To help pass the time during the current lockdown, we've been going through the RRRG image archive to pick out some workings from the BR careers of our two locomotives. We'll be posting these occasionally to hopefully stimulate a bit of discussion but also just to show some photos that have probably never been seen before.
The date is 25th January 1992 and the event is Pathfinder Tours' "Network Navigator" excursion. This departed Manchester Piccadilly at 06:05 behind 90020 and arrived at Birmingham New Street at about 08:10 where the electric was detached and 50030/50050 (the latter in celebrity railtour condition as D400) were attached to take the tour forward via Galton Jn - Stourbridge Jn - Kidderminster - Worcester Shrub Hill - Cheltenham Spa - Stroud - Swindon - Didcot Parkway - Reading - Wokingham - Haslemere - Petersfield - Havant - Fratton. Here 37271 was attached for the run Littlehampton - Angmering - Worthing before 50050/50030 hauled the train Worthing - Angmering - Ford - Barnham - Bognor Regis, 37271 then took over again for Bognor Regis - Barnham, 50050/30 Barnham - Chichester - Havant - Farlington Jc - Cosham - Fareham - Botley - Eastleigh, then 50050/30 took the tour back to New Street via Romsey - Salisbury - Westbury - Bath Spa - Dr Days Jn - Bristol Parkway - Cheltenham Spa - Bromsgrove - Barnt Green - Kings Norton - Camp Hill - New Street. 86401 then took over for the Birmingham New Street to Manchester Piccadilly return leg, where the train was booked to arrive at 22:53. Interestingly at this time both 50030 and 50050 were still in BR service: 50050 survived right up until the end of service Class 50s on the Waterloo-Exeter route on 24th May 1992, whereas 50030 was officially withdrawn on 8th April 1992 although its last working was the 12:55 Waterloo - Exeter service on 23rd February 1992. The same weekend as the "Network Navigator" tour, one other "railtour celebrity" locomotive, 50033, worked the 11:15 Waterloo-Exeter and 16:22 Exeter-Waterloo. The tour is seen arriving at Fratton early in the afternoon of 25th January 1992. Photograph: RRRG collection, photographer unknown. Were you on this excursion? Do you have any memories or other photographs of the day? Get in touch with us and share your memories!
Don't forget you can support us via our online shop and by joining RRRG. We will be back with some more nostalgia and memories of 50029 and 50030 in BR service soon.
