Six Bells Junction

Loco(s)	Route
47312	Reading - Didcot Parkway - Oxford - Leamington Spa - Coventry - Birmingham New Street
58022	Birmingham New Street - Camp Hill - Bromsgrove - Cheltenham Spa - Bristol Parkway - Severn Tunnel Junction - Maindee East Jn - Maindee North Jn - Hereford - Ludlow - Shrewsbury
31434 + 37896	Shrewsbury - Wrexham - Chester - Crewe
73906 + 73005	Crewe - Sandbach - Middlewich - Northwich South Jn - Northwich West Jn - Mouldsworth - Chester
60031	Chester - Crewe - Stafford - Bushbury Jn - Bescot - Perry Barr North Jn - Soho South Jn - Birmingham New Street
47375 + 47286	Birmingham New Street - Camp Hill - Bromsgrove - Cheltenham Spa - Bristol Parkway - Dr. Days Jn - North Somerset Jn - Bath Spa - Swindon - Didcot Parkway - Reading

Notes :
Birmingham - Shrewsbury was advertised as a 58 + 56 pairing, but 58022 worked alone, after some delay, due to allocated 56060 being overdue for an A-exam, and the refusal of replacement 56033 to work in multiple with 58022. Shrewsbury - Crewe was supposed to be 2 x 37, but 31434 substituted for 37680, which had been commandeered to work a freight.

The route of this tour differed greatly from that originally advertised. The original route included Wrexham Central, and Dee Marsh Area! it was changed to include Bidston, then, finally, to what is given above. It was also originally booked to run on 10th January 1998.

Sources : Richard Hughes (joined/left train at Didcot Parkway) & Alan Sheppard

Timings (Booked and Actual)
From Alan Sheppard

M. C	Location	Booked	Actual
0.00	Reading	05.50d	?
17.12	Didcot Parkway	0608a ~ 0618d	?
17.76	Didcot North Jn	06/20	?
27.43	Oxford	06/32	?
30.34	Wolvercot Jn	06/35	?
39.23	Heyford	06/45	?
45.14	Aynho Jn	06/50	?
50.18	Banbury	06/54	?
58.78	Fenny Compton	07/03	?
70.27	Leamington Spa	07.13a ~ 07.14d	?
75.01	Kenilworth	07/22	?
79.61	Coventry [P3]	0729a ~ 0735d	07.27 ~ 07.35
90.37	Birmingham International [P2]	07.49a ~ 07.50d	07.49 ~ 07.51
94.70	Stechford	07/59	07/57
98.55 0.00	Birmingham New Street [P11]	08L09a ~ 08L31d	08.07 ~ 09.23
3.31	Selly Oak	08/39	DIV
(*)	Camp Hill	DIV	?
5.45	Kings Norton	08/45	?
10.53	Barnt Green	08/54	?
14.16	Bromsgrove	08/58	?
16.29	Stoke Works Jn	09/00	?
27.46	Abbotswood Jn	09/09	?
38.33	Ashchurch	09/17	?
45.44	Cheltenham Spa	09.26a ~ 09.30d	10.12 ~ 10.18
51.07	Barnwood Jn	09/36	10/25
51.74	Gloucester Yard Jn	09/37	10/31
58.04	Standish Jn	09/42	?
71.29	Charfield	09/52	?
79.42	Westerleigh Jn	10/01	?
84.12	Bristol Parkway	10.07a ~ 10.12d	11.09 ~ 11.11
85.34	Patchway	10/14	?
89.00	Pilning	10/17	11.20a ~ 11.21d
95.76	Severn Tunnel Junction	10/23	11/29
105.09	Maindee East Jn	10/35	11/39
105.41	Maindee North Jn	10/38	11/42
114.55	Pontypool & New Inn	10/46	11/53
123.79	Abergavenny	10/56	12/09
135.70	Pontrilas	11/06	12/21
141.47	Tram Inn	11/11	12/27
148.10	Hereford [P3]	1121a ~ 1154d	12.35 ~ 12.37
149.57	Shelwick Jn	11/58	12/40
160.57	Leominster	12/11	12/49
167.11	Woofferton	12/19	12/55
171.51	Ludlow	12/23	?
179.16	Craven Arms	12/30	13/05
186.39	Church Stretton	12/37	13/14
192.68	Dorrington	12/42	?
198.25	Sutton Bridge Jn	12/46	13.29 ~ 13.33
199.09 0.00	Shrewsbury [P4]	12L49a ~ 13L04d	13.39 ~ 13.59
18.04	Gobowen	13/27	14/24
30.20	Wrexham General	13/47	14/40
40.44	Saltney Jn	14/00	14/53
42.25	Chester (Up & Down Main)	14/05	15.02 ~ 15.03
52.55	Beeston Castle	14/16	?
61.74	Crewe Steelworks Jn	14/24	?
63.35 0.00	Crewe [P6]	14L28a ~ 14L48d	15.32 ~ 15.49
0.76	Crewe Sydney Bridge Jn	14/51	15/53
4.62	Sandbach North Jn	15/00	16/03
8.30	Middlewich	15/15	?
13.20	Northwich South Jn	15/28	16/22
13.49	Northwich West Jn	15/30	16/24
14.74	Greenbank	15/33	16/26
23.58	Mouldsworth	15/46	16/43
28.07	Mickle Trafford Jn	15/54	16/48
30.50 0.00	Chester [P4]	16L00a ~ 16L33d	16.54 ~ 17.09
10.30	Beeston Castle	16/45	?
19.49	Crewe Steelworks Jn	16/54	?
21.10	Crewe [P11]	16/59	17.38 ~ 17.40
22.74	Basford Hall Jn	17/06	?
29.16	Madeley	17/12	?
40.18	Norton Bridge	17/22	18/01
45.47	Stafford	17/28	18/07
59.24	Bushbury Jn	17/43	18/22
61.72	Portobello Jn	17/47	?
66.09	Bescot Stadium	17/56	?
70.46	Perry Barr North Jn	18/02	?
71.05	Perry Barr West Jn	18/04	?
73.04	Soho East Jn	18/08	?
73.37	Soho South Jn	18/09	?
75.38 0.00	Birmingham New Street [P8]	18L13a ~ 18L28d	18.53 ~ 19.11
1.77	Bordesley Jn	18/35	?
7.12	Kings Norton	18/45	19/25
12.20	Barnt Green	18/52	19.32a ~ ??d
15.63	Bromsgrove	18/56	?
17.76	Stoke Works Jn	18/58	?
29.13	Abbotswood Jn	19/07	?
40.00	Ashchurch	19/15	?
47.11	Cheltenham Spa	19.24a ~ 19.27d	?
52.54	Barnwood Jn	19/33	?
53.41	Gloucester Yard Jn	19/39	?
59.51	Standish Jn	19/45	?
72.76	Charfield	19/56	?
81.09	Westerleigh Jn	20/15	?
85.59	Bristol Parkway	20.22a ~ 20.24d	?
86.78	Filton Jn	20/26	?
90.75	Dr. Days Jn	20/32	?
91.18	North Somerset Jn	2034a ~ 2039d	?
101.77	Bath Spa	20.56a ~ 20.58d	?
104.13	Bathampton Jn	21/01	?
114.72	Chippenham	21/10	?
125.61	Wootton Bassett Jn	21/19	?
131.45	Swindon	21.25a ~ 21.27d	?
142.29	Uffington	21/37	?
-	Challow	21/39	?
155.58	Didcot Parkway	21.47a ~ 21.49d	?
172.70	Reading	22.08a	?

(*) Train diverted via Camp Hill due to signal failure, so 1m 47ch needs to be added to all points
from Kings Norton (5m 45ch) should be 7m 12ch to Shrewsbury (199m 09ch) should be 200m 56ch.

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Locos Used	31434, 37896, 47286, 47312, 47375, 58022, 60031, 73005 & 73906
Stock Used	3132+3131+3133+3144+3110+3100+35469+1813+99002+99001+99000+4915