Concluding what would be a fantastic weekend exploring Scotland’s mainline railways, the final part of the Branch Line Society long weekend rail trip, which is raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital, will conclude with a run to Uttoxeter and Peterborough.

A late morning departure from Linlithgow, expected around 11 am on Monday, 23rd March, will take passengers to Edinburgh Waverly via the suburban loop line, where additional passengers will join the train for the run south.

A pair of Europhoenix Rail (EPR) Class 37 diesels will be the motive power heading south to Leicester, on a route featuring spectacular scenery and stiff gradients, to test the locomotives and delight the passengers.

Following departure from Edinburgh, the train heads south west towards the gradients on the run to Beattock Summit. Once over the top, the train continues to Carlisle, where the first passengers disembark after a good few days away.

For passengers returning to destinations in the south, the Class 37s will tackle the long climb up to Shap summit before heading down towards Oxenholme and onwards to the next stop at Preston, where a short break will enable passengers to view the locomotives at the head of the train.

The route towards the central Midlands will be via Crewe, then the North Staffordshire route towards Uttoxeter. From here, the train will take the freight-only line to Trent Junction and continue onto Leicester, where the Class 37s will be detached. A class 57/3 diesel will take the train to the trip’s originating point of Peterborough, concluding what will be a fantastic long weekend trip exploring Scotland.

A buffet car will be in the train formation serving hot and cold drinks and a range of light refreshments.

This trip is reserved for Branch Line Society (BLS) members only. From as little as £12 a year, members of the public can join the BLS via their website and join a friendly community dedicated to all things railway.