16th February 1985

Lea Valley Railway Club
The Birkenhead Bandit

Locos Used D200, 45150, 85004 & 87003
Stock Used 5432+5517+5434+17130+1965+13523+5370+5351+5492+5610

Route : 1Z37 throughout

Loco Route
87003 London Euston - Watford Junction - Bletchley - Weedon - Rugby - Coventry - Stechford - Aston - Bescot - Bushbury Jn - Stafford
D200 Stafford - Bushbury Junction - Stafford Road Jn - Cosford - Wellington - Shrewsbury - Gobowen - Chirk - Ruabon - Wrexham General - Penyfford - Dee Marsh Jn - Neston - Dee Jn - Bidston East Jn - Birkenhead North - (via MDHB Railway lines) - Green Lane Jn - Rock Ferry - Hooton - Ellesmere Port - Ince - Helsby - Frodsham Jn - Acton Grange Jn - Warrington - Earlestown - Newton-le-Willows - Manchester Victoria
45150 Manchester Victoria - Miles Platting - Philips Park No 2 - Guide Bridge - Hyde Jn - Woodley Jn - Romiley - New Mills Central - Chinley - Edale - Grindleford - Dore - Sheffield - Shepcote Lane Jn - Beighton Jn - Chesterfield - Derby - Burton-on-Trent - Tamworth - Whitacre Jn - Water Orton - Landor Street Jn - Proof House Jn - Birmingham New Street
85004 Birmingham New Street - Stechford - Coventry - Rugby - Weedon - Bletchley - Watford Junction - London Euston

Sources : Alan Costello, Andy Pullar & LASERman

Tour Review
(by Kevin Prince)

A tour to remember - it's February and snowing but so what D200 has a steamable boiler.


87003 at London Euston (photo: Chris Thompson)

Back to the beginning, I was up at some ungodly hour to cover the booked Stechford-Aston working a couple of weeks before this tour, imagine my disgust when 87003 turned right at Stechford - isn't it always the way?

We eventually pulled into a chilly snowbound Stafford to find that although D200 was steaming the set hadn't been steamed for months/years and there was no way to get the steam down the frozen pipework.


The offending frozen pipe (photo: Chris Thompson)

Commendably the powers that be left the ETH from 87003 connected 'til the very last minute and then it was off, via the very required Bushbury Chord and the Wrexham General to GC link to Birkenhead where we turned on to the MDHB line through Beirut (Birkenhead). Warnings to stay inside the train (as if we wanted to open the windows on this icebox) were heeded as the local militia proceeded to snowball us (with bricks in the snowball!!).


D200 is seen traversing the MDHB lines at Canning Street North (photo: John Wood)
The warning about keeping heads in appears not to have worked entirely...

Superb bit of track to a break of around an hour/hour and a half at Rock ferry. Hopes of a warming bag of chips were dashed when it transpired that the Chippy was closed for lunch!


D200 (40122) at Rock Ferry (photo: David Wainright)

Back into the freezer for a chilly dash to Man Vic were the booked 45/0 was swapped for 45150 and no one complained!!


45150 at Manchester Victoria (photo: David Wainright)

As darkness gathered, and toes and other extremities defrosted,  we ran down to Sheffield and the final track bashing treat of Brightside Junction to Tinsley (Will anyone ever run a tour that avoids Tinsley? I have all the curves but not the straight through from Sheffield to Rotherham)

After a long dark trundle down the NESW it was a pleasant surprise to score 85004 home.

Kevin Prince

Timings (Booked and Actual)
(by Alan Costello)

Miles Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual Miles
0 London Euston 07.10d 07.11½ [P11]   22.00a 21.52 [P11] 539
5.5 Willesden Junction 07/16 07/18½   21/52 21/44 ?
17.5 Watford Junction 07.24a ~ 07.25d 07.27 ~ 07.29   21.35a ~ 21.36d 21.33 ~ 21.35 ?
31.75 Tring 07/36 07/38   21/22 21/24 ?
46.75 Bletchley 07/47 07/48   21/10 21/11 ?
56.5 Hanslope Jn 07/53 07/56   21/01 21/04½ ?
69 Weedon 08/02 08/04   20/51 20/56½ ?
82.5 Rugby 08.15a ~ 08.16d 08.13 ~ 08.17   20.39a ~ 20.40d 20.43 ~ 20.45 ?
94 Coventry 08/29 08/29   20/30 20/31 ?
109 Stechford 08/42 08/43   20/17 20/19 428.75

 

M Location Booked Actual
112 Aston 08.47a ~ 08.48d 08.52 ~ 08.53
113.5 Perry Barr North Jn 08/54 08/56
118.75 Bescot 09/00 09/02
? Portobello Jn 09/03 09/08
124.5 Bushbury Jn 09/06 09/11
139.25 Stafford 09L20a ~ 09L40d 09.24 ~ 10.13 [P6]
153 Bushbury Jn 09/58 10/31
154 Stafford Road Jn 10/10 10/38
161.75 Cosford 10/20 10/55
172 Wellington 10/30 11/08
182.75 Shrewsbury 10c45a ~ 10c49d 11.20 ~ 11.24
200.5 Gobowen 11/10 11/45
203.75 Chirk 11/13 11/49
208 Ruabon 11/24 11/53
212.75 Wrexham General 11/30 11/59
219 Penyfford 12/02 12/13
? Dee Marsh Jn 12.14a ~ 12.27d 12.25 ~ 12.26
231.75 Neston 12/37 12/33
238 Upton 12/48 12/48
? Dee Jn 12/58 13.10a ~ 13.18d
239.75 Bidston East Jn 13/03 13/21
? Birkenhead North 13/06 13/27
244.5 Green Lane Jn 14/16 13/43
245 Rock Ferry 14.19a ~ 14.40d 13.47 ~ 14.43
251.25 Hooton 14/56 15/01
255.25 Ellesmere Port 15/04 15/06
258.25 Ince 15/12 15/10
260.5 Helsby 15/17 15/13
263 Frodsham Jn 15/22 15/18
269.25 Acton Grange Jn 15/33 15/38
271 Warrington Bank Quay 15c38a ~ 15c40d [SL] 15.31 ~ 15.34
274.5 Winwick Jn 15/44 15/45
276 Earlestown 15/46 15/49
277 Newton-le-Willows 15/49 15/51
289 Eccles 16/03 16/05
292.75 Manchester Victoria 16L13a ~ 16L25d 16.14 ~ 16.26 [P15]
294.25 Miles Platting 16/32 16/32
294.25 Philips Park No.2 16/33 16/34
297 Ashburys 16/45 16/40
300.5 Guide Bridge 16/53 16/47
301.75 Hyde Jn 16/55 16/50
304.5 Woodley Jn 16/59 16/55
305.5 Romiley 17/01 16/57
310.75 New Mills Central 17/08 17/04
314.5 Chinley 17/16 17/12
320 Edale 17/26 17/19
330.5 Grindleford 17/35 17/30
? Totley Tunnel East 17/39 17/33
? Dore West Jn 17/41 17/34
335.5 Dore 17/43 17/36
339.25 Sheffield 17c51a ~ 17c56d 17.46 ~ 17.58
342.25 Brightside Jn 18/01 18/03½
? Shepcote Lane Jn 18/06 18/07
345.75 Treeton South Jn 18/18 18/17
349 Beighton Jn 18/26 ?
358.5 Chesterfield 18/41 18/41
363 Clay Cross South Jn 18/44 18/46
373 Ambergate Jn 18/53 ?
382.5 Derby 19/08 19/03
387.5 Stenson Jn 19/16 19/11
393.5 Burton-on-Trent 19/20 19/15
395 Wichnor Jn 19/25 19/20
406.5 Tamworth 19/31 19/25
411.25 Kingsbury Jn 19/36 19/31
417.5 Water Orton 19/43 19/35
423.5 Landor Street Jn 19/53 19/49
424.25 Proof House Jn 19/54 19/52
425 Birmingham New Street 19L57a ~ 20L11d 19.56 ~ 20.13 [P4]
426.75 Proof House Jn 20/14 20/17

Timings continue in first table.

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