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For eight days during April 2009, railway enthusiasts and those perhaps keen to take a nostalgic trip down memory lane could book seats for the steam-hauled Great Britain II rail tour.
The original line-up of mainline certificated locomotives was impressive. Battle of Britain class 34067 Tangmere, BR Britannia class 70013 Oliver Cromwell, Princess Royal class 46201 Princess Elizabeth, the streamlined class A4 60009 Union of South Africa, Castle class 4-6-0 Nunney Castle, Royal Scot class 46115 Scots Guardsman, K4 class 61994 The Great Marquess, and a pair of LMS Black 5 class 4-6-0 engines 45231 and 45407. However, 5029 and 46201 became unavailable, the remaining locomotives picking up the work.
On Monday 6 April, the first leg of the tour was London Victoria to Bristol hauled by 34067 Tangmere.
The following day, the tour ran from Bristol to Penzance and then back to Bristol. 70013 Oliver Cromwell hauled the train between Penzance and Plymouth. At Plymouth, 34067 was added for a double-headed return to Bristol.
On Wednesday 8 April, 34067 had the lion’s share of the work hauling the tour from Bristol to Preston.
The following day, 46115 Scots Guardsman took over for the leg to Glasgow.
On Friday 10 April, the Black 5’s 45231 and 45407 double-headed the train to Inverness.
Saturday saw the train in the capable hands of the footplate crew on 61994 The Great Marquess for a return trip to Kyle of Lochalsh.
The Sunday leg was hauled by 45231 and 45407 as far as Dundee. Beyond that 45407 gallantly continued on to Edinburgh.
Monday 13 April, and the streamlined A4 pacific Union of South Africa (same class as the world speed record holder Mallard), headed the final leg to York.
Our images were taken by myself on Wednesday 8 April, when I was working at Onibury Crossing signal box. Battle of Britain 34067 is pictured approaching Onibury at 1408hrs.
The second image is important due to the fact that on Britain’s dysfunctional privatized railway, there were in 2009 more people employed in attempting to lay off the blame for train delays and the subsequent financial penalties, than had previously been employed at British Railways headquarters to run the entire network.
Speaking from experience, if Tangmere had failed, train operating companies for miles around would have attempted to use it as an excuse to dump all manner of delay costs against the tour’s operators.
As a result, running one block section in rear of Tangmere was class 47 diesel electric 47760. Hauling a support coach, 47760 was strategically placed to assist Tangmere should the worst happen.
Clive is our Transport and Railway writer, with years of experience he is a fount of knowledge on all things transport nostalgia.