Locomotive Performance

Southern Railtours in the 1960's
 
Here you will find details of Southern Railtours that I travelled on during the 1960's. Either on the Southern Region, or elsewhere where the motive power included Southern locos. The performance of the locomotives varied from superb to dreadful. In the former category, I would commend 30861 from Exeter to Salisbury on 2/9/1962, 34050 from Paddington to Weymouth on 22/9/1962, 73022 on the Southern Wanderer of 28/3/1965, 44777 from Birmingham to Bath Green Park on 12/6/1965, and 35022 from Waterloo to Exeter, and return, on the 3/10/1965 Exeter Flyer. 

But on this page you will also find Southern M7 0-4-4T's, a 700 class 0-6-0, Isle of Wight O2 0-4-4T's, a Q1 0-6-0, an S15 4-6-0, a U1 2-6-0, a Midland 4F 0-6-0, a S & D 7F 2-8-0, a Stanier 2-8-0, and a Black 5, an ex GW 0-6-0 panniers tank, BR Standards of the Britannia 4-6-2, 9F 2-10-0, Class 4 2-6-4T's, and a class 2MT 2-6-0. And of course the more traditional Southern motive power in the form of Bulleid Pacifics, both original and rebuilt, a Lord Nelsons, and a King Arthur. And a Castle, a couple of Halls, and a 2-6-0 from the Western Region.
 
 2nd September 1962: S.C.T.S "South Western" railtour: 
30861 Lord Anson: Waterloo to Sidmouth Junction [view log of 30861]
30024 & 30025 (M7 class): Sidmouth Jc to Exmouth and Exeter C  [view log of 30024/25] 
30861 Lord Anson: Exeter Central to Salisbury [view log of 30861] 
30309 (700 class): Salisbury to Andover and Eastleigh [view log of 30309] 
30770 Sir Prianius: Eastleigh to Waterloo [view log of 30770]
 22nd September 1962: Ian Allan S & D railtour: 
34050 Royal Observer Corps: Paddington to Westbury and Weymouth [view log of 34050]
53808 (SD 2-8-0): Weymouth to Broadstone and Bath Green Park [view log of 53808]
4992 Crosby Hall: Bath Green Park to Cheltenham St James [view log of 4992]
7336 (WR 2-6-0): Cheltenham St James to Kingham and Oxford [view log of 7336]
 5th July 1964: L.C.G.B "Surrey Wanderer" railtour: 
30053 (M7 class): Waterloo to Shepperton and Caterham-Victoria [view log of 30053]
78038 (BR 2MT): Shepperton to Epsom Downs and Caterham [view log of 78038]
[View combined log of 30053 & 78038]
 4th October 1964: L.C.G.B "Vectis" railtour: 
33026 (Q1 class): Waterloo to Guildford [view log of 33026]
70000 Britannia: Guilford to Reading, Portsmouth Harbour  & Waterloo [view log of 70000]
14 Fishbourne (O2 class): Ryde Pier to Ventnor and return [view log of 14]
28 Ashey (O2 class): Ryde Pier to Newport and return [view log of 28]
 28th February 1965: L.C.G.B "East Devon" railtour: 
35022 Holland America Line: Waterloo to Yeovil Junction [view log of 35022]
80041 (BR 4MT): Seaton Junction to Seaton and return [view log of 80041]
4666 (WR 0-6-0PT): Sidmouth Jc to Sidmouth and Tipton St Johns [view log of 4666]
41206 (LM 2MT) & 4666 Tipton St Johns to Exmouth and Exeter [view log of 41206 & 4666]
35022 Holland America Line: Yeovil Junction to Waterloo [view log of 35022]
 7rd March 1965: H.C.R.S "Six Counties" railtour: 
31639 (U class) & 33006 (Q1 class): Banbury, Bedford etc [view log of 31639 & 33006]
 28th March 1965: S.C.T.S "Southern Wanderer" railtour: 
73022 (BR 5MT): Victoria to Arundel, Southampton, and Templecombe [view log of 73022]
44560 (LM 0-6-0): Templecombe to Highbridge and return [view log of 44560]
35023 Holland Afrika Line: Templecombe to Wimbledon [view log of 35023]
 4th April 1965: L.C.G.B "Wessex Downsman" railtour: 
30837 (S15 class): Waterloo to Reading [view log of 30837]
6963 Throwley Hall: Reading to Devizes and Bristol [view log of 6963]
44466 (LM 0-6-0): Bristol to Bath Green Park [view log of 44466]
48309 (LM 2-8-0): Bath Green Park to Bournemouth West [view log of 48309] 
34051 Winston Churchill: Bournemouth West to Waterloo [view log of 34051]
 12th June 1965:  W.R.S "Eastleigh via S & D" railtour: 
44777 (LM 4-6-0): Birmingham Snow Hill to Bath Green Park [view log of 44777]
92238 (BR 2-10-0): Bath Green Park to Bournemouth Central [view log of 92238]
34097 Holsworthy: Bournemouth Central to Eastleigh and Oxford [view log of 34097]
6967 Willesley Hall: Oxford to Birmingham Snow Hill [view log of 6967]
 5th September 1965: W.R.S "Hants & Dorset" railtour: 
This tour used A1 class 4-6-2 no 60145 St Mungo from Birmingham Snow Hill to Banbury, and the evening return, 7029 Clun Castle, from Banbury to Basingstoke, and from Weymouth back to Banbury in the evening, Standard 5 no 73085 Melisande from Basingstoke to Eastleigh, and West Country 4-6-2 Bideford from Eastleigh to Weymouth. The Outward journey was beset with p.w.slowings and signal checks to Basingstoke, and the locomotive work throughout was poor, though 73085 did reach 81 mph at Wallers Ash. 34019 dropped 12 minutes, which were just about accounted for by three signal checks.  And Clun Castle, already 57 mins late from Weymouth, was no less than 157 mins late into Solihull. We stood at Westbury for 29 minutes, but the remaining losses were all down to the loco, which could only manage 18 mph at Brewham summit, 22 mph at Patney, 30 mph at Savernake. So I have not wasted my time producing Log files.
 3rd October 1965: S.C.T.S "Exeter Flyer" railtour: 
35022 Holland America Line: Waterloo to Exeter Central [view log of 35022]
80039 & 80043 (BR 4MT): Exeter to Barnstaple Jc and return [view log of 80039 & 80043] 
80039 (BR 4MT): Barnstaple Jc to Torrington and return [view log of 80039]
35022 Holland America Line: Exeter Central to Waterloo [view log of 35022]

The principal Railtour Operator on the Southern routes in the 1960's was L.C.G.B (The Locomotive Club of Great Britain), followed by S.C.T.S (Southern Counties Touring Society) Ian Allan Railtours, and from the Midlands the Warwickshire Railway Society, and the S.L.S (Stephenson Railway Society).

The picture to the left shows "Standard 5" no 73022 during a photo stop at Horsham on the S.C.T.S Southern Wanderer tour of 28th March 1965.