24th October 1987

B.R. (Network South East)
(Ian Allan Network Day Specials)

A series of special trains run on the Ian Allan Network Day. Cost was £8 (or £5 for Network Card holders) for a days unlimited travel across the entire NSE, including the special workings.

Route :

Notes :
(1) Confirmation of workings required (Gary Thornton rode on outward leg from Paddington to Milton Keynes Central), times taken from pre-event literature.

Route :

Notes :
(2) Ran as loco + 4TC. Confirmation of how many round trips were made is required (Paul Goldsworthy travelled on the 09.30 from Watford and 09.50 return working). Gary Thornton comments: strictly this was running in place of the service train on the branch, but is included for completeness. This was not mentioned in the pre-event literature but I recall it was possible to do the 09.23 Paddington to Northampton as far as Milton Keynes Central, a service train to Watford Junction, the 33 to St Albans Abbey, another service train to Kettering then pick up the last run out to Corby on that special shuttle.

Route :

Notes :
(3) Gary Thornton recalls: a class 58 ran a Kettering to Corby shuttle during the day, finishing with a Corby to Oxford run, but the last round trip and run to Oxford had the class 47 on it due, if memory serves correct, to the 58 being low on fuel. Pre-event literature lists the shuttle as running from 10.00 to 16.00 and, for the purposes of the special ticket, Bedford to Kettering and Corby was regarded as being within NSE and thus it was valid on HST service trains (though I remember the guard on the HST I and many others took from St Pancras to Kettering, the 14.15 St Pancras to Nottingham with 43059/43079, did not seem aware of this!).
(4) Paul Goldsworthy records the departure from Kettering as 17.00 not 17.30 as Gary Thornton's records showed.

Route :

Notes :
(5) Matt Walker travelled on this relief service between Basingstoke and Woking.

Other notes :
(6) Kevin Gaylard lists a run from Paddington to Banbury (via Greenford & High Wycombe) & back to Didcot with 47500 - was this a service train or another special?
(7) Other "unusual workings" given in the pre-event literature were;
a) Preserved class 306 Romford - Upminster (06.00 - 21.40)
b) Last class 105 DMU in passenger use Colchester - Sudbury (06.25 - 22.00)
c) Green, original condition class 302 Upminster - Tilbury (08.45 - 18.25)
d) Class 317 EMU Cambridge - Liverpool Street (07.25 - 18.30)
e) Class 207 DEMU Readign - Newbury
f) GN/Watford class 313 Charing Cross - Caterham (07.30 - 18.00 but subject to gauge clearance)
g) Jaffa-cake livery class 411 4-CEP London-East - Grinstead
h) Class 202 DEMU Ashford - Hastings
Confirmation of what ran is required.

Sources : Gary Thornton, Kevin Gaylard, David Garnett, Paul Goldsworthy & Matt Walker

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