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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