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How easy is it to run a train to Portsmouth? Type 3 to the Sea - The Prologue Part 2
Saturday 10th August 2019

Report by Dan Hitchens


In autumn 2017, with our new BLS friends added to the mix, DRS, and Virgin Trains (VT) had a conference call with Hovertravel based in Ryde about a 2018 summer special train. The DRS team had changed from the one that ran VT's previous three charity tours with most of the original team now at Crewe Locomotive Services Limited (LSL). However, DRS's Sam Dixon very enthusiastically took up the reins and suggested options. Right, summer 2018 here we come. SRPS stock to Preston, Class 88 to Kilburn Loop (reverse) with two '68s' to Havant; Class 88 to Portsmouth and the '68s' back to Preston. 'The Pompey Cat'; we all agreed to go away and come back by Dec with the train. Unfortunately, DRS could not confirm the Class 68s with the TPE contract then still unconfirmed. Unofficially the '37s' had been planned to be withdrawn ASAP (this was reversed later with some Class 37 contracts won in Cumbria and Anglia) but their Class 47s had already gone. We ended up with only Class 57/3s and SPRS stock which was still a 'no' and not on the safety case.

I don't have a problem with Riviera stock but just wanted to run a train with Mk1s, if only once. Riviera also had more commitments with their Mk1 rake and the stock hire price had changed considerably since the Bournemouth Flyer, so it became apparent that 2018 summer was not going to happen.

Talking with Kev after the conference call and getting the train off my chest we approached the LSL guys that we at VT had previously worked with. They agreed on paper that we could probably run a Liverpool to Portsmouth train shared with DRS. The conference call happened with a group of people that get on very well and combining what we have together to do something for the greater good. 47635 or 47/8 Crewe to Liverpool; '88/68' pair to Wembley, pan up on the '88'; '88/68' Wembley to Portsmouth diesel; 47635 or 47/8 helping as needed to Eastleigh; '88/68' Portsmouth to Liverpool and then 47635 or 47/8 Liverpool to Crewe. 'The Up Pompey' was born. For various business reasons, despite good relations, this combination and joint working was not a runner in early 2018.

Could LSL go on their own just using their own locos? D213 had just joined the fleet early 2018, was it ready? LSL then advised us they could not guarantee stock with the number of trains it had agreed to run for Saphos. We knew that LSL were putting together a second rake, but it wouldn't be ready in time. So reluctantly I put the Portsmouth train to bed. Here we have a MD of a company, head of 'Visit Portsmouth' and on the board of 'Visit Isle of Wight' wanting to offer a great number of off train options, with great PR and raising money for a charity, and I couldn't even get the train off the shed.

In the summer of 2018 many things changed personally for me and I felt that the Portsmouth train would be lost. I knew the options we had could not just disappear, so I spoke to Mike Hoptroff at VT who had been onboard from the start. I was going to give the train away to anyone that could run it. We couldn't lose the choices we had been offered for a charity train benefitting from three years of work. We had by then had Class 20, 37, 40, 47, 50, 68, 73 & 88s on the train at some point. Mike agreed but VT and the Railway Magazine had some crazy idea in their heads about a Crewe open day with LSL. I spoke to James Dobson and he also agreed about the Portsmouth train and little surprised me when I found out he was behind this Open Day with every Freight Operator and as many Train Operators as they could get together. I wished James well with his event and set out on my own.

I turned to Kev with three years of work and first refusal after the trust put into me and the time already spent by Kev. My only condition was to look at it and if he couldn't run it let me pass it on to someone else. I don't know what Kev thought, there was no stock, no date, no locomotives, no charity but I did have hovercraft, tube trains, museums, history, ships and shopping complexes. You could see Kev's cogs whirring but with so many trains on paper, in his mind or open for booking on the go, you never know. How many '33s' do West Coast Railways (WCR) have? WCR stock? If not GBRF how much for '50s'/'73s'? What would margins be for charity? SRPS stock? Kev still looked at me as if I was mad.

It was time to take Kev for a ride to Ryde. In Feb 2019 we went to the Hovertravel boardroom on the IOW. I was welcomed back as I had been going for years and Kev left a little in awe after a 'winning' new hovercraft, the enthusiasm of Neil, plus the view across the Solent from the board room. Within minutes Kev looked at me: We are going to Portsmouth. I had my doubts not in Kev but in believing it would ever happen. This would be my fifth attempt after the Up Pompey, Pompey Cat, Four to the Shore, Solent Syphons/Vulcan Vectis. Kev had all of the options, locos, routes, stock and ideas. We agreed in principle four hours in Portsmouth and a Crewe start - less risky than from further north.

Coming back from Portsmouth Kev made notes: WCR stock and question marks over the locos. I didn't hear much for a little while as Kev had to speak to WCR about stock. By the 25 Mar 'Version 6' had a proposed date of Sat 10 Aug. I spoke to James Dobson and between LSL and Crewe station they had started to finalise their mass Crewe open day. With this moving forward for Sat 8 Jun, a BLS tour for Rethink Mental Illness on the following day was investigated and so the 'Sunday Yicker' was conceived.

One morning shortly after, Mark Thomas a friend, BLS Member and fellow Three Peaks Challenge catering crew member, mentioned that the train to Portsmouth for RNLI with Class 37s sounded amazing and thanked me for what I had done‽ I checked my emails … nothing there … I saw Kev that weekend and grinning he said that WCR had agreed and here was the spec for a '37' hauled train. It was very close to the one I have had for years with a few changes for BLS track requirements. The only change from Version 6 was 'Up Pompey' crossed out and replaced by 'Type Three To The Sea' and the charity was now the RNLI. We had lost the '57' on the rear to a third '37' as it was in the summer.

'xx/xx/19' was the date, my heart did drop a little with no date, though 10/08/19 had been mentioned, it was definitely not a public knowledge train yet, but progress. The email chatter picked up. Could we have all three '37s' on the front on the way home? Could we run the back loco around at Fratton, Guildford, Reading or Nuneaton? The next email chain again included Sat 10 Aug. Then a date I won't forget reading, 3 May, when WCR would bid for the charter to NR. 'Save the date' was in the 9 May BLN 1328 and slowly I started to believe. Bookings opened in BLN 1329 of 30 May with many options.

The three 37s on the front on Saturday could not be guaranteed so with a few questions to WCR it was agreed that Sunday's Crewe to Lancaster ECS would be a Class 1 public train. The 'Tri County Triple Tractor' was made public, crossing Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Lancashire; 100 participated.

Now the hard work starts, although I had one key job related to my employer. VT had promised me a Class 390 nameplate and I was aware 'All Change at Crewe' (the open day) was having a nameplate auction. I signed for and collected the name plate off 390043 within days; it then spent 16 weeks in my study - but was safe. My head was full of all sorts. The Portsmouth job had taken up so much space in my brain for so long, it needed a weekend off, so I worked the ticket barrier at 'All change Crewe' and then we had 'The Sunday Yicker' for Rethink Mental illness next day. I visited Hoylake lifeboat station to get photos of the launch of the Sharon Class boat and the Hovercraft ready for our tour brochure.

The Portsmouth train took over my life, Class 37s, mascots from VT, RNLI, Hovertravel, a Poppy wreath in memory of those lost at sea. Kev always has weekly phone updates about forthcoming fixtures, usually during one of his drives home. The work done on the Portsmouth train was outstanding, but another train really had my heart for all of the right reason, but it was a date I had been struggling to get off work and now fast approaching. With very limited time left, work agreed the leave and I found myself on our Sat 20 Jul 'Luca Pezzulo Express'. What an amazing humbling train to work. Luca's train had a huge amount of energy on it with groups of people working together to pull it off as well as for the future ideas. Arrival at Lancaster with 37521 and £21k raised for Martin House Children's Hospice meant that the Portsmouth train was next. We had a great train on paper and the ticket sales had covered the cost to run it, but there were still some seats left, what else could we do as time was limited. We tried for the last time that week to find options to have three 37s on the front from Portsmouth which we gracefully gave up on; in the end a Class 97 was even considered.

Mon 5 Aug came which meant the week was underway and the train would run in a few days, each day emails came from Mark Gomm about ticket sales - it was mad. Every day more bookings arrived and we ended up selling seats until late on the Friday night with the ECS already in the Crewe Refuge Siding. With brochures, maps, tickets, window decals, raffle flyers and passenger manifests printed the week was spent sorting out operational matters. WCR were brilliant in confirming stock changes and allowing us to swap the RMB back into the rake to give the catering staff onboard a better service area instead of just having the kitchen. The fleet team also made 37518 fit for a test run so we could have the three locos as requested. When we had first planned the train WCR didn't need two Class 37s at Fort William as well as one at Bo'ness - the latter to help with cover for an SRPS tour to Tweedbank. The brilliant work done by the Carnforth team that week preparing the locos will not be forgotten, this push with 37518 it gave us the weekend we wanted. 'Thank you' doesn't nearly cover it enough.

As usual some of the stewards went up to Carnforth on the Friday to prep the train. On the railway we always talk about travelling light I only had safety gear, a special headboard, the Class 390 nameplate, 100 pint glasses, 32 pints of beer, kit bag and my personal bag for the weekend. With the stock stabled at Crewe the train was all ready for the participants. I did not sleep well at all that Friday night; with my mind whirring; so much that had been going on for so long...

Continued in Part 3.

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