29th July 1995

Hertfordshire Rail Tours
The Honey Monster

Locos Used MOD 273 & 277, 33019, 33057, 47348 & steam: 7298
Stock Used 5007+4999+4986+4938+13318+21266+99132+4998+4959+4977+5005+4869

Route : 1Z33 throughout

Loco(s) Route
33019 + 33057 London Paddington - (via GWML) - Reading - Didcot Parkway
33019 + 33057 (1) Didcot Parkway - Didcot North Jn - Oxford - Banbury - Fenny Compton - Kineton Exchange Sidings
277 + 273 (2) Kineton Exchange Sidings - via Western Loop - Stop Board 10 - Stop Board 12 - Stop Board 14
277 + 273 Propelling to beyond Stop Board 14 to allow reversal to take place (5)
277 + 273 Stop Board 14 - via Eastern Loop - Stop Board 17 - Stop Board 3 - Kineton Exchange Sidings (2)
33057 + 33019 (1) Kineton Exchange Sidings - Fenny Compton
47348 (3) Fenny Compton Jn - Fenny Compton Signal Box (along Down Goods Loop to Down Main)
33057 + 33019 (3) Fenny Compton Signal Box (Cross to Up Main) - Banbury - Oxford - Oxford Up/Down Loop
47348 (3) Oxford Up/Down Loop - Oxford - Moreton-in-Marsh - Honeybourne
33057 + 33019 (1) Honeybourne - MoD Long Marston Exchange Sidings
7298 (4) lap round MoD Long Marston (in anticlockwise direction)
47348 (3) MoD Long Marston Exchange Sidings - Honeybourne
33057 + 33019 (1) Honeybourne - Moreton-in-Marsh - Oxford - Didcot Parkway
33057 + 33019 Didcot Parkway - (reverse of outward route) - London Paddington

Notes :
(1) 47348 on rear.
(2) Round trip of Kineton given as 9.8 miles. Believed to be the only tour that has gone through from Stop Board 10 to 12 and Stop Board 16 to 17. W.R. (Bill) Lynch adds; we took the inner track over the southern half of the circuit then the outer track for the northern half.
(3) 33019 + 33057 on rear.
(4) 7298 on front of 47348, 33's on rear!
(5) MoD locos ran-round on triangle between Stop Boards 13,14 & 15, the locos then propelled the train from between Stop Board 13 & 14 to enable the reversal to take place. It had been said that the third side of the triangle (stop Boards 13 to 15) was too tight to take a loaded passenger train however it was done five years later on Hertfordshire's 'Sword & Pen' tour on 10th June 2000.

Sources : Gary Thornton (joined/left train at Didcot Parkway) & Alan Sheppard

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Gary Thornton & Alan Sheppard)

M.C Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual M.C
0.00 Paddington 07.18d ?   20.30a ? 275.07
1.73 Ladbroke Grove 07/21 ?   20/14 ? ?
5.13 Acton West 07/25 ?   20/14 ? 269.79
9.01 Southall 07/30 ?   20/05 ? 266.06
10.65 Hayes & Harlington 07/32 ?   20/03 ? 264.21
18.31 Slough 07.42a ~ 07.44d ?   19.52a ~ 19.54d ? 256.56
18.77 Slough West 07/46 ?   ? ? ?
24.14 Maidenhead 07/52 ?   19/45 ? 250.73
30.76 Twyford 07/59 ?   19/38 ? 244.11
35.73 Reading 08.08a ~ 08.11d ?   19.28a ~ 19.31d ? 239.14
53.10 Didcot Parkway 08L31a ~ 08L46d 08.31 ~ 08.50   18L53a ~ 19L05d 18.27 ~ 18.42 222.02
53.74 Didcot North Jn 08/49 08/53   18/50 18/24 221.18
? Oxford U&DL - -   18*22 ~ 18*38 18/13 212.11
63.41 Oxford 09.05a ~ 09.07d 09.05 ~ 09.07   18.19a ~ 18.21d 18.08 ~ 18.11 211.51
66.32 Wolvercot Jn 09/11 09/14   17/58 18/03 208.60

 

M.C Location Booked Actual
75.21 Heyford 09/18 09/25
81.12 Aynho Jn 09/23 09/33
86.16 Banbury 09.30a ~ 09.32d 09.38 ~ 09.40
94.76 Fenny Compton 09t43 ~ 09t48 10.03 ~ 10.04
98.43 Kineton Exchange Sidings 10.00 ~ 13.13 10.18 ~ 13.07
102.10 Fenny Compton 13t18 ~ 13t23 13.24 ~ 13.25
? Fenny Compton Jn reverse 13.28 ~ 13.33
? Fenny Compton SB reverse 13.36 ~ 13.39
110.70 Banbury 13c34 ~ 13c36 13.51 ~ 13.54
115.74 Aynho Jn 13/41 14/08
121.65 Heyford 13/47 14/15
130.54 Wolvercot Jn 13/55 14/24
133.45 Oxford 13/59 14/27
134.05 Oxford U&DL 14.00 ~ 14.10 14.31 ~ 14.32
134.45 Oxford 14/12 14/34
137.36 Wolvercot Jn 14/18 14/41
151.40 Ascot-under-Wychwood 14/35 ?
162.60 Moreton-in-Marsh 14t47 ~ 14t49 15.07 ~ 15.07
172.63 Honeybourne 15.00 ~ 15.05 15.19 ~ 15.22
173.08 Long Marston Exchange Sidings 15.16a 15.32

traversal of depot loop (anti-clockwise)

15:44 - 16:07
173.08 Long Marston Exchange Sidings 17.05d 16.58
173.33 Honeybourne 17.16 ~ 17.21 17.20 ~ 17.21
183.36 Moreton-in-Marsh 17/34 17/34
194.56 Ascot-under-Wychwood 17/46 17/48

Timings continue in first table.

Back to "The Railtour Files"