4th January 1997

Pathfinder Tours
The G.M. Gyrator

Route : 1Z59 throughout

Sources : Richard Hughes (Boarded at Wakefield Kirkgate, left at Cheltenham Spa)
& Alan Sheppard

Tour Review
(by Ian Jessop)

Being a Yorkshireman I, quite naturally, enjoy tours 'round Yorkshire, especially North Yorkshire ("the mother county", "the bigger, the better" etc, etc.) However, having to get up at half-past four in the morning, to travel to Staffordshire in order to get on the thing doesn't go down so well... Plus, if I could have, I would have joined the tour at the same place as the first 59/2 was coupled on. Toton yard is, sadly, lacking in passenger facilities like platforms so I had to travel to Burton-on-Trent, but at least I managed to get a "breakfast" at McDoobreys. Just in case you're interested, I've had all of the 59/1s so I couldn't have cared less when 59103 rolled in (late) with the tour (it's third passenger working unless I'm mistaken.) The genny van of Notre Dame was working alright, so we warmly sloped off to our date with a 'Yorkshire engine'.

Toton yard is pretty damn straight. As the engines were changed we amused ourselves as best we could without having the foggiest idea about what was, in fact, been attached to the front of the train. Once we got moving though, those of us at the back of the train could see the engine as we sped (?) around curves. It was a blue 59 alright, but which one? A steward came through the coach, so we asked him. After all, 'headboard man' must have leaped out to do his stuff back there, so the gen must be out... He didn't know, but "someone said it's got a bell on it." So it must be 201, or the other one. (joke - bell, other one... oh, never mind!) The sun was switched on, so sleep was not allowed, but the heating was also switched on... It was hot enough to hatch eggs, so that kind of cancelled-out the sun thing, and we slept...

As we did so, the train travelled from Pye Bridge Junction to Doncaster via Mansfield and the South Yorkshire Joint Line. I was awake by Donny. Not that there was much to be awake for, mind you. We were originally to have taken the second chord off the Joint Line, which would have brought us into Decoy Up Yard. Indeed, this bit of rare red stuff was a highlight of the tour (a sure-fire sign that you're on a hiding to nothing destination wise), however, it was decided by EWS (or was it EW&S back then?) who own the yard that the track in it was in a sorry state, so we had to settle for Decoy Down Yard, which is still red but not very rare. We rolled into Donny station and stopped. A perfect chance to see for myself if we had 201. But I couldn't be bothered. Once we got going we went via Knottingley East Curve (once rare...) and stopped in Sudforth Lane Sidings. For all I know, this location could be in North Yorkshire, if it's not then it's pretty close... Wherever it is, this is where 59201 was taken off one end of the train and 206 was put on the other.

59206 took us past Knottingley depot into the station. At one time it looked like that was all we were going to get. I can't remember the reason (although point failure springs to mind), but we sat for 'a while', waiting patiently (as you do...) When we got going, we rolled along to Wakefield Kirkgate where we had a photo stop. Hmmm. Worth it! The train was on the 'outside' platform which made the stop useless for photographing it, but the leg-stretch was nice. The incline to Wakefield Westgate seemed none-existent, thereafter the route was via the Leeds station avoiding line, and Normanton to Fitzwilliam, then Moorthorpe to Sheffield. Some of this was in the dark, all of it was slightly tedious, mostly because of fatigue and the fact that my destination loomed large. It was at Sheffield that I left the tour and joined a hideous 156 (Hull-bound) as my starter for ten on my journey home. At Sheffield 59206 was taken off the train, and sent off, no doubt out of breath, back to it's bed at Ferrybridge. 59103 was put back on to take the tour back to Bristol (via Cardiff!) It was booked to leave Sheffield via the 'old road' to Chesterfield (that is via Beighton), but whether or not it did I don't know [it did]... I was on my way back to my bed by then...

Ian Jessop

Additional notes from Alan Sheppard, who also travelled from Burton-on-Trent to Sheffield. The reason for the journey into South Wales was engineering work all day at Westerleigh Jn. Another change to the advertised route was the refusal by EW&S to traverse the Decoy Up Sidings, as they are "declared unsuitable". The Low Ellers Curve could not therefore be done.
Pathfinder were advised of this change on 22/12/96.

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Alan Sheppard & Alan Vickers)

Timings continue in first table.

Back to "The Railtour Files"