17th January 1987

Hertfordshire Railtours
The Chiltern Chariot

DMU's Used 51877+59675+59731+51669 & 51673+59747+59744+51652

Route : 1Z36 throughout

DMU Route
as listed London Marylebone - West Ruislip - Greenford - Ealing Broadway - Acton Wells - Willesden Yard - Wembley Central Bay
as listed Wembley Central Bay - Gospel Oak - Bowes Park
as listed Bowes Park - Freight Terminal Jn - Gospel Oak - Willesden Junction - Kensington Olympia - Clapham Junction - Kew - Brent Curve - (via Silksteam Flyover) - Luton - Vauxhall Sidings - Dunstable
as listed Dunstable - Luton - Bedford Midland
as listed Bedford - Midland - Bedford St Johns - Fenny Stratford - Bletchley Flyover - Claydon LNE Jn - Aylesbury - Amersham - London Marylebone

Sources : Nick Ross (joined at Marylebone, left at Aylesbury) & Howard Harrison

Tour & Photo Review

310076 took me South from Leighton Buzzard, through a snowy countryside but without delay. A walk to Marylebone then I joined my first DMU tour. The atmosphere was very library like amongst the enthusiast consist, not much bellowing or humour today I thought! We left at 0855 for an interesting tour of North London, we reversed in the bay platform at Wembley Central which was a massive scratch for the track men, as their excitement showed. The Chiltern chariot headboard on examination at a Kensington Olympia photo stop had been cleverly incorporated into the DMU's roller blind. Crossing the snowy Chilterns, rumours that snow may cause problems on the tour's main event, Dunstable, began. Our local knowledge that 25059 had ploughed the branch a few days earlier was doubted by many. We reversed at Luton to near the Vauxhall Sidings then purred along the smooth track bed of the 5 mile branch to a grey, gloomy Dunstable. Although heavy cement and oil trains used the line, some inspector decreed we must stop 1/3 mile short of the branch end because of a landslip or was it avalanche risk. So near Dog Kennel Bridge we all clambered out for half an hour to soak up the special atmosphere of the first passenger train for 20 odd years to Dunstable. We returned East, rejoining the main line at Luton. Here a few bashers leapt, enticed South by exotic 33/47/56 haulage of SR units out of Victoria because of the snow. I stayed on for an enjoyable run to Bedford where the river had frozen over, Bletchley Flyover and finally Aylesbury from where a beastly VR returned me home A good tour, perhaps DMU's weren't to be regarded as 'carts' after all.

Nick Ross.


The 'Chiltern Chariot' at Dunstable (photo: Martin Potter)


John Broderick's ticket.


Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Robin Addison, Howard Harrison, Alan Osborn & John Broderick)

M.C Location Booked  Actual
0.00 Marylebone 08.55d 09.06
5.11 Neasden South Jn 09/03 ?
11.42 Northolt Jn 09/13 ?
13.30 West Ruislip 09.14a  ~  09.19d 09.29 ~ 09.35
15.18 Northolt Jn 09/23 ?
17.53 Greenford 09/27 09.43a ~ 09.46d
18.14 Greenford South Jn 09/30 ?
19.52 Drayton Green 09/36 ?
20.23 West Ealing 09/40 09/55
21.08 Ealing Broadway 09.42a  ~  09.44d 09.57 ~ 09.58
22.43 Acton Main Line 09/47 10/01
23.15 Acton Wells Jn 09/52 10/04
24.10 Willesden Jn No.7 09c57  ~  09c59 10.06 ~ 10.09
26.22 Wembley Central 10.11a  ~  10.16d 10.15 ~ 10.20
29.25 Kensal Green Jn 10/30 10/46
33.30 Gospel Oak 10/40 10/54
34.43 Upper Holloway 10/44 10/56
35.58 Harringay Park Jn 10/47 11/01
37.49 Alexandra Palace 10/59 11/10
38.26 Bowes Park 11.03a  ~  11.07d 11.12 ~ 11.18
39.03 Alexandra Palace 11/10 11/21
41.40 Finsbury Park 11/17 11/25
43.17 Freight Terminal Jn 11/23 11/29
43.51 Camden Road East Jn 11/30 ?
45.07 Gospel Oak 11/35 11/34
49.14 Kensal Green Jn 11/45 11/44
49.36 Willesden Jn High Level 11/46 11.45 ~ 11.47
50.08 Mitre Bridge Jn 11/48 11/50
52.33 Kensington Olympia 11.52a  ~  12.07d 12.09 ~ 12.18
55.16 Latchmere Jn 12/13 12/26
55.50 Clapham Jn 12c15  ~  12c16 12.27 ~ 12.28
58.63 Barnes 12/21 12/35
61.10 New Kew Jn 12/25 12/41
61.49 Kew East Jn 12/27 12/43
64.15 Acton Wells Jn 12/33 12/48
68.16 Brent Curve Jn 12c43  ~  12c45 12/57
77.29 Radlett 12/58 13/14
82.03 St Albans City 13/06 13/19
92.31 Luton 13.13  ~  13.19 13.28 ~ 13.34
93.04 Vauxhall Sidings 13.23  ~  13.28 13.35 ~ 13.39
94.09 Bute Street North 13.32  ~  13.34 13.43 ~ 13.45
98.59 Dunstable 14.00  ~  14.12 14.03 ~ 14.25
103.29 Bute Street North 14.38  ~  14.40 14.43 ~ 14.46
104.34 Vauxhall Sidings 14.44  ~  14.49 14.51 ~ 14.59
105.07 Luton 14.54  ~  15.04 15.01 ~ 15.08
115.12 Flitwick 15/14 15/20
124.53 Bedford Midland 15.32a  ~  15.42d 15.36 ~ 15.53
125.33 Bedford St Johns 15/47 15/56
140.40 Fenny Stratford Jn 16/15 16/23
141.20 Bletchley Flyover summit 16c20  ~  16c22 16.25 ~ 16.27
154.01 Claydon LNE Jn 16/59 16/56
165.55 Aylesbury 17.30a  ~  17.32d 17.17 ~ 17.25
179.78 Amersham 17/50 17.45 ~ 17.46
194.29 Harrow-on-the-Hill 18/13 18/05
198.36 Neasden South Jn 18/19 ?
203.47 Marylebone 18.25a 18.15

Mileage notes (from tour itinerary) : To reach the Great Northern line at Luton, the train will reverse from the down main platform into Vauxhall Sidings (i.e. towards Hatfield) for which the mileage to the stops is shown. At Dunstable the mileage is to the limit of the single running line, 28 chains short of the stops. Earth slippage beyond this point has caused the Civil Engineer not to allow a passenger train to travel to the end of the line. No reduction has been made in respect of the length of the train itself; for the purist, one chain equates quite closely to one carriage.

Back to "The Railtour Files"