The only disappointment on getting tickets for this DAA tour was the loss of the advertised pair of rats from Euston with goyles substituting. This was because of booked Sunday morning drag’s between Bletchley and Rugby taking up all available 25’s and apparently class 25 trained drivers.

A sociable 0915 departure time saw 31304/31101 thrash up Camden Bank along with a good run along the WCML. 31304 was considered "big" , 101 in later years was to become a local regular passenger machine. At the time 31’s were quite rare on the Southern WCML, only occasionally producing on the Ilford-Wolverton unit drags. How this was to change in the next few months as the popular "rats" were slowly outsted.

25095/200 passed us US on a drag in the Kilsby area and during the Rugby photo stop gen that 37274 was doing the 1000 Euston-Wolves off Nuneaton and 56002 the 1100!. A good few bailed for the drag power hoping to pick the tour up later, but we opted to stay, "the 20’s bound to be withdrawn before the grid"….Hindsight is a wonderful thing, 56002 early withdrawl was to offer us few other chances!

20153/20167 took us forward from Nuneaton along unfamiliar track to Stratford-upon-Avon where we had a short break and photted our power running round. In true "DAA" style a second pair of 20’s then took us forward from New St with 20077/178 providing the power via Leicester and onto the vast expanses of Toton Yard. Class 15 ADB968002 or D8237 with a snowplough was parked in the headshunt as were the "massive" 37065/37042 which were our next forwarding power.

A few miles North and we swung onto the rare connecting curve linking the Midland with the Midland Railway centre. A through train onto preserved metals being a first for many on board. Immaculate green "peak" 44004 Great Gable then backed on for a run down the short branch, passing vintage gronk 12077 on Swanwick depot. With just the leading 2 of the 12 coach consist in the platform at Hammersmith we all took a while to pile off and phot the peak in continuing good weather.

Steam traction in 13809 then shuttled the stock up and down the branch before returning us to the branch/main line connection. 37042/065 were reattached here for a thrash down to Leicester passing 20141/20163 on the 1800 Skegness-Derby at Nottingham from memory. A bonus in a new pair of large goyles (31320/315) were added at Leicester for a final thrash down the Midland to St Pancras.

A classic DAA tour, hugely enjoyable at the time and on writing up these memories many years later.

310093 0625 Bletchley-Euston LB-EU

31304} 0920 Euston-Ironville Charter EU-NU

31101}

20153} 0920 Euston-Ironville Charter NU-ST

20167}

37274 1000 Euston-Wolverhampton

56002 1100 Euston-Wolverhampton

20153} 0920 Euston-Ironville Charter ST-NS

20167}

20077} 0920 Euston-Ironville Charter NS-TO

20178}

37065} 0920 Euston-Ironville Charter TO-IV

37042}

44004 0920 Euston-Ironville Charter IV-HA

13809 (k) 1700 Butterly-Ironville HA-IV

13809 (k) 1700 Butterly-Ironville IV-HA

13809 (k) 1830 Ironville-Euston Charter HA-IV

20141} 1800 Skegness-Derby

20136}

37065} 1830 Ironville-St. Pancras Charter IV-LS

37042}

31320} 1830 Ironville-St. Pancras Charter LS-SP

31315}

081 2303 Euston-Northampton EU-LB

31304 and 31101 under Rugby’s real trainshed with the Northbound leg of the tour

20153 and 20167 after arrival at Stratford upon Avon

37065 and 37042 prior to taking the tour forward at Toton

44004 is about to replace the 37er’s near Ironville on the MRC, note the original "Buzzard" looking on, a legendary local top man now back in his native Cornwall.

Further superb tours listed here and a bit more DAA mythology.

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