DIESEL-HYDRAULIC TOURS FROM PATHFINDER

Published at 17:00 on Saturday 30th January 2016
Tags: Western, Pathfinder, Charter

BR 'Western' Class No. D1015 'Western Champion' passes Burton-on-Trent on 4th October 2015 while en route to at Washwood Heath.  Andrew Bryon

Pathfinder Tours has added a pair of excursions featuring ‘Western’ haulage to its forthcoming itinerary for the season. These are the ‘Maybach Yorky’ on 10th April and the ‘Western Challenger’ on 7th May, both expected to be hauled by No. D1015 Western Champion.


Built by the Western Region of British Railways, rolling out of Swindon Works on 21st January 1963, and becoming a member of a class that would originally number 74 examples. It was originally allocated to Cardiff Canton shed (88A), where it spent a little under three months before moving to Old Oak Common (81A) at the beginning of April in that year. Two months later it was back at Canton shed, returning once more to Old Oak Common at the end of September. In February 1964 it headed for the West Country, as it finally found a long-term home at Laira Motive Power Depot (84A) in Plymouth. Here it remained until January 1969, when it was transferred to Landore shed (87E, later 87A) near Swansea. It was returned to Laira in October 1971, from where it was withdrawn in December 1976 after a working life of less than 14 years, having amassed a little over one-and-a-quarter million miles. The locomotive was put on static display at Swindon Works, and the Diesel Traction Group undertook a cosmetic restoration of it in 1978, but in the summer of 1979 the instruction was given to dismantle it. This work began that August, but thankfully the Diesel Traction Group learned of its plight and stepped in to save it, and the dismantling was stopped immediately. The Group eventually purchased it for the sum of £6,125 in 1980. A full restoration was then carried out and it was able to run at the 1985 Old Oak Common open day under its own power with two fully serviceable engines. However, an engine-bearing problem was then diagnosed and the work involved in the engine change prompted the Group to embark on a full ‘ground-up’ restoration of the locomotive. Its first main line outing following this took place in 2001, since when it has been a regular railtour favourite. The locomotive is now shedded at Boden Rail’s workshops at Washwood Heath.

The locomotive has been undergoing a period of maintenance since its last tour on 13th December, and the ‘Maybach Yorky’ on 10th April will act as its ‘running-in’ turn. The train is to be operated by DB Schenker, and the tour will also be used as a crew familiarisation and training exercise. As such, the excursion will only be a relatively short one, setting out from Derby at around 11:00, picking up additional passengers at Chesterfield, and running via Sheffield, Moorthorpe and Milford Junction to York, arriving at approximately 13:00. After a break of two-and-a-half hours or so, the return journey will be accomplished via Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Swinton and Beighton Junction, reaching Derby at around 17:50.

The second tour, the ‘Western Challenger’ on 7th May, is sure to appeal to ‘dyed in the wool’ 'Western' fans, as it has the aim of a non-stop run from Paddington to Plymouth for No. D1015 as a partial re-enactment of the Ian Allan railtour of exactly half a century previously. On 7th May 1966, classmate No. D1010 Western Campaigner departed Paddington station at 07:35 and ran non-stop all the way to Penzance, arriving at 12:50. The train later returned behind the ‘Western’ to Plymouth, where ‘Warship’ No. D823 Hermes took over for the run back to the Capital. This was accomplished by way of the LSWR route via Okehampton and Yeovil, terminating at Waterloo.

With today’s curtailed railway network being far busier than it was in 1966, unfortunately a non-stop run to Penzance is not possible. However, with the support of Network Rail and DB Schenker, Pathfinder is to attempt to make a non-stop run from Paddington to Plymouth. Setting out from the Capital at around 08:05 the train will run directly along the Great Western Main Line to Plymouth, where it will reverse and journey to Exeter and Okehampton, where passengers will be able to enjoy an afternoon break on the Dartmoor Railway. Upon departure, the train will retrace the route of the Ian Allan tour, running via Yeovil to Waterloo. On this part of the tour a non-stop run will not be possible, and a minimum of two pathing stops are expected at Salisbury and Basingstoke.

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