9th October 1965

The Railway Magazine
Welsh Mystery Flyer

Locos Used D1662 'Isambard Kingdom Brunel', D6891, D7089 & 4472 'Flying Scotsman'
Stock Used [1]: 7 coaches
[2]: 8 coaches

Route : 1Z40 (?throughout?)

Loco Stock Route
4472 [1] London Paddington - (via GMWL) - Reading - Didcot - Swindon (1)
D7089 [1] Swindon - Wootton Bassett Jn - Westerleigh Jn - Stoke Gifford Jn - Pilning - Severn Tunnel Junction - Newport - Cardiff Central
D6891 [2] Cardiff Central - Ninian Park - Radyr - Penrhos - Caerphilly - Bassalleg
D6891 [2] Bassalleg - Risca - Tredegar Junction - Pengham - Bargoed
D6891 [2] Bargoed - Pengam - Ystrad Mynach - Llanbradach - Pontypridd - Treherbert - Maesteg - Bridgend - Barry - Dinas Powis – Cardiff Central
D1662 [1] Cardiff Central - (reverse of outward route) - London Paddington

Notes :
(1) Richard Billinge comments: The Welsh Mystery Tour set off from Paddington on time at 09:30 with seven coaches behind Flying Scotsman, Main Line to Cardiff. With it being called a mystery tour, I can’t remember how much information was given out to passengers. There must have been some as I knew we were one minute down at Didcot. There was a PW slack between Wantage Road and Challow which meant we were four minutes late at Uffington. By then it was apparent that 4472 was in some sort of difficulty so we stopped at Swindon but only five minutes late on what should have been the passing time. 4472 was replaced by D7089 which got us to Cardiff in 67 minutes start to stop against a scheduled 68 minutes pass to stop. EE Type 3 D6891 then took us on a tour of some of the South Wales valley lines. D1662 ‘Isambard Kingdom Brunel’ took the train back non-stop to Paddington. Word was it was being used as a trial to see if it could be done in two hours. Because of a slack through Newport and PWS en route, we were nine minutes down through Wooton Basset but only five late into Paddington.
(2) D6891 carried the headcode 1Z40, confirmation is required if this headcode was used for the whole tour.

Sources : Richard Billinge (on the train throughout) & Andrew Fairholm

Photo Review


4472, failed at Swindon (photo: The John Debens Collection)


D6891 during the photo stop at Maesteg (photo: Richard Billinge)


From The John Debens Ticket Collection.


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