The Railway Magazine – July 2019

100 •The Railway Magazine• July 2019

Railtours Track Record

COMPILED BY

BEN

JONES

Call: 01507 529589

email: railway

@mortons.co.uk

Your reports and

pictures are most welcome.

Highly competitive rates

are paid, especially if

exclusive toThe RM.

West Coast launches

regular Stratford steam

STRATFORDUPONAVONwill

gain its second regular steam

operation later this month when

West Coast Railways launches

its‘Merchant of Avon’trains on

July 28.

Five summer Sunday trains are

planned initially, starting from

Burton-on-Trent and calling at

Tamworth, Coleshill Parkway,

Henley-in-Arden,Tyseley, Dorridge

and Stratford on July 28, August

11/25 and September 8/22.

During its break at Stratford,

the train will operate a return

two-hour‘Taste of Steam’trip

to Birmingham Snow Hill,

running outwards via Dorridge

and returning via the North

Warwickshire Line.

Standard Class fares start from

as little as £11 for adults and £8

for children.

Trains will also include

First Class accommodation and

buffet facilities.

Passengers will have a break

of around five hours in the

Warwickshire town, reducing

to around two hours for those

travelling on the‘fill-in’trip.

Traction will be drawn from

West Coast’s main line steam

pool, with LMS Pacific No. 6201

Princess Elizabethsuggested by

WCR as one possible option.

‘Jubilees’Nos. 45690Leander

and 45699Galateacould

also make an appearance,

depending on availability.

Locomotives for the trains will

be confirmed shortly before the

day of travel.

A spokesman for West Coast

Railways said:“We are confident

this new summer service will be

loved by young and old alike. It

should be a wonderful day out

for all the family.”

For more information, fares

and tickets, go to website:

http://www.westcoastrailways.co.uk

One locomotive that

could be on the roster for

West Coast Railways’new

Stratford trains is Stanier

4-6-0 No. 45690Leander.On

a damp June 8, the BR black

‘5XP’passes Grindleford

in the Hope Valley with a

Railway Touring Company

trip from Manchester to

Scarborough.LES NIXON

HAPPY memories of Class 20s on
summer-dated holiday trains to
Skegness were rekindled on
May 27 when PathfinderTours
took a pair of blue EEType 1s
back to the Lincolnshire coast.
Harry Needle Railroad Co
Nos. 20096 and 20107, usually

hired to GB Railfreight for

London Underground‘S’stock

movements, took charge of the

train from Derby, running via

Nottingham and Sleaford.

Heading east, the two veterans

are seen passing Attenborough,

near Nottingham.GAVINTHOMSON

THE annual rail industry‘Three

Peaks Challenge’– raising money

for the Railway Children charity

• was once again supported by
  Direct Rail Services on June 13-15.
  The operator supplied
  ‘retro’-liveried No. 37402Stephen

Middlemore23.12.1954 - 8.6.2013

and No. 37419Carl Haviland

for the train, which carried

participants between their

climbs of Snowdon, Scafell and

Ben Nevis, visiting Bangor,

the Ravenglass & Eskdale

Railway and FortWilliam.

This year’s event raised more

than £225,000 for the charity.

Heading back to Crewe, the

final leg of the trip is seen passing

Garstang, north of Preston on

June 15.JOHN HALES

Blue Class 20s bring back

‘Skeggy’ holiday memories

DRS ‘37s’ take on Three Peaks Challenge

THE A1 Steam Locomotive

Trust has confirmed a series

of three trips with‘A1' No.

60163 Tornadoover the

Settle-Carlisle Line.

On July 20 and September

28, the 'North Briton' trains

will start from London

King’s Cross with diesel or

electric haulage, picking up

at Stevenage, Peterborough

and Retford, before heading

for Leeds and the climbs

to Blea Moor and Ais Gill

summit.

October 5's 'Pennine

Explorer' will start from

Leicester, calling at East

Midlands Parkway, Derby,

Chesterfield and Sheffield

before heading north. All

three trains will have a break

in Carlisle while the train is

serviced and the‘A1’turned

for the southbound journey.

Prices start at £109 per

person in Standard Class.

TheA1SLTisnow

handling its own railtour

ticket bookings, replacing

the previous arrangement

with UK Railtours. Online

bookings for all forthcoming

'A1' trains are now being

taken at ww.a1steam.com,

or telephone 01325 488215.

Three S&C

tours for

Tornado