The Railtour Files

Notes :
(1) Originally uploaded as having run on 7th June 1966 in error.
(2) Gordon Jakes comments: the outward journey was non stop albeit a very slow crawl was required approaching the Royal Albert Bridge due to a late running up train. The non-stop run Paddington to Penzance was achieved in 5hours 13½ minutes. The return journey achieved a non-stop journey from Plymouth to Waterloo albeit with a short signal stop at Keyham. The time between Plymouth and Waterloo was recorded (by me) as 3 hours 53½ minutes which beat the Ocean Liner Express of 1904 (see below) by just under 10 minutes!
(3) During the time at Penzance a special helicopter charter was available which provided about 90minutes on St Marys in the Scilly Isles.
(4) The following is quoted from the train handout:
“ It is just two years ago on the corresponding Saturday of 1964, that the epic ‘Great Western’ ran from Paddington to Plymouth and back. It was recognized at the time that this would really be the swan song of steam, and so it proved to be. Nothing of comparable performance could be or has been, attempted since. Whether we like it or not, the age of the electric and the diesel is upon us and we felt sure that a special could be run, utilizing modern power, which would in some measure compensate for what we have lost with the passing of steam.
Penzance non-stop was, in fact, contemplated by the Great Western between the wars, when it was planned to put water troughs west of Plymouth, but this never materialized and today’s is the first non-stop run ever attempted by any train over this entire route. The point-to-point timings promise some stimulating running over all sections, particularly the 98 minutes from Penzance to Plymouth. Between Plymouth and Waterloo, the fastest time ever recorded appears to have been 4 hours 3minutes 11seconds, by an Ocean Liner Special on April 23^rd 1904, with stops at Exeter and Templecombe. No non-stop run has ever been made between Plymouth and Waterloo due to lack of water facilities in former days.”

M.C	Location	Booked	Actual	Speed (mph)
0.00	Paddington	07.35d	07/35 [P4]
1.20	Westbourne Park	?	07/38
5.60	Ealing Broadway	?	07/42	80
9.10	Southall	07/45	07/45	85
13.20	West Drayton	?	07/47½	90 constant
18.40	Slough	07/51½	07/51	83; 90; 90
24.20	Maidenhead	07/55½	07/55	85; 90; 85
31.00	Twyford	08/00	07/59¼	90; brakes at mp33
36.00	Reading General	08/04	08/03½
37.70	Southcote Jn	?	08/06	69; 75
41.25	Theale	?	08/09	81; 75
44.65	Aldermaston	?	08/12	75
46.60	Midgham	?	08/13½	72
49.45	Thatcham	?	08/16	80
53.10	Newbury	08/18½	08/18½	85; 80
58.40	Kintbury	?	08/22½	75 → 66
61.45	Hungerford	?	08/25	78; 81 → 69
66.30	Bedwyn	08/29	08/29	69; 72; 65
70.10	Severnake	?	08/32	78; 78; 90; 90; 90
75.30	Pewsey	?	08/36	90 constant; 85
81.10	Patney	?	08/40½	81; brake → 45
86.70	Lavington	08/44	08/45½	81; 90
94.45	Heywood Road Jn	08/49	08/51
97.00	Fairwood Jn	08/51	08/52½	90
100.20	Clink Road Jn	08/53½	08/55	90
102.25	Blatchbridge Jn	08/55	08/56½	78; 85; 90
106.30	Witham	?	08/59½	90 brake → 72
111.55	Bruton	?	09/03½	brake → 60
115.10	Castle Cary	09/05	09/06½	72; 81; 88
120.05	Keinton Madeville	?	09/10	90
122.15	Charlton Mackrell	?	09/11½	90; 85
125.45	Somerton	?	09/14	90
130.65	Curry Rivel Jn	?	?	brake → 75
134.60	Athelney	?	09/20½	80; 85
138.00	Cogload Jn	?	09/23	85
140.25	Creech Jn	?	09/24½	80; 80
142.60	Taunton	09/24½	09/27
144.55	Norton Fitzwarren	?	09/29	72; 75
149.70	Wellington	?	09/33½	78 → 68
153.50	Whiteball	?	09/37½	90 brake → 30
158.55	Tiverton Junction	?	09/43	75; 80; 90
160.70	Cullompton	?	09/45	brake → 66; 75
170.10	Stoke Canon	?	09/51½	brake hard PSR
173.40	Exeter St Davids	09/51½	09/56	81; 90; 95
178.25	Exminster	?	10/00	70
182.00	Starcross	?	10/03	64
184.05	Dawlish Warren	10/03	10/05	brake → 53
188.45	Teignmouth	?	10/11	62; 66; 69; ease
193.55	Newton Abbot	10/16	10/17
194.65	Aller Jn	10/17½	10/18½
197.50	Dainton	?	?
202.30	Totnes	10/29½	10/28	53; 42; 56
207.00	Rattery	?	?
209.20	Brent	10/38	10/36	50 constant; 56
211.35	Wrangaton	?	?	56
214.60	Ivybridge	?	10/4	56; 52; 60; 64
218.70	Hemerdon	10/49	10/45	72; 85 - brake hard
221.40	Plympton	?	?
224.05	Lipson Jn	?	10/54
225.45	Plymouth	11/01	10/55	slow PSR
226.65	Devonport Albert Road	?	10/58
227.05	Dockyard Halt	?	?	30
227.65	Keyham	?	11/00
228.45	St Budeaux	?	11/01	slow
?	Royal Albert Bridge	?	11/03
229.65	Saltash	11/11½	11/04	62
234.65	St Germans	11/18	11/10	53; 57
240.05	Menheniot	?	11/17	48
243.25	Liskeard	11/27½	11/20½	40
246.45	Doublebois	?	11/25	40; 47; 33
252.45	Bodmin Road	11/38½	11/34	38; 42
255.65	Lostwithiel	11/43	11/39
260.25	Par	11/47½	11/46
265.00	St Austell	11/52½	11/52
271.50	Grampound Road	?	12/06	60; 55; 64
279.25	Truro	12/11	12/13½	50
284.25	Chacewater	?	12/21
286.05	Scorrier	?	12/23	56
288.25	Redruth	12/25	12/25	43
291.65	Cambourne	12/30	12/30	52
294.05	Gwinear Road	?	12/34	56
297.65	Hayle	?	12/38
299.25	St Erth	12/38½	12/40	60; 70
303.05	Marazion	?	12/44
305.05 0.00	Penzance	12.50a ~ 16.00d	12.48½ ~ 16.00½
2.00	Marazion	?	16/04
5.60	St Erth	16/06½	16/08	48
7.20	Hayle	16/08	16/10
10.60	Gwinear Road	?	16/14
13.20	Cambourne	16/15	16/17
16.60	Redruth	16/19	16/21½	54
19.00	Scorrier	?	16/24
20.60	Chacewater	?	16/26
25.60	Truro	16/29	16/31
33.40	Grampound Road	?	16/40	62
40.20	St Austell	16/45½	16/47½
44.60	Par	16/50	16/52
49.20	Lostwithiel	16/55	16/57½
52.40	Bodmin Road	?	17/01
58.40	Doublebois	?	17/08½
61.60	Liskeard	17/12½	17/12
65.00	Menheniot	17/15½	17/15
70.20	St Germans	?	17/20½
75.20	Saltash	17/28	17/28
77.20	Keyham	?	17/32
78.20	Devonport Albert Road	?	17/33
79.40	Plymouth	17.38 ~ 17.49	17.36 ~ 17.49 [P8]
80.60	Devonport Albert Road	17/52	17/53½
81.00	Dockyard Halt	?	?
81.60	Keyham	?	?	signal stop
83.20	St Budeaux	?	17/58
87.40	Bere Ferrers	?	18/03
89.40	Bere Alston	18/08	18/06½
96.60	Tavistock North	18/18	18/14
101.60	Brentor	?	18/21
103.20	Lydford	18/27½	18/23
106.40	Bridestowe	?	18/27
113.00	Okehampton	18/44	18/39
116.60	Sampford Courtenay	?	18/43	70; 75
119.40	North Tawton	18/50½	18/45½	75
122.60	Bow	?	18/48
127.40	Yeoford	19/02	18/54
131.20	Crediton	19/05½	18/58
133.6	Newton St Cyres	19/11	19/01
138.00	Exeter St Davids	19/17	19/11
138.60	Exeter Central	19/18½	19/12½
139.20	St James Park Halt	?	19/13½
140.40	Pinhoe	?	19/17	64; 69
142.40	Broad Clyst	?	19/18½
146.20	Whimple	?	19/21½
150.20	Sidmouth Junction	19/30½	19/25½
154.40	Honiton	?	19/30	70; 75; 79
161.40	Seaton Junction	19/40	19/36½	75
164.60	Axminster	19/43	19/39	75; 80; 80
169.60	Chard Junction	?	19/43	80 constant
177.60	Crewekerne	?	19/49½	80; 85
186.40	Yeovil Junction	19/59½	19/56	80; 85; 85
191.00	Sherbourne	20/03	19/59	85
195.00	Milborne Pot halt	?	20/02½
197.20	Templecombe	20/07½	20/04½	90; 85; 90
204.00	Gillingham	?	20/10
208.00	Semley	?	20/14	75
213.00	Tisbury	?	20/19
217.40	Dinton	?	20/22	90 constant
223.20	Wilton South	20/32	20/27	90
225.60	Salisbury	20/36	20/32
231.20	Porton	?	20/37
231.60	Idmiston Halt	?	20/37½	90
236.60	Grateley	?	20/41	100 constant; 85
243.00	Andover Junction	?	20/45½
248.20	Hurstbourne	?	20/49¾
250.20	Whitchurch North	?	20/51
253.60	Overton	?	20/54	80; 85
261.40	Basingstoke	?	20/59
267.00	Hook	?	21/05
269.20	Winchfield	?	21/06½
272.60	Fleet	?	21/09
276.00	Farnborough	?	21/11
281.20	Brookwood	?	21/15
285.00	Woking	?	21/17½
287.40	West Byfleet	?	21/19
290.20	Weybridge	?	21/21
292.20	Walton-on-Thames	?	21/23½
293.20	Hersham	?	21/26
294.60	Esher	?	21/27¼
297.20	Surbiton	?	21/29½
299.40	New Malden	?	21/31
300.40	Raynes Park	?	21/32
302.00	Wimbledon	?	21/33½
303.60	Earlsfield	?	?
305.20	Clapham Junction	21/49½	21/36½
308.00	Vauxhall	?	21/40
309.20	Waterloo	21.56a	21.42½

Locos Used	D823 'Hermes' & D1010 'Western Campaigner'
Stock Used	load 6

Loco	Route
D1010	London Paddington - Slough - Reading - Southcote Jn - (via Berks & Hants) - Cogload Jn - Taunton - Exeter St Davids - Newton Abbot - Plymouth - Par - Penzance
D1010	Penzance - Par - Plymouth
D823	Plymouth - St Budeaux - Bere Ferrers - Bere Alston - Tavistock North - Lydford - Okehampton - Crediton - Exeter St Davids - Exeter Central - Honiton - Salisbury - Basingstoke - Fleet - Woking - Weybridge - Surbiton - Wimbledon - Clapham Junction - Vauxhall - London Waterloo