Locomotive Performance

Railtour Information Page
 
 

Below are details of Railtours and Excursions that I travelled on during the period 1953 to 1967:
 
04/10/1953 SLS tour: Birmingham to Gloucester, Newport, Cardiff, Pontypool Rd and Hereford [Railcar W14W] 
01/06/1954 SLS Birmingham New Street Centenary tour [loco 58903]
13/06/1954 SLS Compound tour Birmingham to Bristol, Westbury & Swindon [loco 41156]
29/07/1954 BR North Wales Land Cruise: Barmouth, Corwen, Rhyl, Bangor, Afonwen [loco 3202] 
30/10/1954 BR Birmingham-Paddington rtn day excursion [locos 5035,5088] 
13/04/1956 Ian Allan Birmingham-Crewe rtn Locospotters excursion [loco 70032]
03/10/1959 BR Northfield-Lincoln rtn Footex [loco 44919] 
10/10/1959 BR Northfield-Sheffield rtn Footex [loco 45605]
16/04/1960 BR Birmingham SH-Cardiff rtn Footex [locos 5959,5084,2267]
07/09/1960 BR Birmingham-Blackburn rtn footex [6 car DMU]
07/01/1961 BR Birmingham-Bristol rtn Footex [loco 5022] 
28/01/1961 BR Birmingham-Peterborough rtn Footex [loco 45272] 
10/03/1962 BR Birmingham-St Pancras, via Wigston, rtn  Footex [loco 46123]
06/08/1962 BR Birmingham-Windermere, Lakeside-Birmingham day excn [locos 44888,45696]
02/09/1962 SCTS South Western Limited: Waterloo, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Exeter, Salisbury, Eastleigh, Waterloo [locos 30861, 30024, 30025, 30309, 30770]  
22/09/1962 Ian Allan tour: Paddington, Westbury, Weymouth,Broadstone, Bath, Cheltenham, Kingham, Oxford [locos 34050, 53808, 4992, 7336] 
16/05/1964 OURS Castle Farewell tour: Paddington, Hereford, Maindee Jc, Reading, Paddington [loco 5054] 
06/06/1964 LCGB North Countryman tour: St Pancras, Leeds, Carlisle, Shap, Leeds, Kings Cross [locos 45721, 60923, 60051]
13/06/1964 SLS Bromyard tour: Birmingham Snow Hill, OldHill, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Wombourne, Worcester, Bromyard, Dudley, Swan Village, Birmingham [loco 4555]
21/06/1964 LCGB North & West tour: Reading, Swindon, Maindee Jc, Shrewsbury, Paddington [locos 7808, 7029, 46251].
05/07/1964 LCGB Surrey Wanderer tour: Waterloo, London & Surrey Suburban lines, Victoria [locos 30053, 78038] 
12/07/1964 SLS Pacific Pennine tour: Birmingham, Carlisle, Leeds, Crewe, Birmingham [locos 46251, 46255, 45647, 46155]
16/08/1964 WRS Swindon & Eastleigh tour: Saltley, Cheltenham, Swindon, Eastleigh, Oxford, Small Heath [loco 4472]
04/10/1964 LCGB Vectis tour: Waterloo, Aldershot, Portsmouth, Ryde, Ventnor, Newport, Portsmouth, Waterloo [locos 33026, 70000, W14, W28] 
11/10/1964 WRS York & Doncaster tour: Birmingham, York, Doncaster, Birmingham [loco 35007] 
24/10/1964 BR Excursion: Birmingham-Blackpool North rtn [loco 44837]
28/11/1964 WRS Carlisle tour: Birmingham, Carnforth, Carlisle, Leeds, Crewe, Birmingham [locos 70052 (failed Carnforth), 45018, 46160, 45647, 70000]
17/01/1965 SLS Cambrian Farewell tour: Shrewsbury, Welshpool, Oswestry, Llanfyllyn,  Gobowen, Shrewsbury [locos 7802, 46512]
24/01/1965 SLS Farewell to the Castles tour: Birmingham, Oxford, Patney, Bristol, Gloucester, Knowle & Dorridge [loco 7029]
28/02/1965 LCGB East Devon tour: Waterloo, Seaton, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Exeter, Waterloo [locos 35022, 80041, 4666, 41206] 
03/03/1965 HCTS Six Counties tour: Banbury, SMJ, Stratford, Rugby, Wellingborough, Oxford, Paddington [locos 31639, 33006] 
28/03/1965 SCTS Southern Wanderer tour: Victoria, Horsham, Havant, Southampton, Poole, Templecombe, Highbridge, Templecombe, Wimbledon [locos 73022, 44560, 35023]
04/04/1965 LCGB Wessex Downsman tour: Waterloo, Reading, Patney, Devizes, Bristol, Bath Green Park, Bournemouth West, Waterloo [locos 30837, 6963, 44666, 48309, 34051]
12/06/1965 WRS Eastleigh via SDJR tour: Birmingham SH, Cheltenham, Bath Green Park, Bournemouth Central, Eastleigh, Oxford, Birmingham SH [locos 44777, 92238, 34097, 6967] 
04/09/1965 WRS Pennine tour: Birmingham, Leeds, Clapham, Shap, Carlisle, Leeds, Birmingham [locos 60145, 4472, Diesel to/from Saltley)
05/09/1965 WRS Hants & Dorset tour: Solihull, Banbury, Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Weymouth, Westbury, Oxford, Solihull [locos 60145, 7029, 73085, 34019]
19/09/1965 SLS Restored Locomotives Cavalcade tour: Birmingham SH, Worcester SH, Highley, Wolverhampton, Worcester, Birmingham SH [locos 3442, 4555, 1420]
02/10/1965 Ian Allan tour: Paddington, Exeter, Totnes, Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol, Paddington [locos 4079, 4555, 3205, D841]
03/10/1965 SCTS Exeter Flyer tour: Waterloo, Exeter, Barnstaple Junction, Torrington, Exeter, Waterloo [35022, 80039, 80043]
11/12/1965 WRS Waverley tour: Birmingham, Leeds, Carlisle, Waverley route, Edinburgh, Newcastle, York, Birmingham [locos 45134, 45697, 60528, 60034, 60886, Diesel to/from Saltley] 
26/03/1966 LCGB Victory tour: Waterloo, Eastleigh, Weymouth, Yeovil, Waterloo [loco 60024]
16/04/1966 WRS Cambrian tour: Birmingham SH, Shrewsbury, Aberystwyth, Dovey Junction, Barmouth, Pwllheli, Machynlleth, Shrewsbury, Birmingham SH [locos 45287, 75014, 75020]
28/08/1966 BR Birmingham-Ramsgate rtn day excursion [6 car DMU] 
01/10/1967 A4LS tour: Peterborough, Leeds, Carlisle rtn [locos 4498, 7029 (failed Leeds), D12]
 
SLS is the Stephenson Locomotive Society: SCTS is the Southern Counties Touring Society: LCGB is the Locomotive Club of Great Britain: WRS is the Warwickshire Railway Society: HCTS is the Home Counties Touring Society, OURS is the Oxford University Railway Society, and A4LS is the A4 Locomotive Society. 
 
The football excursions were to Aston Villa FC away fixtures.
 
So which tour was the most enjoyable. There are four contenders: (1) The BR day excursion from Birmingham to Windermere on 6/8/1962: (2) The LCGB North Countryman railtour on 6/6/1964: (3) The SLS Three Summits railtour on 12/7/64, and (4) the SCTS Southern Wanderer railtour on 28/3/1965. There is a common feature to the first three, Hard working, splendid sounding Jubilee's, but despite this, it is the Southern Counties tour of 28/3/65 which gets my vote as my "Most enjoyable pre 1967 railtour". Interesting itinerary, splendid weather, a "Duck 6" trip across the Somerset levels, some excellent locomotive work from 73022, and a fast run back up from Templecombe with 35023. Perfect.
 
 

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