The screens said that the 12.57 Charter would leave on time. We knew better, thanks to Realtime Trains. The eleven Riviera Trains air conditioned Mk2 coaches were coming from Barry Tourist Railway (the part that is now a TfW depot). As it had to double reverse out, there was a Class 57 on each end.

At Gloucester though, the rear loco needed to run round with double heading for the rest of the way. This was to drop that loco off at International, so that 57310 could spend the rest of the day sunbathing in Bescot Up Engineers Sidings. The other one, 57306, was the 'insurance' loco on the back of our charter.

The stock originally left Barry one minute early but various poor signalling decisions built up lateness so that it was a full hour late leaving Gloucester. Good running and smart operating, such as nonstop through Birmingham New Street, cut the lateness to 50 mins. Our celebrity loco for the day, 'Western Champion' D1015, from Kidderminster, Severn Valley Railway, followed the stock, just 4 minutes behind.

So, the Noshing & Sloshing began 47 mins late. Some asked if the lateness could be recovered to catch their train home; others were more concerned about the roast beef being burnt! [We did and it wasn't!]

Our route had originally been advertised as via Stechford, Aston, then the Perry Barr and Soho PSUL curves. The excellent route map and booklet took us that way, so it must have been a late decision to run through New Street instead. Good operating smiled on us at Smethwick Jn (or was it our friends in West Midlands Signalling Centre?). A Dorridge to Stourbridge Junction local was held for 7 mins to let us precede. That was generous and appreciated as, with 5-minute turnrounds, it was 2½ hours before the set was back on time! We were booked via Rowley Regis Down Goods Loop but it was deemed unusable after inspection - the only one of the day that we could not do. No such problem at Droitwich Up Goods Loop. We were winning back time until a signal check approaching Worcester Shrub Hill (as a Hereford to New Street was still in our platform) knocked us back to almost 47 mins late again.

The most difficult pathing challenge of the day was now ahead of us, the North Cotswold line with long single line sections each end. We had to fit in with hourly Paddington trains, so a 30-minute leg stretch was due at Worcester Shrub Hill. No legs were stretched and we left just 21 mins late. With no need now of a pathing stop at Norton Jn (where the 9½ mile single line section to Evesham West Jn begins) and excellent running by D1015, we breezed through Ascott-under-Wychwood only 13 minutes late.












Then came a strange decision - to hold our train at Charlbury (15.52 until 16.08), where a 10-mile single line section begins, for a Paddington to Great Malvern train (due Charlbury 16.00; it arrived 16.06). This then delayed a Hereford to Paddington behind us. It was 12 mins late into Paddington and we were just over half an hour late again. For our celebrity loco, D1015 'Western Champion', this was a return to Hanborough (so named since 28 Sep 1992). Here (when it was Handborough), on 30 Jan 1965, the funeral train for Sir Winston Churchill arrived from London Waterloo behind the Battle of Britain Class, 34051, which carried his name. The whole Oxford to Worcester line was double track then and a temporary facing crossover had been put in so that the coffin and mourners could be unloaded on the Up side platform (rare track and bidirectionality, indeed!). It is not well known that 'Western Champion' was the loco chosen to take the train and the mourners back to London Paddington from Handborough. The station is just 1½ miles from Bladon parish church where Sir Winston is buried, near Blenheim Palace.



We sped through Oxford on the middle road (the Up Oxford) and to Didcot West Curve. For my travelling companions, this was their only new track of the day, which works out at about 13p per metre! Then for something quite clever at Foxhall Jn. The 16.00 Paddington to Bristol was due along the Down Main in a couple of minutes. Instead of stopping us, we were routed down the bidirectional Up Main. We were limited to 75mph and the IET sped past - I wonder what the 'Normals' on board made of this. At Wantage Road, we crossed to the Down Main without delaying an approaching Up IET - intelligent signalling!

We were down to 22 late at Swindon, birthplace of D1015 'Western Champion' on 21 Jan 1963. It was uniquely in Golden Ochre livery and, for a while, had an experimental strangely shaped yellow warning panel but only one end. With a spirited run down the Golden Valley (South Cotswold Line) and nonstop through the Up / Down Goods Loop at Gloucester Yard Jn and Up Eckington Goods Loop, we pulled into Up Spetchley Goods Loop to let a Cardiff to Nottingham and Plymouth to Leeds overtake. Now only 7 mins late, ahead was the 1:37.7 Lickey Incline. We took our booked route through Bromsgrove P1 which meant 40 mph, rather than a run at the incline through P2 (90mph). Speed settled at about 17 mph and assistance was required from the rear Class 57 - the right decision to include it in the consist.






The final unusual track from Barnt Green to Longbridge was the Up Gloucester Slow. Surely this should be a quick win for electrification to Longbridge, giving more operational flexibility to Birmingham Cross-City services. [It was intended to electrify all four tracks south of Kings Norton but this was descoped to cut costs.] With the help of pathing time, New Street was reached a mere minute late where the vast majority alighted! No one missed their train home. A great day indeed with excellent food for the diners. For the record it was 220m 40ch to New Street and 228m 58ch for those who returned to International. Thanks to the Diesel Traction Group for a splendid loco, they booked out the front coach, all dining, and quite a few have since joined our Society - you are all very welcome. Thanks also to the BLS team for superb organisation. More please.

Perhaps 'The Nosh and Slosh' should have been called 'The Nosh and Slosh and Dosh' since over £10,000 was raised for Great Ormond Street Hospital, including £650 from the raffle. Very well done, everyone.