On Saturday, 22nd February UK Railtours is running The Shakespearean Sonnet rail tour from London Paddington to Stratford-on-Avon hauled by two pairs of Class 20 locomotives.
The highly unusual use of four locomotives is necessary as the train will traverse some challenging gradients.
10 carriages and four locomotives will make up the train. Fourteen vehicles align with the tour’s title, as a sonnet consists of fourteen lines of verse, for which Shakespeare is renowned.

Starting from London Paddington at 07.00 and picking up at Slough, Reading, and Didcot Parkway, the tour heads towards the university City of Oxford and via the Moreton-in-Marsh, Worcester and Kidderminster to Stourbridge Junction, where the train leaves the main line onto the former Oxford – Worcester – Wolverhampton line to Round Oak steel terminal.
This four-mile branch is heavily graded and will challenge the Class 20 locomotives. It is planned that the tour will continue to Kingswinford Junction to use an unusual crossover and to avoid conflict with any freight services booked to use the line.

Returning to Stourbridge Junction, the tour reverses and attacks the day’s second substantial gradient at Old Hill before passing through the Birmingham suburbs and the tunnels that separate Birmingham Snow Hill and Moor Street stations.
Continuing via Tyseley and Henley-in-Arden, the arrival at Shakespeare’s birth town of Stratford-upon-Avon will be in time for a late lunch and a two-hour break with plenty of time to explore the town.
The return journey travels via Leamington Spa and Oxford where the train reverses to travel over the western end of the soon to be re-opened East-West line to Bicester South Junction. Continuing south through the Chilterns, the train sets down at High Wycombe before passing through the leafy towns of Buckinghamshire to arrive at London Paddington at 21.30.
Throughout the tour, the four Class 20 locomotives will operate in pairs in top and tail formation throughout.

Adult tickets for the tour cost £129 with First Class at £219 and First Class Dining including a Great British Breakfast and a four-course dinner at £319.
Stratford-on-Avon is a favourite destination for rail tours, with regular tours operated by Vintage Trains from Birmingham Moor Street, and tours from further afield, such as a steam-hauled tour from Norwich planned for next September.
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