Blue Boys Merrymixer August 2021

[DEAN MURPHY]

Hi all
Has the route now been changed as of the new date? Is this still scheduled to use Birmingham-Crewe via the Burton-Leicester line via coleville?
I’m confused by the latest update of the route on pathfinder tours website.
I live in Burton so wanted to see it pass near where I live.
thank you

 

[JonathanH]

Hi all
Has the route now been changed as of the new date? Is this still scheduled to use Birmingham-Crewe via the Burton-Leicester line via coleville?
I’m confused by the latest update of the route on pathfinder tours website.
I live in Burton so wanted to see it pass near where I live.
thank you

I think one of the main selling points is the Coalville line. However, the Trent Valley is closed that weekend which is how the change of routeing has come about.

Water Orton – Wichnor Jn – Coalville – Hinckley – Nuneaton – Water Orton – Park Lane – Stafford – Crewe suggests that it won't quite get to Burton, turning off the main line just south of there but will still cover the whole line via Coalville in a west to east direction.

 

[DEAN MURPHY]

Thank you for the reply Jonathan.
So to be clear, this is not doing any point of the Burton Leicester line?
Cheers

 

[JonathanH]

Thank you for the reply Jonathan.
So to be clear, this is not doing any point of the Burton Leicester line?
Cheers

On the basis of the routeing I copied from the Pathfinder website, it is doing the whole of the 'Burton Leicester line' but at the western end, it appears to be joining that line using the connection from the Birmingham, rather than Burton, direction and, at the eastern end, the line points towards Wigston rather than Leicester.

 

[Iskra]

Tickets arrived today. Looking forward to a day involving classes 68, 37, 68, 66, 57 and 88. Hopefully this one doesn't get cancelled at the last moment as I'm looking forward to my first tour in a long while!

 

[3973EXL]

07/08 Times

Realtime Trains - FRGT 0531 Eastleigh to Bescot Up And Down Goods
Realtime Trains - FRGT 0955 Bescot Up And Down Goods to Crewe
Realtime Trains - FRGT 1628 Crewe to Stafford
Realtime Trains - FRGT 1901 Stafford to Bescot Up And Down Goods
Realtime Trains - FRGT 2027 Bescot Up And Down Goods to Eastleigh

06/08 68 to Eastleigh

Realtime Trains - FRGT 0950 Crewe Gresty Bridge (Drs) to Eastleigh Arlington (Zg)

 

[Iskra]

Thanks, no real surprises there however. Fairly good notice on the timings though compared to some other recent tours.

 

[43 302]

68006, 37069 + 37716, 88001, 57002 + 57003

 

[Iskra]

68006, 37069 + 37716, 88001, 57002 + 57003

Thanks for sharing. What about the 66 or is one not involved anymore, or is it just unknown?

4 winners for me there however

 

[43 302]

Thanks for sharing. What about the 66 or is one not involved anymore, or is it just unknown?

4 winners for me there however

Still a shed I just presumed no one cared! (And also don't know which one!)

 

[Iskra]

Still a shed I just presumed no one cared! (And also don't know which one!)

A loco is a loco as far as I’m concerned!

...but I can understand the wider lack of appeal.

 

[JonathanH]

68006, 37069 + 37716, 88001, 57002 + 57003

Suggestions elsewhere of other allocations for some of these.

Although I note that 57002+57003 moved from Kingmoor to Crewe yesterday, 37069 doesn't appear to have gone with them. That said, there is another Kingmoor to Crewe path in later.

 

[43 302]

Suggestions elsewhere of other allocations for some of these.

Although I note that 57002+57003 moved from Kingmoor to Crewe yesterday, 37069 doesn't appear to have gone with them. That said, there is another Kingmoor to Crewe path in later.

Could well have changed, I'm not on the tour do haven't been keeping track!

Appears my earlier post was incorrect, non ETS 68002 should appear.

68002, 37069 + 37716, 88006, 57002 + 57003, 66425

PF offering part fares of £15 between each adjoining station up until Coventry. So yes the 68 leg until Coventry would be £90. Absolutely insane.

 

[XCTurbostar]

07/08 Times

Realtime Trains - FRGT 0531 Eastleigh to Bescot Up And Down Goods
Realtime Trains - FRGT 0955 Bescot Up And Down Goods to Crewe
Realtime Trains - FRGT 1628 Crewe to Stafford
Realtime Trains - FRGT 1901 Stafford to Bescot Up And Down Goods
Realtime Trains - FRGT 2027 Bescot Up And Down Goods to Eastleigh

I would put money on headcodes; 1Z68, 1Z37, 1Z66, 1Z88 and 1Z57

 

[JonathanH]

I would put money on headcodes; 1Z68, 1Z37, 1Z66, 1Z88 and 1Z57

Not too much money I hope - they are confirmed elsewhere as 1Z38-1Z42.

 

[XCTurbostar]

Not too much money I hope - they are confirmed elsewhere as 1Z38-1Z42.

Thats a missed opportunity. I'll put my money back in my pocket

 

[bengley]

Does anyone know which stock is on the tour?

 

[Julian G]

Does anyone know which stock is on the tour?

Riviera Mk1s

 

[Iskra]

Good tour so far, great run upto Crewe on the WCML with the Mk1’s at speed



Last but not least...

 

[theblackwatch]

An enjoyable tour which did everything it set out to, but to me (and a good number of others on board), let down by the 'sticky digits' of the locos, which, while not important to some, is to a large proportion of participants, and it failed to produce any new locos for me - and many others, and not just those of us who have been doing tours/galas for 30+ years.

It also provided a good opportunity to catch up with a load of friends who I haven't seen for a long time, due to the pandemic. I'll probably see some of them next weekend as well though!

I think a forum member off here may have been in the queue to be allocated a table in the Beafeater at Crewe during the break., but I wasn't 100% sure. None of us were putting dubious registration marks into the car park registration logging machine.

 

[JonathanH]

An enjoyable tour which did everything it set out to, but to me (and a good number of others on board), let down by the 'sticky digits' of the locos, which, while not important to some, is to a large proportion of participants, and it failed to produce any new locos for me - and many others, and not just those of us who have been doing tours/galas for 30+ years.

88006 and 66431 had not been used on the mainline though and were preferable to 88001 and 66425, mentioned earlier in the week, which had run tours in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Clearly there are a handful of DRS 66s which have done neither galas nor a tour and a load more that last operated around 10 years ago. 88s are a bit more complex as all ten have hauled passenger trains.

Yes, a let down from the numbers point of view but not the worst choices. It clearly wasn't advertised on the basis of necessarily offering 'red pen' locomotives - is there an unwritten understanding that it should be?

 

[43 302]

88006 and 66431 had not been used on the mainline though and were preferable to 88001 and 66425, mentioned earlier in the week, which had run tours in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Clearly there are a handful of DRS 66s which have done neither galas nor a tour and a load more that last operated around 10 years ago. 88s are a bit more complex as all ten have hauled passenger trains.

Yes, a let down from the numbers point of view but not the worst choices. It clearly wasn't advertised on the basis of necessarily offering 'red pen' locomotives - is there an unwritten understanding that it should be?

What other 68 would you have other than the rarest one? I imagine if there are ones that people haven't red penned it will be totally different for everybody. As for the 37s surely thats the same story? At least it wasn't /4s!

 

[JonathanH]

What other 68 would you have other than the rarest one? I imagine if there are ones that people haven't red penned it will be totally different for everybody. As for the 37s surely thats the same story? At least it wasn't /4s!

Plenty of people will have been fairly indifferent about the 68 and 37s. As it is, yes, they were good selections from the available options.

Clearly, the other interest was a trip via Coalville, the use of the rare platform at Stafford, the loops etc. It isn't all about the motive power and numbers.

 

[John Brannelly]

I saw this as it passed through Shrewsbury, about 15 minutes late. Most pleasing was the class 88 loco. An electric loco at Shrewsbury is a rarity.

 

[theblackwatch]

88006 and 66431 had not been used on the mainline though and were preferable to 88001 and 66425, mentioned earlier in the week, which had run tours in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Clearly there are a handful of DRS 66s which have done neither galas nor a tour and a load more that last operated around 10 years ago. 88s are a bit more complex as all ten have hauled passenger trains.

Yes, a let down from the numbers point of view but not the worst choices. It clearly wasn't advertised on the basis of necessarily offering 'red pen' locomotives - is there an unwritten understanding that it should be?

I would think that most people who book on this tour expect to score an engine or two - and while the tour got what was advertised, I think many felt a bit let down (and not for the first time - the advertised 66 on the previous multi-traction tour never materialised at all). I'm sure that if a tour like this included "you won't get any winners in the book though" in it's advertising, bookings wouldn't be particularly good! Or perhaps I'm wrong?

At least yesterday's UKR trip included a rather choice Class 60, which last hauled a passenger train almost 20 years ago (and that being the only such working it had ever done).

 

[43 302]

I would think that most people who book on this tour expect to score an engine or two - and while the tour got what was advertised, I think many felt a bit let down (and not for the first time - the advertised 66 on the previous multi-traction tour never materialised at all). I'm sure that if a tour like this included "you won't get any winners in the book though" in it's advertising, bookings wouldn't be particularly good! Or perhaps I'm wrong?

At least yesterday's UKR trip included a rather choice Class 60, which last hauled a passenger train almost 20 years ago (and that being the only such working it had ever done).

Apart from the 66, they were the best choice of locos! They could've had 68010, 37419 + 37425, & 57306 for example, which I could imagine would probably not provide many winners for most people!

 

[theblackwatch]

Apart from the 66, they were the best choice of locos! They could've had 68010, 37419 + 37425, & 57306 for example, which I could imagine would probably not provide many winners for most peo

 

[JonathanH]

I would think that most people who book on this tour expect to score an engine or two - and while the tour got what was advertised, I think many felt a bit let down (and not for the first time - the advertised 66 on the previous multi-traction tour never materialised at all). I'm sure that if a tour like this included "you won't get any winners in the book though" in it's advertising, bookings wouldn't be particularly good! Or perhaps I'm wrong?

At least yesterday's UKR trip included a rather choice Class 60, which last hauled a passenger train almost 20 years ago (and that being the only such working it had ever done).

While I agree, whose responsibility is it to make sure that there is a desirable 66 available at Crewe? Moreover, while a lot of people will have had 88006 at the Severn Valley Railway, it was a mainline first. 88004 was mentioned as a more desirable 88 but a) it was in Motherwell and b) it had done a Pathfinder tour before.

Apart from the 66, they were the best choice of locos! They could've had 68010, 37419 + 37425, & 57306 for example, which I could imagine would probably not provide many winners for most people!

68010 and 57306 weren't available to them though.

As I noted above, 66431 and 88006 would appear to have been preferable to 66425 and 88001, which had done mainline work in the last three years. To what extent are DRS bound by their contract with Pathfinder to contort their operational schedules to get the 'right' locomotives in place? I note that allocation of a 'rare' engine will sell more tour tickets, particularly any spaces still available on the day (of which there were some).

 

[43 302]

68010 and 57306 weren't available to them though.

I was just thinking of examples of members of the class which are as common as possible! Take any Chiltern of TP 68 instea.

 

[Kite159]

Apart from the 66, they were the best choice of locos! They could've had 68010, 37419 + 37425, & 57306 for example, which I could imagine would probably not provide many winners for most people!

It could have been 68004 for the 68