‘GB XI’ heads for Swanage in 2018

by

THE Railway Touring Co (RTC) has unveiled the route for its 11th grand tour of Britain in April 2018.

The nine-day steam extravaganza departs from London King’s Cross on April 19 behind No. 60103 Flying Scotsman (pictured), running north via Cambridge, Peterborough, Lincoln and York to Scarborough.

Perfectly matched with its train of BR maroon Mk1 stock, No. 60103 Flying Scotsman makes a fine sight at Greengates on the climb to Ais Gill with RTC’s ‘The Waverley’ tour from York to Carlisle on August 13. The ‘A3’ is booked to haul the first leg of next year’s ‘Great Britain’ landcruise, which will also head north over the Settle-Carlisle line the following day. ROBERT FALCONER

Day 2 sees the train take the scenic route from Scarborough to Edinburgh via Leeds, the Settle-Carlisle line, and the former Glasgow & South Western route from Carlisle to Glasgow via Kilmarnock.

Article continues below…
Advert

Monthly Subscription: Enjoy more Railway Magazine reading each month with free delivery to you door, and access to over 100 years in the archive, all for just £5.35 per month.
Click here to subscribe & save

Stanier ‘Jubilees’ No. 45690 Leander and No. 45699 Galatea are booked to haul this leg of the trip.

After an overnight stay in the Scottish capital, ‘GB XI’ continues north behind ‘A4’ No. 60009 Union of South Africa, crossing the Forth and Tay bridges to reach Inverness via Aberdeen.

The following day features an optional return journey to Kyle of Lochalsh with ‘B1’ 4-6-0 No. 61264, before the long journey south begins on April 23.

Article continues below…
Advert

Read more in the September issue of The RM – on sale now!


Advert
Subscribe to The Railway Magazine
Enjoy more of The Railway Magazine reading every month. Click here to subscribe.

Railway Reads

From the history of steam through to 21st century rail transport news, we have titles that cater for all rail enthusiasts. Covering diesels, modelling, steam and modern railways, check out our range of magazines and fantastic subscription offers.


Article Tags:

About the Author