GB Railfreight postpones September 2020 charity railtour - April 2021 slot pencilled in

GB RAILFREIGHT has taken the decision to postpone its 'GBRf 2020'charity railtour, which was scheduled to operate this coming September.

Unsurprisingly, the decision comes as a result of the continuing coronavirus restrictions, and in the interests of passenger safety the 'GBRf2020 (ish) 'tour, subtitled' This lime it's Personal; will now provisionally take place from Thursday, April 15 to Sunday, April 18,2021.

GBRf Railtours says it intends to keep the itinerary broadly the same, which on Day 1 begins at London Victoria with a Class 66 run around north London and on to London Gateway, where a pair of Class 73/9s take charge and head back to Temple Mills Loop, then over the GE Main Line to Harwich International for a break.

The '73s' proceed through Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and Cambridge, then back into north London, before the Class 66 takes the train to Euston.

Day 2 sees a pair of Class 73/1 s depart Euston and out to the Wembley area, where a Class 59 travels onto Southern metals via Woking to Eastleigh. A Class 08 will take the train on atour of the sidings and other areas, after which afresh pair of'73/1 s'will take the train back to London via Basingstoke, Woking, Clapham Junction, Kensington Olympia, and Acton Lane Reception (reversal) and back to Euston.

The next leg is an overnight run over the West Coast Main Line; a Class 92 working from Euston to Birmingham International, where it will be exchanged for a Class 86 as far as Birmingham New Street.

Class 73/1 swill then take the train on atour ofWest Midlands' lines, from New Street through Five Ways, Longbridge and down the Lickey Incline to Bromsgrove.

The Class 86 will then take the train from Bromsgrove, back up the Lickey Incline, through New Street, Duddeston and Aston and into Bescot Loop, where the Class 73/1 sare dropped off.

As the night deepens the'86' will continue on over the Cannock Line, then via Rugeley, Stafford, the Crewe Independent Lines, Wilmslow, Manchester Piccadilly and Bolton as far as Preston. Here, one of GBRf's recently re-instated Class 60s will take the tour on over the WCML to Carlisle, arriving in the early hours of April 17.

There's no rest for the wicked though, and a Class 37/Class 33 pairing (working in multiple) will continue north through Dumfries and Kilmarnock, where they'll turn towards the Ayrshire coast, passing through Troon and Newton-on-Ayr before heading inland again. Returning to Carlisle, the train then takes the Tyne Valley route to Newcastle.

The train will then be hauled by a Class 60 and Class 66 to Heaton Loop, where the Class 37/33 combination will re-attach and return to Newcastle, then Up the East Coast Main Line to York, and on to Sheffield, Chesterfield, Derby and Tamworth, before aset down at Birmingham New Street.

The ultimate destination for the day is the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) at Kidderminster.

The final day will start from the SVR's Kidderminster station with Class S0s Nos. 50007 and 50049 in charge. They will head first to Birmingham New Street for a pick-up, then south through Bromsgrove and Worcester, before heading across the Cotswold

Line through Evesham to Oxford, Swindon, Kemble, Gloucester and on to Lydney.

At Newport passengers wil I have the opportunity to leave the train for afew hours, but those staying on board will continue to Pengam Sidings, where the Class 50s will detach and return home.

A Class 92 and Class 66 will then top-and-tail for the onward run to Cardiff Central and into Cardiff West, then reverse and proceed along the Great Western Main Line and on through Bristol Parkway and Swindon, ending the day- and the tour - at London Paddington.

Full details can be found at... www.gbrfcharityrailtours.co.uk