23rd November 2002

Past Time Rail
The Spinnin' State V

Locos Used 37710, 37890, 56081, 59204, 60096, 66064 & 67018
Stock Used 6311+ 3133+ 3148+ 3107+ 4991+ 4938+ 4999+ 4956+ 1658+ 21246+ 5005+ 4959

Route:
1Z29 : London Victoria to Bristol Temple Meads
1Z30 : Bristol Temple Meads to London Victoria

Loco(s) Route
37710 + 37890 London Victoria – (via Down Stewarts Lane & Down Ludgate) - Clapham Junction – Barnes – Hounslow loop – Feltham – Virginia Water – Wokingham – Reading – Newbury – Westbury Down Reception
67018 Westbury Down Reception – Bath Spa – Bristol Temple Meads
60096 Bristol Temple Meads – Bristol Parkway – Yate – Gloucester
56081 Gloucester – Kemble – Swindon – Didcot Parkway – Reading West Curve – Theale U/D Goods
59204 + 66064 Theale U/D Goods – Reading – Wokingham – Virginia Water – Feltham – Richmond – Clapham Junction – (via Up Ludgate & Up Stewarts Lane) – London Victoria

Source : Daniel Bound

Tour Review
(by Daniel Bound)


60096 at Gloucester (photo: Daniel Bound)

Some more tour photos.

It was well over 2 months since my last railtour, with other tours I was booked on being cancelled and not running beyond Stafford, etc.  I was eagerly looking forward to the tour, seven locomotives, so surely being a novice I would score highly! A nice run to Westbury, Bristol, Gloucester and an early return to London Victoria beckoned. Early gen through the week suggest 37710 and 37890 out of Victoria. Excellent; a pair of winning heavyweights!

Saturday arrived and there was rain in the air.  Not a nice day for photographs.  I rose early to see if I could get some southern units for haulage.  Some quick bashing between Victoria and Clapham saw a few more CIG’s and VEP’s scored, not many to go now.  Arriving in Victoria close to the departure time saw a vacant platform 2.  An announcement told us the stock had been delayed on it’s journey inward and our revised departure time was 9:25, not bad only 20 minutes late.  At a quarter past, 60003 Freight Transport Association brought in the stock, and with the early gen proving correct 37890 in tatty mainline grey and 37710 in loadhaul black backed on.

20 minutes late at 9:25 we departed Victoria with both 37’s sounding in fine form. This didn’t last for long, and we were stopped on Grosvenor Bridge, as the line was set wrong! This took ten minutes to sort out, in which time 60003 had passed us on its way back to hither green.  We took the down Stewarts Lane and rounded the Battersea reversible. Only to stop again.  92026 went past on a channel tunnel freight, and then we still didn’t move.  Now the points had failed at Longhedge Jct!  After a fifteen-minute fester we were finally on the move again. We continued around the down Ludgate line through Clapham Junction and headed on the southern line towards reading.

            We were now 45 minutes late, had lost our booked path and were now stuck behind stopping units and to add insult to injury we were diverted around the Hounslow loop, no thanks perhaps to the rugby international at Twickenham. We slowly lost time all the way and we departed from Reading almost an hour late, only then the 37’s were finally opened up and a fine run was had along the Berks and Hants until we reached Westbury.

Westbury was brimming with locos, the yard contained no less than eight 66’s with another couple unidentifiable. Those that were seen were 66117, 133, 091, 136, 054, 185, 235 and 207, with 60084 and 058 thrown in for good measure. Two Fragonset 31’s, 31602 and 31459 were also in the yard on a short rake of coaches for the impending Bristol to Brighton runs.  We also passed 67018 waiting in the sidings for our tour. Not the 67 everyone wanted to see, as it had hauled Past Time’s Spinnin’ State 3 back in June from Doncaster to York!  A spirited run nevertheless saw us arrive at Bristol 20 minutes before our departure time, with 60096 gleaming in EWS livery waiting at the north end of the station. As we couldn’t lose our path over the single line between Kemble and Swindon we had to depart on time, so the 60 was attached and everyone was herded onboard with no break. What a disaster!

            The 60’s run was excellent and we were soon running early as we powered our way through the now gloriously sunny countryside towards Gloucester. Here we were to run into the yard for our loco change, but for some reason we ended up running into platform 4, time for photos! Thank you Mr or Mrs Signalman! A number of fully wedged voyagers were seen (poor passengers!) before 56081 was attached to the rear, now front of the train for our homeward run towards London. Leaving Gloucester the same way, we were then routed left at Standish Jct. for the run towards Swindon, with a slight wait for a first great western HST at Kemble, before a fast run down the main line. A crew change at Didcot Parkway allowed us to get the locos stabled here, 66250, 244, 106 and 145 with 60018, 37675, 682 and 692. The latter now named, I think unofficially, Didcot Depot.  We set off again down the main line but branched off just before Reading and followed this mornings route. We left the line at Theale to travel down the entire length of the Up and Down Goods loop! Here we had our final loco change for the pairing of 59204 and 66064.

We retraced our steps to Reading for our first drop off point, and then we headed back down the southern line.  The pairing being so powerful that we were constantly running on cautions to slow us down and keep us to time! Despite all the efforts of the signalmen we dived down and under Clapham Junction to re-emerge in Victoria 2 minutes early!

Overall for me this was a fantastic railtour, with varied and interesting motive power being able to stretch their legs (occasionally!). I also scored all the locos with the exception of 67018, so even more value for money! With an easy start and relatively early finish I am looking forward to the next spinnin’ state tours in 2003. If you haven’t been on one yet maybe you should consider it.


59204 & 66064 at London Victoria (photo: Nick Blyth)

Daniel Bound

Timings : Booked & Actual
(by Daniel Bound)

Miles Location Booked Actual
0.0 London Victoria 09.05d 09.25
0.9 Grosvenor Bridge Jn 09/08 09/35
1.5 Stewarts Lane 09/11 09/40
1.8 Longhedge Jn 09/13 09.45a ~ 10.00d
2.9 Clapham Junction 09/19 10/04
6.1 Barnes 09/27 10/09
- Richmond 09/30 DIV
- Twickenham 09/33 DIV
9.7 Brentford DIV 10/14
13.5 Feltham Jn 09/36 10/20
19.1 Staines 09/43 10/36
23.3 Virginia Water 09/50 10/36
29.1 Ascot 09/57 10/46
35.7 Wokingham 10/21 11/03
40.6 Earley 10/17 11/11
42.5 Reading Spur Jn 10/22 11/20
43.4 Reading 10.24a ~ 10.27d 11.22 ~ 11.24
45.2 Southcote Jn 10/31 11/28
60.5 Newbury 10/44 11/41
73.8 Bedwyn 11/03 11/50
86.4 Woodborough Sidings 11/14 12/02
95.6 Lavington 11/21 12/09
102.1 Heywood Road Jn 11/28 12/14
103.1
0.0
Westbury Yard 11L31a ~ 11L51d 12.17 ~ 12.34
5.1 Bradford Jn 12/01 12/43
14.6 Bathampton Jn 12/20 13/00
17.2 Bath Spa 12/24 13/04
27.9 North Somerset Jn 12/36 13/23
28.3 Bristol East Jn 12/37 13/24
28.6
0.0
Bristol Temple Meads 12L39a ~ 13.46d 13.26 ~ 13.50
0.3 Bristol East Jn 13/47 13/51
0.6 Dr Days Jn 13/48 13/52
1.5 Stapleton Road 13/50 13/53
4.5 Filton Jn 13/54 13/57
5.8 Bristol Parkway 14/02 14/00
10.4 Westeleigh Jn 14/09 14/06
11.9 Yate 14/12 14/09
18.6 Charfield 14/19 14/16
31.9 Standish Jn 14/34 14/31
38.0 Gloucester Yard Jn 14L43a 14/39
39.0
0.0
Gloucester DIV 14.49a ~ 15.11d
1.0 Gloucester Yard Jn 15L02d 15/15
7.1 Standish Jn 15/15 15/21
18.2 Stroud 15/24 15/27
23.0 Kemble 15/45 15/46
35.7 Swindon Loco Jn 15/57 15/57
36.7 Swindon 16/01 16/04
47.5 Uffington 16/10 16/12
50.0 Challow 16/12 16/14
60.9 Didcot Parkway 16.22a ~ 16.25d 16.23 ~ 16.28
62.4 Moreton Cutting Jn 16/28 16/32
78.6 Reading West Jn 16/41 16/45
79.1 Oxford Road Jn 16/46 16/47
80.0 Southcote Jn 16/48 16/49
84.0
0.0
Theale U/D Goods 16L55a ~ 17L23d 17.00 ~ 17.21
4.6 Southcote Jn 17/28 17/28
5.8 Reading 17.31a ~ 17.34d 17.33 ~ 17.36
6.3 Reading New Jn 17/35 17/37
8.7 Earley 17/41 17/42
12.6 Wokingham 17/46 17/47
20.2 Ascot 17/55 17/55
26.0 Virginia Water 18/03 18/02
30.2 Staines 18/12 18/15
35.8 Feltham Jn 18/21 18/24
38.0 Twickenham 18/26 18/27
39.6 Richmond 18/34 18/31
42.2 Barnes 18/40 18/34
45.4 Clapham Junction 18/45 18/42
46.5 Longhedge Jn 18/48 18/46
46.8 Stewarts Lane 18/50 18/48
47.4 Grosvenor Bridge Jn 18/53 18/50
48.3 London Victoria 18.56a 18.54

Key;
a : arrival time
d : departure time
L : loco change
/ : passing time

No attempt has been made to verify the mileages given.

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