3rd December 2011

Hastings Diesels Limited
The Old Curiosity Mystery Tour

Locos Used 73213
DEMU Used 1001 (formed: 60116+60529+70262+69337+60501+60118)

Route :
1Z81 : Hastings via London Cannon Street to Rochester
1Z82 : Rochester via Paddock Wood to Hastings
1Z83 : Hastings via Swanley to Rochester
1Z71 : Rochester via London Cannon Street to Hastings

Traction Route
1001 Hastings - Bopeep Jn - Battle - Robertsbridge - Tunbridge Wells Central - Tonbridge - Sevenoaks - Orpington - Petts Wood Jn - Bickley Jn - Bromley South - Beckenham Junction - Ladywell Jn - Parks Bridge Jn - St Johns - New Cross - North Kent East Jn - Spa Road Jn - London Bridge - Borough Market Jn - London Cannon Street
1001 London Cannon Street - Borough Market Jn - London Bridge - Spa Road Jn - North Kent East Jn - Greenwich - Charlton - Woolwich Arsenal - Slade Green - Crayford Creek Jn - Dartford - Gravesend - Strood - Rochester Bridge Jn - Rochester
1001 Rochester - Rochester Bridge Jn - Strood - Maidstone West - Paddock Wood - Tonbridge
73213 + 1001 Tonbridge - Paddock Wood - Headcorn - Ashford International
1001 + 73213 Ashford International - Charing - Maidstone East - Swanley - Swanley (sig 631)
73213 + 1001 Swanley (sig 631) - Swanley - Fawkham Jn - Sole Street - Rochester Bridge Jn - Rochester
1001 + 73213 Rochester - Rochester Bridge Jn - Strood - Gravesend - Dartford - Crayford Creek Jn - Blackheath - Lewisham - St Johns - New Cross - North Kent East Jn - Spa Road Jn - London Bridge - Borough Market Jn - London Cannon Street
73213 + 1001 London Cannon Street - (reverse of outward route) - Bickley Jn - St Mary Cray Jn - Swanley - Otford Jn - Sevenoaks - (reverse of outward route) - Hastings

Notes :
(1) John Clifford comments: When provisional details of this tour were announced it was to be a trip from Hastings to Rochester to allow a visit to the Victorian Dickensian Christmas festivities there. In addition the train would continue via Kent for those who didn't want to get off at Rochester. Subsequently it was discovered that there were engineering works in the Faversham area so, whilst the trip to Rochester would still go ahead, the route for the rest of the tour was not known. In fact the tour was advertised as a mystery trip and it was on that basis that that people booked. The tickets arrived with timings but the timings for section from Rochester were sealed so they would remain a mystery for those who didn't want to know where they were going. On the day the tour turned out to be more of a mystery than was expected. The first delay was on the Mid Kent line where trains were running late due to a signal problem at Lewisham. This caused the train to be diverted via Parks Bridge Jn, missing out Lewisham. After passing St John the train came to sudden halt. There was an AWS fault on car no. 60116. After two further sudden stops the train got going to Cannon Street. There was a slight delay here as no platform staff were available to see the train away. We reached Rochester 20mins late where attempts were made to rectify the AWS fault but to no avail and we set off 24mins late. It was announced that the train would now be going to Tonbridge to attached an 'ED' to the defective end of the train. Consequently the train would not go via 'The Marsh' to Hastings but would reverse at Ashford. As if this wasn't enough there was a signal problem at Cuxton which caused a slight further delay. After all this excitement the rest of the day passed without incident. 'ED' no.73213 duly attached we ran to Ashford & completed the rest of the tour as expected. A bonus was that we omitted the pathing stop on the Beckenham Spur and continued early. I got home half an hour early, unusual for a tour!

Source : John Clifford

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from John Clifford)

Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual
Hastings 07.30d [P3] ?   21.17a [P4] ?
St Leonards Warrior Square 07.32a ~ 07.35d [P1] ?   21.11a ~ 21.14d [P2] ?
Bopeep Jn 07/37 ?   21/08 ?
Battle 07.44a ~ 07.47d [P1] ?   20.57a ~ 21.00d [P2] ?
Mountfield Tunnel 07/51 ?   20/53 ?
Robertsbridge 07/54 ?   20/50 ?
Etchingham 07.58a ~ 08.01d [P1] ?   20.42a ~ 20.45d [P2] ?
Wadhurst 08/12 ?   20/31 ?
Strawberry Hill Tunnel 08/17 ?   20/23 ?
Tunbridge Wells Central 08.20a ~ 08.33d [P1] ?   20.15a ~ 20.20d [P2] ?
Wells Tunnel Jn 08/35 ?   20/12 ?
Somerhill Tunnel 08/42 ?   20/07 ?
Tonbridge 08.44a ~ 08.46d [P2] ?   20.02a ~ 20.05d [P3] 19.43 ~ 19.44 [P3]
Sevenoaks 08/55 ?   19/53 19/32 [P3]
Orpington 09/03 [FL] ?  
Petts Wood Jn 09/04 [UFV] ?  
Otford Jn   19/49 19/27½
Swanley   19/38 19/17½ [P2]
St Mary Cray Jn   19/33 [FL] 19/12 [FL]
Bickley Jn 09/05 [FL] ?   19/32 [FL] 19/11 [FL]
Bromley South 09.08a ~ 09.10d [P1] 09.11 ~ 09.12 [P1] [FL]   19.27a ~ 19.29d [FL] 19.06 ~ 19.07 [P2] [FL]
Shortlands Jn 09/12 09/14½   19/25 [FL] 19/03 [FL]
Beckenham Junction 09/13½ 09.17 ~ 09.20½ [P2]   19.09 ~ 19.22 19/01 [P3]
New Beckenham 09/16 09/26 [P1]   19/04 18/58 [P2]
Ladywell Jn 09/20 09/32   18/50 18/49
Lewisham 09/21 [DL] DIV   18/46½ 18/46 [P2]
Parks Bridge Jn DIV 09/32½ [FL]  
St Johns 09/22½ [SL] 09/33½ [FL]   18/44 [SL] 18/45 [SL]
Tanners Hill Jn ? 09.34 ~ 09.39½ [FL]   ? ?
New Cross 09/23½ 09.45½ ~ 09.49½ [FL]   18/43 [SL] 18/43 [P B] [SL]
North Kent East Jn 09/24 [3] 09/52 [3]   18/42 [2] 18/42 [2]
Spa Road Jn 09/26 [3] 09/54 [3]   18/39 [1] 18/39 [1]
London Bridge 09/29 09/56 [P3]   18/36 18/36 [P1] [1]
Borough Market Jn 09/30 [RVL] 09/57½ [REV]   18/35 18/35½ [D REV]
Cannon Street 09.32a ~ 09.52d 10.00 ~ 10.09 [P7] [REV]   18.22a ~ 18.32d [P6] 18.23 ~ 18.32½ [P6] [REV]
Borough Market Jn 09/54 10/12 [D REV]   18/20 [RVL] 18/21 [REV]
London Bridge 09/56 10/14 [P1] [1]   18/19 18/19½ [P3]
Spa Road Jn 09/58 [1] 10/17 [1]   18/16 [3] 18/15½ [3]
North Kent East Jn 10/00 10/19½   18/14½ [3] 18/14 [3]
Greenwich 10/04 10/23 [P1]  
Charlton 10/11 10/32½ [P2]  
Woolwich Arsenal 10/17 10/39 [P2]  
Plumstead 10/20 10/41 [P2]  
Slade Green 10/30 10/53½ [P2]  
New Cross   18/14 [3] 18/13 [P A] [3]
St Johns   18/13 [SL] 18/11½ [SL]
Lewisham   18/11 [SL] 18/10 [P3]
Blackheath   18/08  18/06 [P1]
Eltham   18/00  18/00 [P1]
Barnehurst   17/50 17/49 [P1]
Crayford Creek Jn 10/31 10/54½   17/44 17/44
Crayford Spur 'A' 10/32 10/55½   17/43 17/43
Dartford Jn 10/33 [DML] 10/56½ [DML]   17/42 17/42
Dartford 10/34 10/58 [P4]   17/40 [UML] 17/40½ [P2] [UML]
Springhead Road Jn 10/43 11/05   17/32 17/33
Gravesend 10/45 11/07 [ML]   17/29 17/30 [ML]
Hoo Jn 10/50 11/11   17/25 17/26
Strood 10/56 11/17 [P1]   17/19 17/19½ [P2]
Rochester Bridge Jn 10/57 11/18   17/17 17/18
Rochester 11.00a ~ 11.42d [P4] 11.20 ~ 12.06 [P4]   16.45a ~ 17.15d [P4] 16.46½ ~ 17.15 [P4]
Rochester Bridge Jn 11/44 12/09½   16/42 16/43
Strood 11.45 ~ 11.57 [P2] 12.11 ~ 12.15 [P2]  
Cuxton 12/02 12/24  
Maidstone West 12/15 12/39 [P2]  
Paddock Wood 12.33a [P2] 12/59 [P2]  
Tonbridge East Jn DIV 13/06 [SL]  
Tonbridge DIV 13.14 ~ 14.16 [P2]  
Paddock Wood 12.41d [P2] 14/23 [ML]  
Headcorn 12/53 14/32 [ML]  
Sole Street   16/33 16/32 [P2]
Fawkham Jn   16/27 16/26
Swanley   16.20d [P2] 16/20 [P2]
Swanley sig 631   DIV 16.12 ~ 16.18
Swanley   16.09a [P2] 16/11 [P1]
Otford Jn   15/56 15/59
Maidstone East   15.21 ~ 15.36 [P1] 15.22 ~ 15.36 [P1]
Charing   15/00 15/01 [P1]
Ashford International 13/04 14.45½ [P1]   14/51 14.50
Appledore 13/15 DIV   14/38 DIV
Rye 13/23 DIV   14/28 DIV
Ore 13/37 DIV   14.08 ~ 14.12 DIV
Hastings 13.41a [P1] DIV   14.05d [P1] DIV


Associated E.C.S. & Light Engine Moves

5Z81 : (1001) : St Leonards Depot to Hastings
5Z71 : (1001) : Hastings to St Leonards Depot

Location Booked (out) Booked (rtn)
St Leonards Depot 07.05d 22.00a
Bopeep Jn 07/09 21/51
Hastings 07.15a [P3] 21.46d [P4]

Additional unscheduled E.C.S. & light-engine moves:

1001 : Tonbridge to Tonbridge West Yard
73213 + 1001 : Tonbridge West Yard to Tonbridge

Location Actual (out) Actual (rtn)
Tonbridge ? 14.14
Tonbridge West Yard ? ?

73213 light-engine : Hastings to Tonbridge West Yard (after the tour)


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