www.pathfindertours.co.uk
Class 50 fans have a very busy few weeks coming up by the looks of things.
Bloody hell as if I haven't already spent enough money on 50 tours! I so like the look of this one though.The Hadrian Hoovers - Pathfinder Railtours
Travel behind English Electric Class 50s to Stranraer. Joining Stations: Tame Bridge Parkway, Birmingham New Street, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Carlisle and York*
Class 50’s taking in the Durham Coast, Tyne Valley, Settle and Carlisle.
The automated text which accompanies that link erroneously has Stranraer as the destination...The Hadrian Hoovers - Pathfinder Railtours
Travel behind English Electric Class 50s to Stranraer. Joining Stations: Tame Bridge Parkway, Birmingham New Street, Stafford, Crewe, Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston, Carlisle and York*
Class 50’s taking in the Durham Coast, Tyne Valley, Settle and Carlisle.
Yes, when I first saw that, and that it was going via York, I thought it seemed an incredibly long trip, then couldn't find any reference to Stranraer on the actual page. Not the first time a page has been copied and resulted in incorrect information being shown.The automated text which accompanies that link erroneously has Stranraer as the destination...
LSL’s The Ayrliner is doing Stranraer with 20’s, a 47 and an AC electric.
When's that running? I couldn't find it on their programme.
27th of July I believe
Thanks....I hadn't realised that the programme went beyond the end of June!
They took 50s there in 2021 so may never be a 50 railtour to that destination again due to it being a more unusual place to visit and a headache operationally, especislly if Scotrail ever restore the full service.
One look at the SLC website ( or more accurately the traction subsector) reveals a wide expanse of traction the crews sign as well as high route knowledge. I believe they are doing Class 50 training now, possibly due to the fact they are operating a "fill-in" positioning move as a tour with the BLS from the East Mids to Eastleigh with 50008 in a few weeks time.
Another tour has been announced, a South Wales freight tour featuring a class 60 and a 66. Pathfinder have confirmed that they are ‘drip feeding’ their 2022 tours so I will keep updating the thread
The Cwmbargoed Collier - Pathfinder Railtours
An attractive railtour to visit freight lines in South Wales, including the tremendous climb to Cwmbargoed, where trains are expected to cease running in 2022. Joining Stations: Banbury, Leamington Spa, Dorridge, Birmingham New Street, Stourbridge Junction, Kidderminster, Worcester Shrub Hill...
They do look a good set of tours those, especially with 97’s up front. No doubt this line has been popularised after the relatively recent documentary that covered the line. The 20th May one is tempting me.
There is a Pathfinder tour planned to Mazey Day, and it won't be the first time there have been 2 or 3 tours to Penzance on that day - I can recall one occasion when Spitfire ran 2 tours to there, and Pathfinder ran one as well.
That's my local line, as I live only a few minutes from Shrub Hill. You'll be taking the left curve at Smethwick Jn to pass from the New Street line to the Snow Hill line. Left side of the train will probably scrape against foliage there. Then you'll pass through the remains of the old platforms at Smethwick West before the run down Old Hill Bank and through the Black Country. Approaching Stourbridge Jn station you'll pass the freight line to Brierley Hill on your right, which once used to go to Dudley and Wolverhampton. Then you'll pass the Chiltern depot on the right, where there may be a Class 68 or two. As you come into Stourbridge Jn you'll see the branch line to Stourbridge Town on your right, often said to be the shortest branch line in Europe. If you're lucky you'll also see one of the Class 139 people movers that work the line. Then onto Kidderminster, where shortly after the station you will run past the Severn Valley Railway on your right, including their diesel depot, so you'll definitely see some 50s there.Tickets have arrived for next weeks Cwmbargoed Collier tour. There have been some marginal alterations to the original route, I keep checking RTT but nothing is on yet. When the Snow Hill pick up was dropped for New Street I took this to mean the train would no longer go via Kidderminster and Worcester, but this is not the case and the train still takes that route which is good news for me as I've not travelled it before and was one of the reasons for booking. Traction still intended to be 66 and a 60 according to the literature. One thing to note is that due to Valley Lines rules, the toilets will be out of use for around 2hrs 40 mins in the afternoon as the colliery line is travelled- heavy drinking not advised on this tour! Other than that, I'm looking forward to it
Thank you very much for the excellent description, I will keep an eye out for the sights you mention. I do like a Semaphore- I have been to Worcester Shrub Hill before- it has a very old school feel to it!
Especially in the days of HSTs and class 150s! Class 800s, not so much...
Looking good. Do you happen to know which way around the stock is?
First class at the front - coach M leading I believe
Excellent! Thanks for that
