Most Zany Railtours

[Whistler40145]

What has been the most zany Railtour anyone has travelled on?

Be it odd combination of locos (especially substitute for failures), being signalled onto wrong route or anything else funny that has happened!

 

[12CSVT]

Not actually a railtour but in 1985 there was a Sunderland - Gourock excursion (hauled by 47420). The 47 was reported to be low on fuel at Carlisle, and the loco with train and passengers on board was routed into Kingmoor TMD for refuelling. Not sure if any of the normals on board appreciated the impromptu track bash.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I did hear that a steam trip to Lincoln a few Christmases ended up being a diesel trip, I guess the steam loco failed at the last minute, then the diesel ran of of fuel and a farmer in Lincolnshire assisted with a few cans of fuel.

I was on a steam trip to Weymouth some years ago usingthe STD 5 loco (which I think is now at Mid Hants rly), a large nut broke, but luckily enough there was a factory by station at either Overton or Whitchurch which was open on the day, a Saturday, and had a spare nut, which saved the day until a proper replacement was bought to the next waterstop at Salisbury from the MHR at Alton, we were only about 1 hour late in the end and because we delayed SWT between Basingstoke at Salisbury, we stopped at the stns on this line and gave the local passengers a lift to Salsibury. Hopefully going on a steam train eased their slight delay.

 

[Whistler40145]

How about leaving Peter Watts of Pathfinder Tours on Doncaster station, thankfully he got back on after we had done the Lincoln line Flyover!

Whilst on a Railtour in Kent, probably Ashford, we were having a loco change & I think it was a pair of no-heat 37s, the gormless Shunter attempted to put the Blue Star Multiple Cable into the ETH Socket & wondered why it didn't fit!

 

[scotsman]

SRPS tour back in the '70's

Pax detrained at a colliery which still used steam (minus platforms!) and rode behind said loco on the colliery line in coal trucks!

 

[bnsf734]

I was on a Skirl of the Pipes railtour a few years ago where we left Pete Watts behind at Fort William! He was just outside our compartment trying in vain to get on the train. So one of us pulled the cord and he got on.

Another F&W Skirl of the Pipes tour saw us routed through Polmadie Carriage sidings to refill the buffet car with gas cylinders.

Old git mode now... In 1977 on Queens Silver Jubillee Day we went on a mystery tour from Nuneaton. It went north to Carlisle where 26014 & 27030 were backed on to take us to Largs. It rained all day and the 2 locos did not have any operational steam heating. Largs in the rain....... bliss..... not!

Another mystex from Nuneaton saw us in Carlisle once again where a class 40 took over to Ayr. On the return trip the electric loco had gone missing so the class 40 took us right back to Nuneaton.

Memories.....

Calv

 

[DarloRich]

I did a tour along the Boulby line from Saltburn to Boulby and back on a chocolate and cream 142 - very odd!

 

[GNERman]

Has anyone mentioned the Pathfinder tour a couple of years back with 37406? Started at Sheffield (?) and was heading for Aberystwyth, when en route it suffered multiple failures, before limping on, when NR contacted and said they couldn't allow it to Shrewsbury because of pathing, Llandudno or Blackpool were allowed, when Blackpool was chosen because it was easier for the crews. The tour ran a couple of months later with 2 37's and was faultless. Pathfinder asked not to have 37406 because of its notable unreliability, it was then when NR said all Cambrian tours must have 2 loco, with one dumped at Machynlleth...

What about an Intercity HST to Swinden Quarry???

 

[Whistler40145]

Glad I missed that tour, mind you I live in Blackpool!

 

[Masbroughlad]

Sometime in the late 80s - Class 45 and a rake of mark 2D first class carriages (vice asbestos full Pullmans) on an special from Sheffield to Blaenau Ffestiniog. 45 throughout - slipped to halt on an incline in torrential rain on BF branch. Class 25 came and gave us a push!

Also, once on a Merrymaker late at night back to Rotherham. We were diverted almost through the middle of Manvers coking plant!

 

[Crimson_Quiff]

I remember a Nenta Tour I did with my brother in 2002 (I think?!) where the train loco, 67003, failed at Doncaster. The thunderbird loco was used, 477xx (can't remember which one!) towed the stricken 'Skip' and train to just south of Durham where the RES duff failed! 90028 (still in Belgium freight colours at the time) rescued and towed the lot through Durham and onto Edinburgh.

Me and my brother were only going to Newcastle. We part-fared the tour from York to...erm...Moorpeth! Whoops! The driver in 90028 (which had just shunted the dead 67 and 47 into Tyne Yard) forgot to stop in Central station and off we went! The train was brought to a stand at Moorpeth for passengers wanting the Newcastle option. Nenta got onto TPE to allow tour passengers to use their railtour tickets to Newcastle!

It was a bit of farce for something as simple as York to Newcastle! :roll:

 

[The Snap]

I did a tour along the Boulby line from Saltburn to Boulby and back on a chocolate and cream 142 - very odd!

Why would you do that?!

 

[DarloRich]

Why would you do that?!

the 142 or the line?

I wanted to go along the line and it was at a time that it very rarely saw a passenger train. It was some sort of clebration to do with Saltburn and was quite cheap. Thinking back it may have been two 142s coupled up

 

[NIMBUS]

I remember the "Solent Explorer" railtour in 1983 to Eastleigh depot open day. 40 195 from BNS via Bristol and Salisbury into Eastleigh carriage sidings for detraining. Several people went back to Eastleigh station to do some spotting, intending to board the train (which went back via Basingstoke, Oxford, the Cotswold line and Kidderminster to Leicester and Nottingham) during the pilotman drop off. They were bowled because all of the doors on the platform side had been locked out to stop people falling out of the wrong side in the carriage sidings!

HRT's "Pinner Pieman" was another good one. A pair of Class 205 Hampshire units onto the Met, splitting at Watford, one unit going up to Chalfont and Latimer to work the Chesham branch all afternoon before a run back to Watford Met, pairing up with the other unit for a non-stop run to Aylesbury, reverse, then back to Waterloo via the WLL.

 

[Masbroughlad]

I did a Rotherham to Torquay Merrymaker with a massive (14+?) rake of Mk1s (mid to late 70s I think).

On return at Bristol TM, they took off the 45 and backed on a single 31!

Think they decided it wouldn't make it up Lickey and our re-fuelled 45 was returned.

Happy days - were records of all train movements kept back then? I would love to go back and find out more!

 

[Aictos]

Got a charter from Preston a few years back now visiting the West Highland lines, heading to Fort William with the Class 20 and Class 37 in double header formation with the Class 20 leading (non nose first) managed to get to Fort William without a hitch.

Some bright spark turned off the Class 20's engine so when it was time to head off to Mallaig so not only did we leave a hour later then booked as the engine refused to start but we also managed to delay the Up Caledonian Sleeper as we were using the platform it was supposed to depart from, I think there was a Class 156 in the other platform.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I did a Rotherham to Torquay Merrymaker with a massive (14+?) rake of Mk1s (mid to late 70s I think).

On return at Bristol TM, they took off the 45 and backed on a single 31!

Think they decided it wouldn't make it up Lickey and our re-fuelled 45 was returned.

Happy days - were records of all train movements kept back then? I would love to go back and find out more!

Have a look at Six Bells Junction, they seem to have all railtours timings going backl to the 19th Century, using steam, diesel & electric haulage.

 

[Whistler40145]

ajax103, that must have been the Spitfire tour with 20302 & 37069, I was on that one, listening to 20302 thrashing like hell & limping along. I don't know what was wrong with 20302, but it was nearly at deaths door by Glenfinnan!

 

[Aictos]

ajax103, that must have been the Spitfire tour with 20302 & 37069, I was on that one, listening to 20302 thrashing like hell & limping along. I don't know what was wrong with 20302, but it was nearly at deaths door by Glenfinnan!

The one and very same tour, that was my first ever charter as well

 

[50Fan91]

The best moment that I have enjoyed on a rail tour so far was on the "Curnow Irrupter" tour that visited the Cornish branch lines on May 28th 2011! Having delighted the track-bashers on the train, the 66 on the leading end (66135, if you're particularly interested!) crept passed the NR limit and onto the hard-standing at the very extremity of the Par harbour branch.

It was only then that it was observed that this was clearly a movement born of necessity, as I hope the attached picture shows....