3rd November 1984

T & N Railtours / Lancashire Loco Society
Swindon Ambassador
III

Locos Used 37254 & 40086
Stock Used set 903

Route : 1Z29 throughout

Loco(s) Route
40086 Bolton (1) - Manchester Victoria - Ashton Moss North Jn - Stockport - Stoke-on-Trent - Uttoxeter - Derby
40086 Derby - Stenson Jn - Burton-on-Trent - Tamworth - Kingsbury Jn - Landor Street Jn - St Andrews Jn - Bordersley Jn - Tyseley - Leamington Spa - Banbury - Oxford - Didcot Parkway (2)
40086 Didcot Parkway - Swindon - Swindon Works
40086 (3) Swindon (station) - Stroud - Standish Jn - Cheltenham Spa - Abbotswood Jn - Norton Jn - Worcester Shrub Hill - Droitwich Spa - Stoke Works Jn - Bromsgrove - (3) - Birmingham New Street - Landor Street Jn - (reverse of outward route) - Derby - Ambergate Jn - Clay Cross South Jn - Chesterfield - Dronfield - Sheffield (4) - Hebden Bridge - Todmorden - Rochdale - Cheetham Hill Jn - Manchester Victoria - Bolton

Notes :
(1) Postponed from 29/09/1984 due to 'operating difficulties' associated with the original date. Train departed Bolton 40mins late due to late arrival of the stock from Red Bank carriage sidings.
(2) For visit to Didcot Railway Centre. 40086 was very low on fuel and had a water leak in the pipe from the radiator header tank to the No. 1 turbo charger on the B bank of the power unit and was removed at Didcot and taken to Reading by 58017. Both locos returned about 2 hours later, 58017 did not however haul the train at any stage. Departure for Swindon was 70mins down.
(3) 37254 on rear assisting up Lickey incline.
(4) At Sheffield 40086 shut down and took 15 minutes to restart. Electrical faults were also found resulting in 2 traction motors being isolated. The water in the main reservoir was also replenished as it continued to leak badly. The train limped onwards back to Bolton.
(5) Conflicting route information has been provided by multiple contributors on this tour, but the above has now been confirmed correct by Paul Bettany and Simeon Gaskell, who adds: Passengers who joined at the pick-up points of Stockport and Stoke-on-Trent on the outward leg used service trains back from Birmingham New Street as these stations were not on the return route home. Crewe was originally advertised as a pick-up point also but the postponement of the tour and subsequent start of the remodelling work of the station prevented the train from being routed this way on either leg - participants were able to use the 08.10 Crewe to Stoke to join, and return from either Birmingham or Derby in the evening.


40086 bringing the stock into Didcot for the return leg (photo: Ian Jordan)

Sources : Paul Bettany, John Hyde, Simeon Gaskell (joined/left at Bolton) & Harry Harper

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