR Regions with 125mph operation over appropriate sections. 'The Ian Allen Limited' promises to set a first, by being the highest mileage [within 24 hours] and the fastest rail tour so far operated - so bringing the spirit of the renowned Ian Allan rail tour of the past into the 1980s. By a later advert the route had changed to "over 900 miles".
'The Ian Allan Limited' offers two types of ticket with seat reservations throughout:
£35 -- Silver Star, reserved seat, buffet service throughout.
£55 -- Gold Star, reserved seat in first-class accommodation, the all-in price including: full breakfast, lunch and dinner.
(2) Due to vandalism in South Yorkshire (broken windows due to stone throwing) the train had to run at reduced speed. The resultant late running meant on reaching Carlisle the train was diverted via Hexham to Newcastle to regain time, thus not reaching Edinburgh as booked. Booked route being :
Carlisle - (via WCML) - Carstairs - Coatbridge - Cumbernauld - Falkirk Grahamston - Edinburgh Waverley - (via ECML) - Newcastle.


From The John Debens Ticket Collection.

Sources : PRAR (from contemporary sources), Steve Daly & John Broderick (on the train throughout)

Brief Tour Review
(by Steve Daly)

My friend and I were First Class passengers on this working.  Departure from Paddington was right-time, but we made an unscheduled stop at Reading to dispose of a member of the public who had got on thinking this was a service train!  We then did quite well until we were up in South Yorkshire.  As I recall somewhere around the Normanton/Knottingley area one of the windows in my carriage was smashed by lineside vandals.  Fortunately only the outer skin was broken, but this meant that we had to reduce speed as there was a danger that a passing train could have sucked out the remaining skin of the double glazed window.

As a result, by the time we reached Carlisle (via the S & C) we were well behind schedule.  The decision was then made to divert us to Newcastle via the Carlisle – Hexham – Newcastle route.  On arrival in Newcastle we had a couple of hours there while they attempted to fix the window.  We opted to ride the then infant Tyne & Wear Metro, bagging the front seat by the driver as often as we could!  The return route from Newcastle was as planned - straight down the ECML to King’s Cross.  Despite this the day was still a veritable bargain – all that First Class mileage with full meal service at your seat.  Mind you, that was quite a bit of money to me in those days.

Steve Daly

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from John Broderick)

M.C Location Booked Actual
0.00 Paddington 07.50d 07.50
5.51 Ealing Broadway 07/56 07/56½
9.01 Southall 07/58 07/58
18.31 Slough 08/02 08/03½
24.14 Maidenhead 08/05 08/06½
30.76 Twyford 08/08 08/09½
35.73 Reading 08/11 08/12½
? Reading (depot) - 08.13 ~ 08.18
? Tilehurst ? 08.21½ ~ 08.22½
53.05 Didcot 08/20 08/33½
63.25 Challow 08/25 ?
77.18 Swindon 08/37 08/47½
83.02 Wootton Bassett 08/40 08/50½
93.95 Chippenham 08/45 08/56
104.60 Bathampton Jn 08/52 09/02
117.30 North Somerset Jn 09/08 09/15½
118.04 Dr Days Bridge Jn 09/10 09/17½
118.35 Bristol Lawrence Hill 09c11 ~ 09c13 09.18½ ~ 09.23
122.32 Filton Jn 09/18 09/27½
123.51 Bristol Parkway 09/19 09/32
128.21 Westerleigh Jn 09/25 09/37
129.52 Yate South Jn 09/27 09/38½
136.55 Charfield 09/32 ?
149.65 Standish Jn 09/40 09/58
? Gloucester Yard Jn 09/47 10/02
163.15 Cheltenham Spa 09/54½ 10/11
170.34 Ashchurch 10/02 10/16½
181.10 Abbotswood Jn 10/09 10/23½
192.16 Stoke Works Jn 10/16 10/33
194.40 Bromsgrove 10/20 10/34½
196.55 Blackwell 10/22 10/36
198.10 Barnt Green 10/25 10/40½
203.07 Kings Norton 10/29 10/47½
207.44 Camp Hill 10/38 ?
208.54 St Andrews Jn 10/40 10/54½
209.07 Landor Street Jn 10c42 ~ 10c44 10.55½ ~ 10.58
216.22 Water Orton 10/51 11/06½
220.35 Kingsbury Jn 10/54 11/09½
226.00 Tamworth High Level 10/58 11/13
233.51 Wichnor Jn 11/03 11/18½
238.69 Burton-on-Trent 11/07 11/22
245.04 Stenson Jn 11/16 11/27
249.69 Derby 11/25 11/31½
260.19 Ambergate Jn 11/34½ 11/41½
270.04 Clay Cross South Jn 11/43 11/49½
274.05 Chesterfield 11/49 11/52½
279.29 Dronfield 11/54 11/56
282.05 Dore 11/57 12/01
286.25 Sheffield 12/05 12.10½ ~ 12.33½
289.43 Wincobank Station Jn 12/10 ?
291.66 Rotherham 12/12 12/41½
294.37 Aldwarke Jn 12/14 12/45
304.71 Cudworth 12/22 12/56½
? Goose Hill Jn 12/35 13/15½
? Normanton ? 13.17 ~ 13.26½
315.63 Altofts Jn 12/37 13/34½
325.08 Engine Shed Jn 12c50 ~ 12c52 13.48 ~ 13.53
326.32 Whitehall Jn 12/55 13/54
326.59 Wortley Jn 12/57 ?
336.40 Shipley Leeds Jn 13/07 14/09½
342.63 Keighley 13/15 14/15½
351.78 Skipton 13/28 14/26
361.79 Hellifield 13/39 14/35
365.19 Settle Jn 13/42½ 14/38
379.19 Blea Moor 13/57 ?
390.34 Ais Gill 14/08½ ?
407.79 Appleby 14/26 15/17
? Petteril Bridge Jn 15/00½ 15/44
438.64 Carlisle 15c03 ~ 15c06 15.46½ ~ 15.59
447.24 Gretna Jn 15/15½ DIV
449.04 Quintinshill 15/17 DIV
? Signal MC863 15/19 DIV
464.49 Lockerbie 15/27 DIV
478.44 Beattock 15/36 DIV
488.44 Beattock Summit 15/43½ DIV
496.54 Abington 15/49 DIV
? Carstairs South Jn 16/02 DIV
513.04 Carstairs East Jn 16c04 ~ 16c06 DIV
529.18 Midcalder Jn 16/23 DIV
538.25 Slateford Jn 16/36 DIV
539.64 Haymarket 16/39 DIV
640.64 Edinburgh Waverley 16.42a ~ 17.45d DIV
543.64 Portobello 17/49 DIV
546.76 Monktonhall Jn 17/51½ DIV
558.44 Drem Jn 17/58½ DIV
570.04 Dunbar 18/05½ DIV
582.04 Grantshouse 18/15 DIV
587.04 Reston 18/19 DIV
? Signal EG402 18/26 DIV
598.26 Berwick-upon-Tweed 18/28½ DIV
613.54 Belford 18/42½ DIV
630.37 Alnmouth 18/52½ DIV
648.56 Morpeth 19/07½ DIV
? Petteril Bridge Jn DIV 16/02½
? Haltwhistle DIV 16/28
? Hexham DIV 16.48½ ~ 16.54½
? Prudhoe DIV 17/01½
? Blaydon DIV 17/16½
65.26 Newcastle 19c25 ~ 19c27 17.23½ ~ 19.42½
665.74 King Edward Bridge Jn 19/29 ?
677.29 Durham 19/39 19/56½
688.44 Ferryhill 19/46 20/04
701.32 Darlington 19/54 20/11½
715.46 Northallerton 20/02 20/22½
723.46 Thirsk 20/06 20/26½
745.42 York 20/21 20.40 ~ 20.44½
759.28 Selby 20/33 21/01
773.37 Shaftholme Jn 20/46½ 21/13
777.56 Doncaster 10c51 ~ 20c53 21/17
795.04 Retford 21/06 21/26½
813.45 Newark Northgate 21/16 21/37
823.77 Barkston South Jn 21/22 21/43½
828.15 Grantham 21/25 21/46½
833.45 Stoke Summit 21/28 21/51
? Tallington 21/35 ?
857.24 Peterborough 21/40 22/03
874.63 Huntingdon 21/49½ 22/12½
889.43 Sandy 21/57 22/20½
901.59 Hitchin 22/03½ 22/28
? Woolmer Green 22/07 ?
920.76 Potters Bar 22/13½ 22/40½
931.12 Finsbury Park 22/25 22/48½
933.53 Kings Cross 22.30a 22.52½


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