The Shambles - Saturday 26th May 2012

Just noticed on UKRailtours website that GBRf have organised another charity charter - this time to raise funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Society. It is planned to run two Class 317/6 units from Shenfield to York and return.
Tickets are £20 ‘minimum donation’ but you can increase this figure with an additional donation. UK Railtours is handling the bookings: UKRailtours.com: THE SHAMBLES
Provisional timings show departure from Shenfield at 0815 then picking up at Stratford (0835), Finsbury Park (0910), Stevenage (0940) and Peterborough (1030) then non-stop to York. Around 4 hours in York is planned with a provisional return to Shenfield at 2045.
All GBRF staff on this trip are giving their time for free.
As the webpage says "....if you're not into different types of electric unit and you don't have an anorak .... this is also a cheapie day out to York for you and your friends."
Should be interesting to see how they'll cope with 100mph running for extended periods on the ECML. We had them on our WAGN services (when they were 317/3s) but they took their time reaching the ton - although Stoke Bank on the return will be a darn sight faster than on the outward!

 

The 317/1s do ok on the GN these days. Wouldn't like to go to York on one though! At least the /6s are more comfortable. Didn't 317s reach York when GNER had an axle fail on a Mk 4? I remember travelling on a 321/9 from Peterborough to King's X.

 

Yes, the 317s ran from Kings Cross to Leeds and York following the incident at Sandy in 1998. They also worked north during the snow earlier in the '90s.

John.

 

Cambridge railway circle chartered a WAGN 317 to York back in the late 90's

 

309 to York

Witham Round Table took a Clacton unit, remind me were they 309's to York in about 1989. I have a slide somewhere.