1st July 1973

Locomotive Club of Great Britain
Gresley Commemorative Rail Tours

Locos Used Steam : 4498 'Sir Nigel Gresley' & 4771 'Green Arrow'
Diesel : 1707, 1814 & 1904
Electric : E3146, E3169, E3187, E3194, E3196 & E3197
Stock Used 1Z77: 10 mark 1 coaches vb90mph (11 coaches between Didcot & Tyseley - GW saloon?)
1Z78: 13 mark 1 coaches

Route : Train 1 (1Z77 throughout)

Loco(s) Route
E3187 London Euston - MP 28¼ (Berkhampstead) (2)
E3169 + E3187 MP 28¼ (Berkhampstead) - Bletchley
E3146 Bletchley - (via WCML, Weedon) - Nuneaton
1904 Nuneaton - Water Orton - Landor Street Jn - Tyseley
4498 Tyseley - Banbury - Oxford - Didcot
4771 Didcot - (reverse of outward route) - Tyseley
1904 Tyseley - Birmingham New Street
E3197 Birmingham New Street - Coventry - Rugby - (via WCML, Northampton) - London Euston

Route : Train 2 (1Z78 throughout)

Loco Route
E3196 London Euston - (via WCML, Weedon) - Nuneaton
1707 Nuneaton - Water Orton - Tyseley
4771 (3) Tyseley - Banbury - Didcot
4498 Didcot - Banbury - Tyseley
1814 Tyseley - Birmingham New Street
E3194 Birmingham New Street - Coventry - Rugby - (via WCML, Weedon) - London Euston

Notes :
(1) 4498 substituted for 4472 'Flying Scotsman' which was in Derby Works. Visits were made to the depots at Tyseley and Didcot.
(2) A young man committed suicide in front of the train, causing a burst air-pipe on the loco. E3169 rescued the tour and hauled the train to Bletchley where both locos were replaced by E3146. Train was 77 minutes late into Nuneaton. The look round Tyseley and also a water stop at Banbury were omitted and arrival into Didcot was only 1½ minutes late as a result.
(3) Due to the incident with train 1, train 2 overtook it and arrived at Tyseley first as a result of which train 2 was re-engined with 4771 (booked for train 1) and departed first. Gordon Lacy also comments: The Depot Visit at Tyseley (for 1Z77 passengers only) was cancelled, due to the late running. This was extremely annoying as we festered on the station for over the hour! The 1Z78 contingent had their visit in the evening (while we 'overtook' them!).
(4) Chris Waite, passenger on 1Z78 comments: In common with 1Z77, the outward journey was delayed. Firstly a 20-minute stop at signals near Apsley, then a 4-minute unscheduled stop at Hemel Hempstead. As already suggested, 4771 ran with the GW saloon, which took the load to over 50 tons, but, so far as I remember, 4498 did not have a support coach.

Sources : Alan Costello, Gordon Lacy (passenger on 1Z77) & Chris Waite (passenger on 1Z78)

Photo Review
(all photos: Gordon Lacy)


1904 (on 1Z77) alongside 4771 on 1Z78 at Tyseley.


4498 blows off on 1Z77 at Tyseley.


4498 (on 1Z77) at Didcot watches 4771 complete its reversal move.


From Bob Mitchell's ticket collection.


Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Gordon Lacy & Chris Waite)

1Z77

Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual
Euston 09.20d 09.20   22.18a 22.18
Willesden Junction 09/27½ 09/29½   ? 22/09½
Watford Junction 09.37a ~ 09.40d 09.39 ~ 09.40   21.55a ~ 21.56d 21.59 ~ 22.00
MP 28¼ ??/?? 09.52½ ~ 10.49   ? ?
Bletchley 10/06 11L16½ ~ 11L23   21/30 21/34
Hanslope Jn ? ?   21/23 ?
Northampton   21/13 DIV
Rugby 10/53 11/54   20/55 21/06
Nuneaton 11c06 ~ 11c18 12.16 ~ 12.24  
Landor Street Jn 11/53 ?  
Coventry   ? 20c54½ ~ 20c55½
Birmingham New Street   20L14 ~ 20L25 20.19 ~ 20.31½
Tyseley 12L00a ~ 13L15d 13.10 ~ 14.13   19L45a ~ 20L02d 19.53 ~ 20.02
Knowle & Dorridge 13/40 14/27   19/38 19/44½
Hatton 13/46 14/34   19/28 19/36½
Leamington Spa       19/19 19/28
Banbury 14w19 ~ 15w07 15.07 ~ 15.10   18w17 ~ 18w52 18.35½ ~ 19.00
Aynho Jn 15/14 15/18   18/10 18.19 ~ 18.25½
Heyford 15/22 15/24½   18/04 18/09½
Oxford 15/40 15/39   17/45 17/56
Didcot 15.55a 15.56½   17.30d 17.40

1Z78

Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual
Euston 09.45d 09/46½   22.37a 22.34½
Willesden Junction 09/52½ 09/54   ? 22/26
Watford Junction 10/02 10/05½   22/17 22/18½
Bletchley 10.31a ~ 10.33d 11.00 ~ 11.01   21.50a ~ 21.51d 21.57½ ~ 21.58
Hanslope Jn ? ?   21/42 ?
Northampton   21/31 DIV [via Weedon]
Rugby 11/10 11/29   21/14 21/27½
Nuneaton 11L23 ~ 11L35 11.42½ ~ 11.52  
Landor Street Jn 12/09 ?  
Coventry   ? 21/18½
Birmingham New Street   20L23 ~ 20L40 20.27 ~ 21.00
Tyseley 12L17a ~ 12L45d 12.36½ ~ 13.14½   19L07a ~ 20L07d 19.21½ ~ 20.13½
Knowle & Dorridge 13/10 13/33½   18/56 19/11
Hatton 13/16 13/40½   18/46 19/03
Leamington Spa 13/21 13/46½   18/36 18/53
Banbury 13w47 ~ 14w17 14.11 ~ 14.35   17w52 ~ 18w12 18.03 ~ 18.23½
Aynho Jn 14/24 14/43½   17/45 17/57
Heyford 14/32 14/50   17/38 17/51
Oxford 14/50 15/02½   17/20 17/38½
Didcot 15.05a 15.20   17.05d 17.20½


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