The Railtour Files

Welcome to "The Railtour Files", a major part of Six Bells Junction. This set of Webpages are an attempt to list the motive power and routes of as many UK railtours (and some non-UK tours) as possible. Tour details from each year can be found by following the links below;

Updates News :
At the present time only tour gen sent to me already coded in html format is being uploaded as soon as received. Any other information sent will be backed-up and dealt with as and when time may permit, priority being given where possible to 'current' tours in order that I do not receive multiple submissions from people assuming I have not received the info as the tour has not been uploaded. As I am receiving in excess of 20-30 e-mails per day relating to this Website I also am not able to open, read and respond to what is being received...I regret I simply do not have the time to engage in lengthy discussions about tours or other specials, past or present. A big thanks go to Nick Bartlett who has been assisting me for a while now creating Pages for current tours already in html format ready for uploading.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...when submitting tour information (assuming you want me to use your submission quickly);
put the date, tour name and tour organiser in the SUBJECT LINE of your e-mail
...this will help me greatly when I am making updates as I can quickly identify e-mails in my inbox about the same tour. E-mails received without this vital information in the subject will be archived, unread, until such time as I may be able to work on them. The backlog currently stands at around 2,500 e-mails in total, and growing daily. What time I have available will be spent working on those which have been 'well presented'. E-mails simply offering/asking if I want tour gen/photos sending in will be deleted without response - if it is new gen you have to offer that is not presently uploaded on the site then please send it in. Please also, when sending timings, tell me whether they are booked or actual - in around 25% of submissions it isn't at all clear!

Finally, please also take note of the rest of the comments in the section "Submitting Gen? Please read first...", especially if you are sending information for the first-time, or infrequently. By submitting gen to this Website it is assumed you have read and are complying with the comments contained in that section.

Two last requests with respect to sending photos (or other large attachments);
1) No e-mails with very large attachments (files, photos etc) please without first clearing it with me - with digital photos these days being often 5mb each or more, it does not take many to exceed my ISP's mailbox limit and work commitments sometimes mean I do not download e-mails every day.
2) Please do not forward photos that were taken trackside, or have the appearance of having been taken from, 'inside the boundary fence', even if that was from a legitimate location (e.g. footpath crossing). Whilst enthusiasts and even the authorities took a liberal attitude to this a few decades ago, we live in a far different world nowadays and I do not want SBJ to be seen encouraging trespass or putting a photographers safety at risk. If your photo does not clearly show you were outside the boundary fence then it will not be used on SBJ. Exceptions to this are legitimate trackside photostops (remember them?!?) or photos from the 70's and earlier.

Want to use information from this Website elsewhere? Please read first...
Use of this information elsewhere

To those who follow the above 'rules' - you have my thanks, it is much appreciated.

WEST COAST SIGHTINGS RECORDS 1948 to 1968

Do you have any spotting records tucked away?
If they are from somewhere on the West Coast Main Line in the period 1948 to 1968 then they may be useful for this project.

Contributor Links

The owners of the following Website(s) in this section have very kindly contributed towards the running costs of this Website;

My personal thanks also goes to Dave Kirwin, Bill Leatherland, Brian Whitaker, John Debens, John Simmonds, Vic Smith, Greg Morse, David Tomlinson, Ian Lyall, Tony Davies, Keith Jenkin/The Cornwall Railway Society, Paul Harrison, Tony Davies, Ken Horan & Bruce Nathan who have all chosen to make a contribution as a way of acknowledging the important source of reference that SBJ has become and enjoyment that can be derived when reading through the many pages of information and memories.

It currently costs me around £100/year to bring you Six Bells Junction which, up to now, I have been paying out of my own pocket. The cost is for the domain name (sixbellsjunction.co.uk) plus the provision of Webspace and mail forwarding etc. Though I've never asked it before, donations towards the running costs would always be gratefully received. I am willing in return to consider allowing adverts (of a railway interest/nature only) to be placed for an agreed period in this area of the homepage and/or in a prominent area at the top of the links Page, or simply include your name in the growing list of people who have financially supported this endeavour.
If you are interested then please contact me for further discussion, or simply make a donation via PayPal. Thanks in advance for your kind support!

Looking for something in particular - a loco, a tour etc? Try this search engine and you may be in luck!

These Webpages are dedicated to the memory of Alan Bradley (1948 - 2000).

Remember : window-hanging is dangerous!

This Website is copyright (c) Gary Thornton (webmaster@sixbellsjunction.co.uk).
All photographs and articles used on this site are my own work, unless otherwise stated. Copyright on all photographs remains with the photographer/collection owner.
The views expressed on these pages are mine only, unless otherwise stated (comments and views expressed in reviews are that of the reviewer unless otherwise stated).