28th December 1991

Pathfinder Tours
The Crompton Constructor

Locos Used 33050, 33063, 47636, 47811 & 56055
Stock Used 5023+4949+4930+5009+4939+17156+17147+4927+5030+4919

Route : 1Z38 throughout

Loco(s) Route
47636 (4) Wolverhampton - Portobello Jn - Bescot - Aston - Birmingham New Street - Selly Oak - Barnt Green - Cheltenham Spa - Stroud - Swindon - Didcot Parkway - Reading
33050 + 33063 (1) Reading - Slough - Acton Main Line - Acton Wells Jn - Mitre Bridge Jn - Kensington Olympia - Latchmere Jn - Longhedge Jn - Factory Jn - Brixton - Nunhead - Lewisham - Blackheath - Charlton - Woolwich Arsenal - Dartford - Gravesend - Hoo Jn - Grain old station
56055 (2) Grain old station - Hoo Jn (signal D19)
33050 + 33063 (3) Hoo Jn - Strood - Gillingham - Western Jn - Queenborough - Sheerness on Sea
56055 (2) Sheerness on Sea - Sittingbourne - Faversham - Canterbury East - Dover Priory - Dover Western Docks
33050 + 33063 Dover Western Docks - Dover Priory - Martin Mill - Deal - Sandwich - Canterbury West - Ashford - Paddock Wood - Tonbridge - Redhill - Guildford - North Camp - Wokingham - Reading
47811 Reading - Didcot Parkway - Swindon - Stroud - Cheltenham Spa - Barnt Green - Selly Oak - Birmingham New Street - Aston - Bescot - Portobello Jn - Wolverhampton

Notes :
(1) 56055 attached at Hoo Jn (signal D19)
(2) 33050 + 33063 on rear.
(3) 56055 on rear.
(4) Originally listed as 47836, but since corrected by Duncan Jennings.

Sources : Simon Bennett & Alan Sheppard

Tour Review
(by Nigel Benning)

I picked up this tour at Reading, having travelled up behind 47825 on the 06:50 from Bournemouth. The tour was essentially a round tour of Kent behind a pair of Class 33's. Three branches were included in the itinerary: Grain, Sheerness-on-Sea and Dover Western Docks, for which a Class 56 assisted in top'n'tailing the train. As regards timekeeping, 20 minutes were lost due to problems releasing the brakes for departure from Grain, with a further 10 minutes dropped whilst reversing and removing the 56 at Dover Western Docks. Arrival back at Reading was 31 minutes down, where I jumped ship and headed back to the south coast (207017 to Basingstoke and 2414 to Bournemouth).

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Alan Sheppard, Nigel Benning & John Cassey)

M.C Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual M.C
0.00 Wolverhampton 07.05d ?   22.40a ? 144.36
1.64 Portobello Jn 07/09½ ?   22/33 ? 142.52
6.01 Bescot Stadium 07/13 ?   22/29 ? 138.35
11.15 Perry Barr North Jn 07/17 ?   22/25 ? 133.21
12.60 Aston 07/20 ?   22/22 ? 131.56
15.36 Birmingham New Street 07.27a ~ 07.30d ?   22.10a ~ 22.15d ? 129.00
18.67 Selly Oak 07/37½ ?   22/03 ? 125.49
21.01 Kings Norton 07/40 ?   21/58 ? 123.35
26.09 Barnt Green 07/46 ?   21/49 ? 118.27
? Bromsgrove ? ?   21/42 ? 114.64
31.65 Stoke Works Jn 07/50 ?   21/40 ? 112.51
43.02 Abbotswood Jn 07/58 ?   21/31 ? 101.34
61.00 Cheltenham Spa 08.13a ~ 08.15d ??.?? ~ 08.27   21.14a ~ 21.16d 21.44 ~ ??.?? 83.36
67.30 Gloucester Yard Jn 08/22 08/33½   21/08 21/37 77.06
73.40 Standish Jn 08/27 08/40   21/03 21/32 70.76
78.21 Stroud 08.34a ~ 08.36d 08.47½ ~ 08.50   20.53a ~ 20.55d 21.22 ~ 21.24 66.15
89.35 Kemble 08/52 09/03½   20/40 21/08½ 55.01
103.11 Swindon 09.03a ~ 09.11d 09.15 ~ 09.19   20.25a ~ 20.27d 20.53½ ~ 20.56 41.25
116.54 Challow 09/23 09/30   20/14 20/41 27.62
127.24 Didcot Parkway 09.31a ~ 09.33d 09.40 ~ 09.41   19.59a ~ 20.01d 20.30 ~ 20.32 17.12

 

M.C Location Booked Actual
144.36
0.00		 Reading 09L49a ~ 10L08d 09.59 ~ 10.19
4.77 Twyford 10/16 10/26
11.59 Maidenhead 10/23 10/34
17.42 Slough 10/31 10/47
26.72 Southall 10/43 10/59
30.22 Ealing Broadway 10/49 11/06
31.57 Acton Main Line 10/51 11/10
32.29 Acton Wells Jn 10/58 11/13
33.02 West London Jn 11/00 11/16
33.41 Mitre Bridge Jn 11/06 11/18
35.68 Kensington Olympia 11/11 11/22
38.51 Latchmere Jn 11/18 11/31
39.36 Longhedge Jn 11/20 11/33
39.75 Factory Jn 11/30 11/38
41.22 Brixton 11/33 11/44
42.04 Cambria Jn 11/35 11/46
44.11 Nunhead 11/37 11/50
45.77 Lewisham 11/41 11/56
46.68 Blackheath 11/43 11/58
48.63 Charlton 11/46 12/03
50.51 Woolwich Arsenal 11/50 12/07
57.05 Crayford Creek Jn 12/01 12/22
58.24 Dartford Jn 12/03 12/23
58.51 Dartford 12/06 12.24a ~ 12.25d
65.34 Gravesend 12/20 12/34
68.58 Hoo Jn 12/30 12.38a ~ 12.40d
? Signal D19 12L32 ~ 12L42 12.42 ~ 12.49
70.20 Signal D12 12/48 12/54
79.61
0.00		 Grain Old Station 13.18 ~ 13.25 13.16 ~ 13.45
9.41 Signal D12 13/55 14/12
11.03
0.00		 Hoo Jn 13.58 ~ 14.00 14.14 ~ 14.18
3.72 Strood 14/05 14/25
4.15 Rochester Bridge Jn 14/07 14/27
7.09 Gillingham 14/13 14/32
15.04 Western Jn 14/23 14/42
16.34 Kemsley 14/27 14/45
20.35 Queenborough 14/33 14/50
22.33
0.00		 Sheerness-on-Sea 14.37a ~ 14.49d 14.55 ~ 15.11
1.78 Queenborough 14/53 15/15
5.79 Kemsley 14/59 15/22
7.70 Sittingbourne 15/03 15/25
15.08 Faversham 15/13 15.35a ~ 15.38d
24.76 Canterbury East 15/32 15/54
34.71 Shepherds Well 15/43 16/04
39.43 Buckland Jn 15/48 16/09
40.34 Dover Priory 15/50 16/10
41.41
0.00		 Dover Western Docks 15L55a ~ 16L05d 16.18 ~ 16.45
1.07 Dover Priory 16/10 16/51
1.78 Buckland Jn 16/12 16/53
5.78 Martin Mill 16/18 17/00
10.27 Deal 16/24 17/06
14.37 Sandwich 16/29 17/12
19.24 Minster 16/35 17/17
30.61 Canterbury West 16/48 17/33
44.79 Ashford 17/05 17/51
66.23 Paddock Wood 17/27 18/08
71.46 Tonbridge 17c44 ~ 17c45 18.15 ~ 18.17
? Edenbridge 17/50 18/23
91.22 Redhill 18.05a ~ 18.20d 18.41 ~ 18.59
93.09 Reigate 18/24 19/03
104.03 Gomshall 18/35 19/16
110.42 Shalford Jn 18/42 19/23
111.57 Guildford 18/45 19/26
117.64 Ash 18/54 19/34
119.64 North Camp 18/58 19/36
124.24 Blackwater 19/10 19.41a ~ 19.45d
130.54 Wokingham 19/18 19/53
134.37 Earley 19/25 19/57
136.32 Spur Jn 19/28 20/00
136.71 New Jn 19/29 20/02
137.29
0.00		 Reading 19L32a ~ 19L44d 20.03 ~ 20.13

Timings continue in first table.

Back to "The Railtour Files"