23rd - 24th October 2009

Pathfinder Tours
Buffer-Puffer 7.0

Locos Used 31190 & 66844
Stock Used 5350+4927+5009+1863+3110+3107+35469

Route :
1Z31 : London Liverpool Street to Orient Way Sidings
1Z32 : Orient Way Sidings to Colchester Town
1Z33 : Colchester Town to Sudbury
1Z34 : Sudbury to Braintree
1Z35 : Braintree to Southminster
1Z36 : Southminster to Southend Victoria
1Z37 : Southend Victoria to Upminster
1Z38 : Upminster to London Euston

Date Loco(s) Route
23/10 31190 (1) London Liverpool Street - Bethnal Green Jn - Stratford - Temple Mills East Jn - Ruckhalt Road Jn (3) - Temple Mills Loop
23/10 66844 (2) (3) Temple Mills Loop - Ruckhalt Road Jn - Temple Mills East Jn - High Meads Jn - Channelsea North Jn - Stratford - (via GEML) - Colchester - Colchester Town
23/10 31190 (1)

Colchester Town - Colchester - Marks Tey - Sudbury

24/10 66844 (2) Sudbury - Marks Tey
24/10 31190 (1) Marks Tey - Witham
24/10 66844 (2) Witham - Braintree
24/10 31190 (1) Braintree - Witham - Chelmsford - Shenfield
24/10 66844 (2) Shenfield - Wickford - Southminster
24/10 31190 (1) Southminster - Wickford
24/10 66844 (2) Wickford - Southend Victoria
24/10 31190 (1) Southend Victoria - Wickford - Shenfield - (via GEML) - Romford
24/10 66844 (2) Romford - Upminster
24/10 31190 (1) Upminster - Romford - (via GEML) (4) - Stratford - Channelsea Jn - Lea Jn - Hackney Wick - Dalston Jn - Highbury and Islington - Camden Road East Jn - Camden Road West Jn - Camden Jn -Primrose Hill - Camden Jn - Kilburn Goods Loop
24/10 66844 (2)

Kilburn Goods Loop - London Euston

Notes :
(1) 66844 on rear.
(2) 31190 on rear.
(3)
Matthew Cole comments:  The tour was booked to run into Orient Way Siding(s), unfortunately 'Buffer-Puffer 7.0' had problems being signalled into Orient Way Sidings. Pathfinder Tours made various phone calls to no avail. This may have been down to lost paperwork or shortage of staff; this in turn was causing delay to the tour and was reversed in Temple Mills Loop. Alan Sheppard adds: Pathfinder did mention that they were going to see if it was possible to visit while in the area on the following days tour, (next to Lea Interchange), as it turned out, we did neither.
(4)
Train stopped at Ilford for a few minutes whilst the route was reset. The train was signalled Up Fast vice Up Avoiding Line.

Source : Matthew Cole (on the train throughout)

Tour Review
(by Matthew Cole)


31190 at Liverpool Street, at the start of the tour (photo: Alan Sheppard)

Well, what can I say? What an interesting tour Buffer-Puffer 7.0 was, despite some of the minor problems there was involved. I have to say this is the first time in my entire life; I have spent time traversing on a train overnight, let alone a railtour. Starting at London Liverpool Street, having departed more or less a minute or so late, we headed out onto the GEML to Stratford before running round to the Temple Mills area for reversal at Orient Way Siding(s). It wasn’t long before something had to go wrong. We never got to reverse in Orient Way Sidings… Whatever the issue was over that was never discovered, but thoughts were down to be missing paperwork / no available shunter etc… which resulted in the train being reversed on the Temple Mills Loop and of course, the tour obtaining a delay of around 15-20 minutes. Time was however made up on the fast lines to Shenfield with a 7 minute late arrival at Colchester Town… By the time we departed Colchester for the 3rd leg, we were only 1½ minutes down… Although it wasn’t long before the delay minutes started building up again and for most of the tour right back into London we were running between 10 and 30 minutes late.

 Anyway on another note, we covered all the branch lines from Stratford right up to Colchester/Colchester Town, something, I  had done four years earlier when I was working as a railwayman (although I had covered a lot further - all the way to Norwich and Great Yarmouth on local trains). Reversals included Colchester Town as mentioned, Sudbury, Marks Tey, and Southend Victoria. On route back on the GEML from Southend Victoria, various people on board staff were discussing the line Upminster as to whether or not we were likely or not to get the chance to get the line in before the first passenger train service starts. Well we managed to get the chance but only just… by just only about 10-15 minutes to spare. Anyway… back to Stratford via the GEML, then across The NLL to Kilburn Up and Down Goods Loop where we reversed for London Euston where we ended up for breakfast… and before we knew it, we were back on the same train for Buffer-Puffer 8.0


66844 after arrival at London Euston station (photo: Mark Hodgson)

Matthew Cole

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Matthew Cole, Martyn Brailsford, LASERman & Alan Sheppard)

M.C

Location

Booked

Actual

0.00

Liverpool Street

20.47d [P9] [ML]

20.47½ [P9]

 ?

Bethnal Green 20/50 20/51

 ?

Bow Jn 20/52 [BL] 20/55½ [DN Temple Mills]

 ?

Stratford 20/56 20/59 [P12]
 ? Temple Mills East Jn 20/58 21/02
 ? Ruckhalt Road Jn 21/00 21.04 ~ 21.21
5.70
0.00
Orient Way Siding 21.05 ~ 21.10 DIV
 ? Temple Mills Loop DIV 21.25 ~ 21.31½
 ? Ruckhalt Road Jn 21/15 21/33
 ? Temple Mills East Jn 21/17 21/37½
 ? Channelsea Jn 21/21 21/42
2.47 Stratford 21c25a ~ 21c27d [P10A] 21.44 ~ 21.46 [P10A]
? Forest Gate Jn 21/30 21/49 [DM]
 ? Manor Park 21/31 [IL] 21/50 [DN Avoiding]
 ? Ilford 21/34 [EL] 21/54½
 ? Gidea Park 21/44 22/04½ [P2]
 ? Shenfield London End Jn 21/56 [ML] 22/09
 ? Shenfield 21/57 [P3] 22/10 [P3]
 ? Chelmsford 22/07 22/19 [P2 / DM]
 ? Witham 22/16 [P3] 22/27½
 ? Marks Tey 22/24 22/35
 ? Colchester DGL 22/34 22/41
 ? Colchester 22/36 [P1] [DA] 22/42½ [P1]
 ? Colchester East Gate Jn 22/39 22/44 [DN Clacton Avoiding]
52.40
0.00
Colchester Town 22.43a ~ 22.59d 22.52 ~ 23.01½
 ? Colchester East Gate Jn 23/03½ [CR] 23/05
 ? Colchester 23/06½ [P3] 23/14 [UM / P3]
 ? Marks Tey 23/13½ [P3] 23/24½ [P3]
19.02
0.00
Sudbury 23.50a ~ 00.01d 00.00 ~ 0.012½
 ? Marks Tey 00/37 [P3] 00/46 [P3]
12.31
0.00
Marks Tey Up Loop 00.39 ~ 00.44 00.48 ~ 00.53
 ? Marks Tey 00/46 [P1] 00/55½ [P1]
 ? Witham 00/54 01/06 [P2]
8.70
0.00
Witham [sig L763] 00.56 ~ 01.01 01.07 ~ 07.10
 ? Witham 01/03 [P4] 01/12 [P4]
 ? White Notley 01/12 01/23½
4.33 Cressing 01/15 01/27½
6.32
0.00
Braintree 01.23a ~ 01.33d 01.35 ~ 01.48½
 ? Cressing 01/39 01/55
3.14 White Notley 01.43 ~ 01.44 01/58½
 ? Witham 01/54 [P4] 02/09 [P4 / UM]
14.62 Chelmsford DGL 02.03 ~ 02.04 02.23½ ~ 02.24½
 ? Chelmsford 02/06 [ML] 02/25 [P2]
 ? Shenfield Chelmsford Loop 02/30 02/43
24.51
0.00
Shenfield 02.32 ~ 02.37 02.45 ~ 02.50 [P5]
 ? Mountnessing Jn 02/40 02/53
 ? Wickford 02/48 03/02 [P2]
14.35 South Woodham Ferrers 02.56 ~ 02.57 03/11
 ? North Fambridge 03/03 03/19
25.26
0.00
Southminster 03.16a ~ 03.26d 03.35 ~ 03.44
 ? North Fambridge 03/38 04/00
16.42
0.00
Wickford 03.50 ~ 03.56 [P3] 04.19½ ~ 04.22½ [P3]
 ? Hockley 04/04 04/30½
12.39
0.00
Southend Victoria 04.11a ~ 04.20d 04.39½ ~ 04.46 [P1]
 ? Hockley 04/27 04/52
 ? Wickford 04/34 [P3] 05/00½ [P3]
 ? Mountnessing Jn 04/42 (05/08)
 ? Shenfield 04/45 [P1] [ML] 05.12½ ~ 05.14 [P1 / UM]
 ? Gidea Park 04/52 05/23 [P1]
29.09
0.00
Romford (sig. 5111) 04.54 ~ 05.01 [P2] 05.25½ ~ 05.28½ [P2]
3.36
0.00
Upminster 05.13a ~ 05.26d [P6] 05.38½ ~ 05.45 [P6]
 ? Romford 05/37 [P2] [ML] 05/55
 ? Ilford 05/44 [P1] [IE] 06.03½ ~ 06.08 [P1 / Up Avoiding]
 ? Forest Gate Jn 05/48 [DML] 06/13½ [Up Electric]
 ? Maryland Jn ? ? [UE - DM]
11.63 Stratford 05.51a ~ 05.53d [P10A] 06.19 ~ 06.20 [P10A]
 ? Channelsea Jn 05/56 06/22½
 ? Dalston Jn 06/02 [Line 2] 06/31
 ? Camden Road East Jn 06/11 06/36½
 ? Camden Road West Jn 06/12 06/37½
 ? Camden Jn 06/16 [SL] 06/41
20.77
0.00
Kilburn U&DGL 06.19 ~ 06.26 06.46 ~ 06.50½
 ? Camden Jn 06/28 [Line B] 06/54½
? Camden South Jn 06/31½ [Line A] 06/55½
3.47 Euston 06.35a [P1] 06.59 [P1]

 


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