DMU Railtours
DMUs were surprisingly popular on railtours, particularly those that focused on the line travelled and not the motive power, as DMUs allowed access to many routes that a conventional loco-hauled tour couldn't easily manage.
This is not a definitive list of DMU railtours, simply a gallery of some of those tours. For a more detailed railtour site see the Six Bells Junction website.
Details of the regular "Quaintonian" trains that ran to the Buckingham Railway Centre have their own pages.
If you have any photographs that could be added here please get in touch.
1978
8th January 1978 - Great Northern Outer Suburban
An RCTS tour from London Kings Cross to the Nene Valley Railway at Peterborough via Cambridge using two Class 105s.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
51301 at the front at Kings Cross. Robert Chilton.
56431 during a photo-stop at Royston. Robert Chilton.
56431 seen at Hertford North. Robert Chilton.
At Royston. Stuart Mackay Collection.
At Letchworth. Stuart Mackay Collection.
11th March 1978 - South Humberside Railtour
A four-car Class 108 and two-car Met-Camm on a BLS tour from Sheffield.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
The tour at Retford, E50155 closest. Walter Burt.
E50155 at the end of the formation at Sheffield. Walter Burt.
At Barton-on-Humber. Alistair Ness.
At Barton-on-Humber. Alistair Ness.
At Carcroft Junction. Alistair Ness.
At Carcroft Junction. Alistair Ness.
At Louth. Alistair Ness.
At New Holland Pier. Alistair Ness.
At New Holland Pier. Alistair Ness.
On the Retford Curve. Alistair Ness.
On the Retford Curve. Alistair Ness.
At Retford. Alistair Ness.
At Retford. Alistair Ness.
At New Holland Pier. Alistair Ness.
At Lough. Alistair Ness.
At Barton-on-Humber. Jeremy Chapter.
At Louth. Jeremy Chapter.
At Barton-on-Humber. Murray Liston.
At New Holland Pier. Murray Liston.
At New Holland Pier. Murray Liston.
8th April 1978 - Tintern Thunderbolt
A Monmouthshire Railway Society tour from Cardiff Central using a Class 120 (C507) and Class 118 (B467).
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Trethomas. Jeremy Chapter.
At Oakdale Colliery. Jeremy Chapter.
8th April 1978 - (Unnamed)
A six-car formation (three two-cars) used on two return trips from Norwich - Dereham organised by the Wymondham & Dereham Rail Action Committee (WyDRAC), Railway Invigoration (Development) Society (RDS) and LCGB.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
50346 closest at Norwich. Robert Chilton.
22nd April 1978 - Swansea Valleys
A Branch Line Society railtour from Cardiff Central using Class 119 DMU set C590.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Craig-y-Nos. Stuart Mackay Collection.
At Aberpergwm. Stuart Mackay Collection.
13th May 1978 - Midland Welshman No.2
AN RCTS tour from Cardiff to various branch lines using Class 120 set C506.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Nantgarw. Jeremy Chapter.
At Porth. Jeremy Chapter.
17th June 1978 - Un-named
The first Midland Railfans organized tour took 50317 + 59115 + 50327 from Birmingham New Street to a Doncaster Works open day and York depot.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Doncaster. Chris Lings.
24th June 1978 - Outing to Eastgate
A BR organised railtour from Darlington to Eastgate, several trips, using two Met-Camm / Craven hybrids.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Eastgate. Alistair Ness.
At Eastgate. Alistair Ness.
At Eastgate. Alistair Ness.
At Eastgate. Stuart Mackay Collection.
15th July 1978 - The Cider Rambler
A tour from Nottingham using a Class 120 to the Bulmer Railway Centre at Hereford. At Hereford it joined with a Class 104 on the BLS 'Hereford' tour from Manchester Piccadilly.
The tour at Barr Court Junction. Stuart Mackay Collection.
30th July 1978 - The Merry-Go-Round
A RPPR tour from London Paddington using two Class 117s (L402 and L404) with bubble 55020 in between.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
51337 on the front after arrival at Staines West Ian Buck.
At Brentford Town. Ian Buck.
At the long gone Reading Goods the railtour paused for a while with 51337 of L402 leading. Ian Buck.
L402 pauses in the rain at Reading Goods. Ian Buck.
At the final extremity of the tour, the branch to Morris Cowley, which is the only branch visited that is still open today. L402 with 51337 leading. Ian Buck.
At Wallingford L402, 55020 and L405 traversed the line that has now become the Cholesey and Wallingford Railway. Ian Buck.
L402, 55020 and L405 have now made it to Abingdon. Ian Buck.
The freight branch to the Didcot Trading Centre was opened with high hopes but eventually came to nothing. L402, 55020 and L405 cleaned the rust from the rails. Ian Buck.
At Abingdon. Stuart Mackay Collection.
26th August 1978 - L & A Railtour
A BLS tour from Glasgow Central around Lanarkshire and Ayrshire using a 3-car Class 101 set (179).
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
Set 179 at Springburn station in the company of another 101 and a 303 EMU. Graeme Phillips Collection.
'Cluny Bridge' is on the destination blind during the Springburn stop. Graeme Phillips Collection.
During the Waterside stop. Alan Rintoul.
At Cairnhill in Airdrie, the very end of the Calder Branch. Alistair Ness.
At Cairnhill in Airdrie, the very end of the Calder Branch. Alistair Ness.
At Cairnhill in Airdrie, the very end of the Calder Branch. Alistair Ness.
At Provan Gas Works. Alistair Ness.
At Riccarton & Craigie. Alistair Ness.
At Riccarton & Craigie. Alistair Ness.
At Waterside. Alistair Ness.
At Waterside. Alistair Ness.
At Waterside. Alistair Ness.
28th August 1978 - The Fiddichburger
A BLS tour from Aberdeen that went to places such as Dufftown and Burghead using Class 122 55002.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
During the stop at Burghead. Norman Smart.
09/09/78 - Rail Journey into Yesteryear
British Rail Eastern Region organised a return trip from Darlington to Eastgate, as far as one could reach on the Bishop Auckland to Wearhead line, and which had lost its passenger service in 1953, using a four-car Met-Camm unit.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Eastgate. Jeremy Chapter.
16/09/78 - Unnamed
A BR-run excursion that visited Redmire with two Class 101s.
At Redmire. Stuart Mackay Collection.
23rd September 1978 - Fensman No. 3
An RCTS tour from Peterborough using Norwich set 77, a two-car Class 104/105 hybrid.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Wisbech. Stuart Mackay Collection.
23rd September 1978 - City of Hull Tour
A Humberside Loco Preservation Group tour from Hull Paragon around branches in the area.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
The tour at Hull Paragon. Stuart Mackay Collection.
One of the photo stops on the tour. Stuart Mackay Collection.
At Alexandra Dock, Hull. Jeremy Chapter.
28th October 1978 - Torksey Railtour
A RCTS tour with two Class 101 sets that ran from Derby to Torksey (Lincoln).
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Torksey. John Law.
Looking across the River Trent at Torksey. John Law.
Stainforth and Hatfield station, thought to be taken from the tour. John Law.
Sprotborough Junction from a Met-Camm on a railtour in 1978, very probably the RCTS 'Torksey Railtour'. John Law.
At Sykes Junction. John Law.
Passing Thorpe Marsh power station. John Law.
At Torksey. John Law.
Rounding the curve from Skellow jcn towards Doncaster. John Law.
At Torksey. Roger Geach Collection.
25th November 1978 - Reunion Railtour
A RCTS (West Midlands Branch) tour from Birmingham New Street using a three-car refurbished Met-Camm set.
The tour on Six Bells Junction website.
At Hafodyrynys. Jeremy Chapter.