23rd July 1994

Hertfordshire Rail Tours
The Roxby Music

Locos Used 37515, 56088 & 56102
Stock Used 5023+4959+4869+4998+1853+17165+17169+5007+4842+4938+4977

Route : 1F52 throughout

Loco(s) Route
56088 London Kings Cross - (via ECML) - Peterborough - Doncaster - Shaftholme Jn - Knottingley South Jn - Knottingley East Jn - Sudforth Lane (1)
56102 (2) Sudforth Lane - Knottingley - Pontefract Monkhill - Crofton East Jn - Oakenshaw South Jn - Royston Jn
37515 (3) Royston Jn - Oakenshaw South Jn - Calder bridge Jn - Wakefield Kirkgate - just under main ECML Leeds line
56102 (2) just under main ECML Leeds line - Wakefield Kirkgate - Calder Bridge Jn - Crofton East Jn - Pontefract Monkhill - Ferrybridge North Jn - Milford Jn - Gascoigne Wood Jn - Hambleton West Jn - Hambleton East Jn - Selby West Jn - Selby Canal Jn - Temple Hirst Jn - Joan Croft Jn - Applehurst Jn - Stainforth Jn - Thorne Jn - Scunthorpe - Trent Yard Reception Line
37515 (3) Trent Yard Reception Line - Roxby Gullet (4)
37515 (3) Roxby Gullet - Trent Yard Reception Line
56102 Trent Yard Reception Line - (no.1 reception line) (5) - Crowle - Thorne Jn - Stainforth Jn (6) - Kirk Sandall Jn - Doncaster (p8) - (down/up slow 1) - Decoy North Jn - Decoy South Jn - Flyover West Jn - Flyover East Jn - Loversall Carr Jn - (via ECML) - Peterborough (7) - Stevenage - Hertford North (8) - London Kings Cross

Tour was originally advertised to traverse the Eggborough PS loop but emergency track relaying prevented it. Monk Bretton was offered as the replacement but this was then truncated to Royston Jn due to vandalism to the signalling equipment between Royston Jn and Monk Bretton. Ferrybridge PS loop was also advertised but this was removed from the itinerary as an inspection saloon scraped the bunker during a visit prior to the tour.

Notes :
(1) Tour was booked to run into Drax, round the loop and back to Knottingley where a loco change was to take place. A track circuit failure earlier in the day near
Gascoigne Wood Jn had caused many MGR trains to be running late and as a result we were refused access to the Drax PS loop. Instead we sat in Sudforth Lane Down Siding until 56088 was swapped for 37515 & 56102 at which point we headed back towards Knottingley and the booked route.
(2) 37515 on rear.
(3) 56102 on rear.
(4) 56102 & 37515 swapped ends at Roxby Gullet.
(5) Whilst waiting for removal of 37515 in the
Trent Yard Reception Line it was discovered that a fault had developed with Keadby Canal Swing Bridge - it had been opened to let a boat through but in the heat the metal had expanded and although it closed again, the safety bolts didn't 'prove'. The train was pulled up alongside Scunthorpe station (on no.1 reception line - which had been refused when requested for the tour!) and waited for a decision. And waited. And waited.... Having pulled up in Trent Yard Reception Line at 17.44, it finally departed Scunthorpe at 20.45, resulting in not doing some of the other freight track on the itinerary. Arrival back at Peterborough was 165 minutes late.
(6) Booked route had been via Applehurst Jn - Skellow Jn - and Carcroft Jn to Doncaster, but abandoned as a result of the very late running.
(7) tour was booked to run via Eastfield Yard on approach to Peterborough station, but didn't on account of very late running.
(8)
Neil Wilkinson has records to say the train was diverted via the Hertford North loop on the return leg, arriving back at Kings Cross about 00.10 on the Sunday morning. Roger Elliott has confirmed this diversion from the booked route. A class 317 was used to get passengers home to those stations missed out because of the diversion. John Harrup adds: I was on this train from Potters Bar. On the return leg having arrived at Stevenage, those people wanting Potters Bar had to wait for a Class 317 unit from Letchworth Carriage Sidings. Left Stevenage at about 00.20 and arrived at Potters Bar at approx 01.35. The main line between Welwyn Garden City and Potters Bar was out in several places which resulted in some single line running with crossovers, under the control of a pilotman. An eventful day.


56102 on the Scunthorpe Goods Lines (photo: Gary Thornton)

Sources : Gary Thornton (joined/left train at Peterborough) & Alan Sheppard

Timings (Booked & Actual)
(from Robin Addison, Gary Thornton & Alan Sheppard)

M.C Location Booked Actual   Booked Actual M.C
0.00 Kings Cross 07.25d 07.25   21.33a ? 460.59
1.43 Holloway South Jn 07/29 07/29   21/22 ? 459.16
2.41 Finsbury Park 07/34 07/34   21/20 ? 458.18
4.78 Alexandra Palace 07/39 07/39   21/17 ? 455.61
12.57 Potters Bar 07.47a  ~  07.48d 07.47 ~ 07.48   21.08a  ~  21.10d DIV 448.02
20.25 Welwyn Garden City 07/56 07/56   21/02 DIV 440.34
23.73 Woolmer Green Jn 07/58 07/58   20/59 DIV 436.66
27.45 Stevenage 08.03a  ~  08.04d 08.03 ~ 08.03   20.53a  ~  20.55d 23.28 ~ 23.31 433.14
31.74 Hitchin 08/09 08/09   20/48 ? 428.65
44.10 Sandy 08/20 08/20   20/34 ? 416.49
58.70 Huntingdon 08/40 08/40   20/21 ? 401.69
69.26 Holme 08/55 08.51a ~ 08.55d  
- Connington South Jn   20/13 ? 393.44
76.29 Peterborough 09.03a  ~  09.06d 09.14 ~ 09.24   20.02a  ~  20.05d 22.46 ~ 22.48 384.30
- New England North Jn   19/57 DIV
(went mainline)
382.53
81.56 Helpston Jn 09/13 09/32  
84.64 Tallington Jn 09/17 09/36   19/52 22/37 375.75
99.61 Stoke Jn 09*30  ~  09*41 09/49   19/40 22/26 360.78
105.38 Grantham 09/49 09/54   19/35 22.18 ~ 22.20 355.21
106.08 Nottingham Branch Jn 09/51 09/56  
109.56 Barkston South Jn 09/55 10/00   19/32 22/14 351.03
120.08 Newark Northgate 10/03 10/07    19/24 22/06 340.51
138.49 Retford 10/18 10.26a ~ 10.27d    19/10 21.50a ~ 21.51d 322.10
152.00 Loversall Carr Jn 10/29 10/41   19/00 21/37 308.59
155.77 Doncaster 10.45a  ~  10.47d 10.53 ~ 10.59    18.51a  ~  18.53d 21.27 ~ 21.29 304.69

 

M.C Location Booked Actual
160.22 Shaftholme Jn 10/51 11/05
170.31 Knottingley South Jn 11/13 11/20
170.51 Knottingley East Jn 11/14 11/23
? Sudforth Lane ? 11L33 ~ 12L53
174.36 Whitley Bridge 11/20 DIV
181.63 Drax Power Station Loop 12/05 DIV
189.10 Whitley Bridge 12/20 DIV
193.28 Knottingley 12L32a  ~  12L47d 13/04
195.17 Pontefract Monkhill 12/51 13/09
201.42 Crofton East Jn 13/06 13/19
202.56 Oakenshaw South Jn 13/08 13/23
206.18 Royston Jn 13.21  ~  13.45 13.33 ~ 13.39
209.67 Oakenshaw South Jn 13/57 13/48
211.00 Calder Bridge Jn 13/58 13/51
211.46 Wakefield Kirkgate 14.00a  ~ 13/53
? just under Leeds line DIV ??.??a ~ ??.??d
211.46 Wakefield Kirkgate ~ 14.15d 14.09 ~ 14.16
212.12 Calder Bridge Jn 14/17 14/18
214.07 Crofton East Jn 14/22 14/23
220.32 Pontefract Monkhill 14/31 14/32
222.06 Ferrybridge North Jn 14/39 14/38
226.15 Milford Jn 14/50 14/45
227.53 Gascoigne Wood Jn 14/56 14/47
229.37 Hambleton West Jn 14/58 14/50
230.46 Hambleton East Jn 15/00 14/52
233.44 Selby West Jn 15/05 14/57
233.76 Selby Canal Jn 15/08 14/59
238.39 Temple Hirst Jn 15/17 15/04
247.07 Joan Croft Jn 15/28 15/13
247.56 Applehurst Jn 15/32 15/15
251.32 Hatfield & Stainforth 15/40 15/24
253.00 Thorne Jn 15/42 15/26
267.46 Scunthorpe 15/59 15.49a ~ 16.02d
268.43 Trent Jn 16.04  ~  16.14 16.12 ~ 16.28
272.26 Roxby Gullet 16.39a 16.54 ~ 17.21
276.31 Trent Yard Recep. Line 17L34 ~ 17L59 17.44 ~ 18.57
? Reception "Outwards" Line DIV 19.03 ~ 20.44
284.60 Crowle 18/09 21/03
292.15 Thorne Jn 18/20 21/15
293.63 Hatfield & Stainforth 18/22 21/16
297.39 Applehurst Jn 18/32 DIV
300.07 Skellow Jn 18/42 DIV
300.57 Carcroft Jn 18/44 DIV

Timings continue in first table.

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