GBRf four-day tour in doubt

Full details have been announced, but will GB Railfreight’s mammoth charity tour run as planned?

GB Railfreight has issued the itinerary for its planned four-day ‘This Time it’s Personal’ tour from September 24-27, with some wonderful treats in store. The charity GBRf tour is also supporting Prostate Cancer UK.

However, mindful of the coronavirus pandemic, the freight company’s officials are being cautious as to whether it will runas planned. So far, they are not saying it is cancelled, but tickets are not being released until a little more certainty is forthcoming. With Government and health officials beginning to say at the end of March that the clamp down on social distancing maywell last six months, thatwould takeus toSeptember. This is on the borderline, so be prepared that this tour may well be postponed. The planning, however, will continue and the hoped-for itinerary is as follows.

Day 1, September 24

London Victoria-London GatewayTemple Mills Loop-Harwich International (break). Ipswich-Cambridge-Highbury & Islington (option to alight)-WembleyEuston. Planned traction: Class 66 and 2xClass 73/9.

Day 2, September 25

Euston-Wembley-Hounslow (pick up)-Woking-Fareham-Eastleigh Yard. Eastleigh-Basingstoke-Kensington Olympia (option to alight)-Acton Lane Reception-London Euston. Planned traction: 2xClass 73/1, Class 59, Class 08, second pair of Class 73/1.

Day N overnight September 25/26)

Euston-Birmingham International-Soho bank-Birmingham New Street-Lickey Incline-Bro ms grove-Lic key InclineBirmingham New Street-Be scot LoopCannock-Rug eley- Crew e Independent line-Manchester Piccadilly-BoltonPreston-Carlisle. Planned traction: Class 92, Class 86, 2xClass 73/1,

Class 60.

Day 3, September 26

Carlisle-Dumfries-Kilmarnock-Newton on Ayr-Annbank-Carlisle-Newcastle (break). Newcastle-York (avoider)-the Swinton & Knottingley line-SheffieldDerby-Tamworth-Birmingham New Street (set down)-Kidderminster (SVR). Planned traction: Class 33, Class 37, Class 60, Class 66.

Day 4, September 27

Kidderminster SVR-BirminghamNew Street (pick up)-Camp Hill-WorcesterEvesham-Oxford-Swindon-GloucesterNewport (break if needed)-Pengam Sidings-Cardiff West-Newport (pick up)Bristol Parkway-Swindon-Paddington. Planned traction: 2xClass 50, Class 66, Class 92.