13th March 1999

Branch Line Society
The Red Nose Rambler

Route : 1Z97 Throughout

Notes :
(1) towing 313056 + 313057.
(2) First ever visit of a railtour to the PRDC.

Sources : Gary Thornton & Alan Sheppard (on the train throughout)

Tour review
(by Gary Thornton)

	13 March 1999 "Red Nose Rambler"
	(Branch Line Society)

This tour was organised by the extremely capable Iain Dobson on behalf of the Branch Line Society. Using two Class 313 (inner-suburban) EMU's, the highlights of the trip were planned to be;

use of Welwyn Garden City reversal siding and flyover
travel through WAGN Hornsey depot (including the carriage washer!)
first ever visit of a railtour to the Princess Royal Distribution Centre

To add even more interest, whilst in Hornsey depot it had been arranged that the train would be hauled by the resident depot shunter, 03179 "Clive". By kind agreement, GNER at nearby Bounds Green depot also loaned one of their shunters (08892) to haul the train whilst in the Hornsey depot confines.

Under normal circumstances I might regard a tour such as this is a little too "fringe" for me but as the organiser, Iain Dobson, was a colleague I decided to book on the tour to support his efforts. In addition, being run the day after the national Comic Relief "Red Nose" charity day, £10 of the ticket price was going to that charity so others less fortunate would also benefit from the proceeds of our day out. In the event quite a group of us who know each other (and Iain) booked on the trip and Iain decided to make use of us all as stewards! In my case, I was nominated as a member of the "morning squad" and our purpose was to prepare the train at Hornsey depot prior to the trip and ensure it was in acceptable condition for handing back to WAGN after the tour. During the day we would help out "as and when required".

I arrived at Hornsey depot for 08.30 in time for a safety talk (what to do in the case of a fire or accident etc whilst on the depot) then we were taken to the train which was in the main shed. Our main task was to label up the stock (coach letters A to F) and allocate specific seating bays to those who'd booked several seats. The train was formed of 313056 and 313057, the latter in plain white livery but the first of the class with a newly fitted interior similar to the refurbished 317's. Putting on the seat allocation stickers started off looking a bit complicated but I soon got the hang of it once I worked out which way up the plan was meant to be! With the preparation tasks complete there was just time to allow us to photograph the units and 03179 "Clive" (with thanks to the WAGN staff for permitting this) before our booked 09.33 departure time.

03179 "Clive" at Hornsey depot prior to setting off.

As an "ECS" working (Empty Coaching Stock) our route was out to the south of the depot where we reversed and headed north using the Ferme Park Flyover to reach Welwyn Garden City and the start of the tour. The first part of the tour was quite short. From platform 4 we took the flyover to the reversing siding and then ran back into platform 1. We had a 20 minute wait here before heading south. Plenty of time to catch up with a few friends who were booked on the tour as I handed out some of the tour booklets and timing sheets. The run south to Hornsey depot was interesting as we weaved from the slow line to the fast line and back at every opportunity (arranged to please the Branch Line Society members who "do" individual tracks rather than routes).

We were booked to spend about an hour at Hornsey depot. To comply with the wishes of WAGN (for safety reasons) we were instructed that all windows were to be kept shut and also everyone should remain seated. To ensure everyone obeyed the request it was decided to station a steward in each coach. I was allocated coach D and I have to say my coach was well behaved and complied fully with the instruction. Unfortunately one passenger in my coach did get a wet arm as the window at which he sat leaked rather badly! During the hour we had one run through the depot from north to south followed by one back north (through the carriage wash). At this stage the 03 shunter was added and we ran back to the south end of the depot (through the carriage wash, though now switched off) where GNER-liveried 08892 was attached for another run to the north end headshunt. With these moves complete we headed off on our way southward.

We used the up goods line past Finsbury Park then travelled via the Kings Cross incline to Camden Road on the North London Line. A run through the now derelict Primrose Hill station brought us to the West Coast Main Line. A short sprint got us to Willesden where we turned off the passenger route and into the Royal Mail "Princess Royal Distribution Centre". This was the first ever visit of a railtour to this recently opened site which is the central hub in London for the transport of mail by road and rail. On a working day there are around 20 train arrivals and departures and about 500 road vehicle trips. Per day this one site handles a staggering 12 to 16 million items of post!

Some good running (and liberal timing) saw us arrive over 20 minutes early giving plenty of time for a look around (the depot is closed on Saturdays so there was no risk we'd get sorted and despatched to another part of the country!). Some staff were on hand to explain the workings of the depot once we'd got bored photographing our 313 units in the platform.

313057 leads 313056 at the buffers of platform 2, PRDC.

Departure was on time at 14.12 (actually a fraction early) and we had a straight somewhat uneventful run back to Welwyn Garden City. Again, most of the fast to slow and vice versa crossovers were traversed. Arrival and tours end was just over half an hour early (thanks in the main to very lax timings on the return leg). Nothing left now but the ride back ECS to Hornsey depot. Time to relax? No - time to go round collecting rubbish. I have to say I'm amazed how much rubbish was generated in such a short tour! I am also staggered at how messy some passengers left their part of the train (discarded cups, crisp packets, spilt tea and coffee etc). With rubbish bins and a regular collection during the day, such mess seemed totally unnecessary. On arrival back at Hornsey we noticed that the tour headboard (a prize in the raffle) had not been claimed and was sitting in the rear cab. Guess who was volunteered to take this home! If the winner of this prize in the raffle decides to claim it then it is available for collection.

A close up of 313057 complete with the tour headboard (which now resides in my hallway at home!). It was noted by some people that the headboard was carried on the back of the train throughout the day, rather than the front which is more normal for a tour headboard. This was necessary because of the large red "nose" which could have caused much confusion if seen by railway workers or drivers of oncoming trains.

Verdict : superb tour! Well deserved thanks go to Iain Dobson for all the hard work arranging what was quite a complex tour involving a number of different companies (particularly EWS, Royal Mail, WAGN and GNER and possibly others!). Thanks go also to the Branch Line Society under whose auspices the tour was run.

The tour itself raised £3,686.10 for charity. £1,300 is being donated to Write Away (a charity supported by one of the PRDC staff) and the remainder is going to Comic Relief. A big thank you goes to all on board who contributed through the ticket price and buying of raffle tickets.

Timings (Booked and Actual)
(from Gary Thornton & Alan Sheppard)

Following distances were calculated by myself, some of them however were estimations (where this is the case it is stated).

Mileage assumptions
1. Welwyn GC to reversing siding mileage is estimated at 65 chains
2. Hornsey EMU depot - mileage quoted above is to Hornsey station
3. Harlesden Junction to PRDC is estimated at 50 chains

Travel in Hornsey depot is not included in above table. The following is estimated;
1. from north end of depot to south end headshunt : 50 chains
2. south end to north end headshunt (through carriage wash) : 50 chains
3. north end to south end headshunt (03179 haulage) : 50 chains
4. south end to north end headshunt (08892 haulage) : 50 chains
5. departure from depot is included in table above.

Day total mileage : 1m50c + (2 x 26m13c) + (4 x 50c) = 56 miles 36 chains

Key;
a : arrival time
d : departure time
/ : passing time
WAGN = West Anglia Great Northen
GNER = Great North Eastern Railway

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