10th - 11th October 1998

Highland Railway Heritage
The Far North

Route :
1Z03 : Inverness to Wick
1Z06 : Wick to Thurso
1Z07 : Thurso to Wick (2)
1Z08 : Wick to Thurso (2)
1Z09 : Thurso to Wick
1Z10 : Wick to Inverness (3)

Notes :
(1) Originally planned to use 75014, but this loco had been failed some time previous to the tour.
(2) 1Z07 & 1Z08 did not run.
(3) Route code "1Z10" assumed.

Source : Mike Harries (on the train throughout)

Tour Review
(by Mike Harries)

10/10/98
There was a problem with the clack valves – a quarter of an hour was spent at Muir of Ord trying to deal with this. In spite of running tender first, we were still only 17 minutes late at Rogart (after the first big climb and descent). We passed a freight at Brora, and left there 19 minutes late. We were 20 late leaving Helmsdale.
This led directly to the problem at Forsinard. It was intended to take water on the main line just short of the loop, but because we were now running late the service train which should have passed after we had watered was waiting – we had to go straight into the loop. This meant that the tanker could not get close to the tender, and so watering took much longer. Instead of a 24 minute stop, we took an hour; and we had arrived 40 minutes late; we left 77 minutes late.

At Georgemas Jn, the guard had to operate the points, and the arrival into Wick must have been worrying for the crew. They were running tender first, with an unlit platform, and crowds of people – it looked as if all the population of Caithness had come to see the first steam train for more than 30 years arrive. The loco took water, then had to set the train back a little, then run round. We left Wick all but two hours late, but in no hurry because a service train was now on the Thurso branch. At Georgemas Junction, we had to run onto the main line south to allow the Sprinter to come off the Thurso line to go to Wick; then we had to set back towards Wick before running forward onto the branch.

11/10/98
It had been intended to run a Thurso – Wick – Thurso return trip, mainly for the local people; but because of the very late arrival, the crew would not have had their statutory rest period before the first (planned) departure at 08:30. Instead, the “long-distance” passengers who had stayed in Thurso were taken by bus – with opportunities to photograph the train on the way – to Wick. Local passengers from Thurso were then returned to their starting point by bus from Georgemas Junction. Local passengers from Wick, who would also have had a return trip to Thurso, were instead carried to Helmsdale, and, again, returned by bus. This resulted in the train being very full from Wick to Helmsdale, but most people were very accommodating, especially letting the children try the seats (a bit different from Sprinters, even if they ever use the train at all) and look out of the windows.

At Georgemas Junction, as well as setting down local passengers, we passed a Hertfordshire Railtours excursion (behind a pair of Class 37s) on its way to Wick, so leaving only 18 minutes down was not bad.

The water stop at Forsinard took only the 25 minutes intended – probably helped by the fortuitous arrival of a thunderstorm which got the passengers back aboard ahead of time! At Georgemas Junction, we had to run onto the main line south to allow the Sprinter to come off the Thurso line to go to Wick; then we had to set back towards Wick before running forward onto the branch.

Mike Harries

Timings (Booked and Actual)
(From Mike Harries)

Back to "The Railtour Files"