4x Class 37's to Penzance!
Cornish Classic Traction Extravaganza
Saturday 27th June brought 2 railtours to Penzance for the annual Mazey Day festivities, and incredibly this year both tours were double-headed by class 37's.
The Railway Touring Company ran their 'Mazey Day Cornishman' tour from Dorridge with WCRC's 37668 and 37669 leading (along with 47832 on the rear), whilst Locomotive Services Limited provided 37521 and 37667 for their 'The Cornish Riviera & Mazey Day Statesman'.
The Railway Touring Company ran their 'Mazey Day Cornishman' tour from Dorridge with WCRC's 37668 and 37669 leading (along with 47832 on the rear), whilst Locomotive Services Limited provided 37521 and 37667 for their 'The Cornish Riviera & Mazey Day Statesman'.
37521 & 37667 work:
'The Cornish Riviera & Mazey Day Statesman'
37521 and 37667 pass Bishopsteignton with the first of the days two railtours. 27.06.2026, copyright Martin Scane.
'The Statesman' passing through Totnes. 27.06.2026, copyright Tony Shore.
37521 and 37667 arrive at Plymouth with 'The Cornish Riviera & Mazey Day Statesman'. 27.06.2026, copyright Roger Winnen.
Double helpings of 37s on two tours at St Germans. First at the station with LSL 's 37521 & 37667 in their black lined livery replacing the usual class 47s due to a shortage on the 1Z51 04.50 Derby - Penzance "The Cornish Riviera & Mazey Day Statesman". 27.06.2026, copyright Clive Smith.
37521 and 37667 powering past Holmbush foot crossing with 1Z51. 27.06.2026, copyright Julian Stephens.
37521 and 37667 double head The Statesman past Crugwallins, near Burngullow. 27.06.2026, copyright Jon Hird.
37521 and 37667 passing Dowgas. 27.06.2026, copyright Steve Clark.
37521 and 37667 seen at Truro from the famous black bridge. 27.06.2026, copyright Jonathan Harbage.
The veteran locos depart Truro for Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Jonathan Harbage.
37521 and 37667 pass Gwinear Road on their way to Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Mick House.
37521 and 37667 pass Gwinear Road on their way to Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Mick House.
LSL 37521 with 37677 working 1Z51 04.50 Derby- Penzance 'Mazey Day Statesman' passing Rospeath Road overbridge. 27.06.2026, copyright Andrew Triggs.
37521 and 37667 approach Marazion Marsh foot crossing. 27.06.2026, copyright Roger Salter.
The Statesman near journeys end as 37521 leads the train past Marazion. 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
37667 and 37521 reattaching to the stock after running round in Slopers Siding, Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
'The Statesman' is reversed back into Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
The chances of this happening were always slim, but in 2026 they were almost non-existent - 4x class 37's await departure from Penzance (and, interestingly, 3 of them were sequentially numbered too!). 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
Both railtours stand side by side at Penzance awaiting departures. 27.06.2026, copyright Tony Shore.
Both railtours stand side by side at Penzance awaiting departures. 27.06.2026, copyright Tony Shore.
Held at Marazion for 40 minutes due to 175007 failing at Marazion, the return 'Mazey Day Statesman' awaits the road for St Erth. 27.06.2026, copyright Andrew Triggs.
37667 and 37521 powering past Marazion with the return working, late after a class 175 failed with fire bells sounding at St. Erth and had to be sent back to Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
1Z54 1530 Penzance to Derby, hauled by 37667 and 37521, passing Camborne 39 late, due to failure of 175007 at St Erth working 2P24 1515 Penzance to Plymouth. 27.06.2026, copyright David Mathieson.
37667 and 37521 passing Wheal Bois Crossing on the return working (click for enlargements). 27.06.2026, copyright Mick House.
37667 leads the returning tour, 1Z54, towards St. Austell. 27.06.2026, copyright Julian Stephens.
The LSL Tractors storm through Par trying to make up lost time after 175007 failed at St Erth. 27.06.2026, copyright Steve Clark.
A view from the road bridge at Par as the LSL 37's head east - Steve Clark on the platform below. 27.06.2026, copyright Roger Winnen.
An incredible sight and sound from high up in the woods above the Glynn Valley, as 37667 and 37521 pound their way up the gradient towards Pendalake Viaduct with the returning 'Statesman' - the pair of locos could be heard for a good minute after they'd gone past. 27.06.2026, copyright Jon Hird.
37668 & 37669 work:
'The Mazey Day Cornishman'
Some words from Ian Thomas:
As always, at this time of year, the annual trek to the far south-west takes centre stage. Until last year, it had always been a PATHFINDER tour featuring various motive power up front. We have had Deltics, Westerns, Hoovers, Syphons, and of course a selection of Duffs over the years, and it is always a great day out, made even better with full dining aboard.
However, with Pathfinder finishing last December, the RAILWAY TOURING COMPANY stepped into the breach and ran this year’s tour, with guidance from the Pathfinder team earlier this year.
So we boarded the MAZEY DAY CORNISHMAN (1Z36) at Cam & Dursley with 37-669 and 37-668 up front. They made a good job of it and all went well. An excellent breakfast was served: I had porridge to start, followed by salmon and scrambled egg as the main course. My wife, Jill, enjoyed a full English, as we were celebrating her 75th birthday on that very day (the 27th).
The weather was good and much, much cooler the further west we travelled. Cornwall does not experience the extreme heat found further inland, and temperatures were a pleasant 21–23°C. We arrived on time at Penzance and had a view of THE STATESMAN ECS with its black Class 37s standing in the sidings there.
We took a stroll along the coast in the direction of Newlyn and enjoyed the cooler sea air before returning to the station.
Our return train departed 10 minutes late due to a Class 175 failure at St Erth, which caused delays to services. We were around 20 minutes late at Plymouth, but after that some excellent running and recovery time along the sea wall saw the train only six minutes late at Exeter, and it remained that way all the way back to Cam & Dursley.
We got off and were once again back in the heat zone. Earlier in the day, the temperature at Dursley had reached 28°C. Just for the record, I recorded a maximum of 35°C on Thursday afternoon, making it the warmest June day on record here, beating the previous figure of 34.2°C recorded in June 1976.
As always, at this time of year, the annual trek to the far south-west takes centre stage. Until last year, it had always been a PATHFINDER tour featuring various motive power up front. We have had Deltics, Westerns, Hoovers, Syphons, and of course a selection of Duffs over the years, and it is always a great day out, made even better with full dining aboard.
However, with Pathfinder finishing last December, the RAILWAY TOURING COMPANY stepped into the breach and ran this year’s tour, with guidance from the Pathfinder team earlier this year.
So we boarded the MAZEY DAY CORNISHMAN (1Z36) at Cam & Dursley with 37-669 and 37-668 up front. They made a good job of it and all went well. An excellent breakfast was served: I had porridge to start, followed by salmon and scrambled egg as the main course. My wife, Jill, enjoyed a full English, as we were celebrating her 75th birthday on that very day (the 27th).
The weather was good and much, much cooler the further west we travelled. Cornwall does not experience the extreme heat found further inland, and temperatures were a pleasant 21–23°C. We arrived on time at Penzance and had a view of THE STATESMAN ECS with its black Class 37s standing in the sidings there.
We took a stroll along the coast in the direction of Newlyn and enjoyed the cooler sea air before returning to the station.
Our return train departed 10 minutes late due to a Class 175 failure at St Erth, which caused delays to services. We were around 20 minutes late at Plymouth, but after that some excellent running and recovery time along the sea wall saw the train only six minutes late at Exeter, and it remained that way all the way back to Cam & Dursley.
We got off and were once again back in the heat zone. Earlier in the day, the temperature at Dursley had reached 28°C. Just for the record, I recorded a maximum of 35°C on Thursday afternoon, making it the warmest June day on record here, beating the previous figure of 34.2°C recorded in June 1976.
37669 & 668 arrive at Cam & Dursley with 1Z36 the 06.31.Dorridge - Pennzance 'MAZEY DAY CORNISHMAN' 27.06.2026, copyright Ian Thomas.
37669 and 37668 Staffords bridge (Cowley) 0631 Dorridge to Penzance 47832 was on the rear. 27.06.2026, copyright Paul Barlow
37669 and 37668 call at Plymouth on the way down to Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Ian Thomas.
Crossing the viaduct over the River Tiddy at St. Germans are West Coast Railway maroon 37669 & 37668 on the 1Z36 06.31 Dorridge - Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Clive Smith.
37669 and 37668 passing Dowgas en route to Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Steve Clark.
37669 and 37668 coast through Resparveth, near Grampound Road, with 'The Mazey Day Cornishman'. 27.06.2026, copyright Jon Hird.
A close-up of the tour passing the harvested fields at Resparveth. 27.06.2026, copyright Jon Hird.
The WCRC locos approach Truro. 28.06.2026, copyright Jonathan Harbage.
The WCRC Class 37's head through Redruth. 27.06.2026, copyright Roger Winnen.
47832 on the rear at Redruth. 27.06.2026, copyright Roger Winnen.
37669, 37668 and 47832 passing Gwinear Road (click for enlargements). 27.06.2026, copyright Mick House.
37669 and 37668 approaching Marazion Marsh Foot Crossing. 27.06.2026, copyright Roger Salter.
37669 and 37668 passing Marazion as they approach journeys end at Penzance. 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
The RTC tour 'on the blocks' at Penzance - the LSL train having already reversed to Slopers Siding. 27.06.2026, copyright Ian Thomas.
The chances of this happening were always slim, but in 2026 they were almost non-existent - 4x class 37's await departure from Penzance (and, interestingly, 3 of them were sequentially numbered too!). 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
Both railtours stand side by side at Penzance awaiting departures. 27.06.2026, copyright Tony Shore.
Both railtours stand side by side at Penzance awaiting departures. 27.06.2026, copyright Tony Shore.
The Return 'Mazey Day Cornishman' is also held by the former Station at Marazion, having departed Penzance 7 late at 16.37, then eventually reaching St Erth 18 late at 16.58. 27.06.2026, copyright Andrew Triggs.
The forecast cloud has arrived as 37668 and 37669 power away from Penzance past Marazion with the returning railtour. 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
47832 on the rear at Marazion. 27.06.2026, copyright Mark Lynam.
37668 passing Wheal Bois Crossing on its return journey. 27.06.2026, copyright Mick House.
37669 and 47832 at Wheal Bois (click for enlargements). 27.06.2026, copyright Mick House.
Here is 37669 and 37668 with 47832 on the rear heading through Buckshead heading east (video - click to play). 27.06.2026, copyright Jonathan Harbage.
The return working to Dorridge powered by 37668 rushes through Par. 27.06.2026, copyright Roger Winnen.
47832 powering on the rear as the train begins the ascent to Treverrin Tunnel. 27.06.2026, copyright Roger Winnen.
Taken by my helper, 37668 and 37669 cross Liskeard Viaduct with the returning RTC tour. 27.06.2026, copyright Jon Hird.
The 37's were doing very little work as they passed Bolitho, but 47832 on the rear was screaming away, doing the majority of the heavy lifting. 27.06.2026, copyright Jon Hird.
37668 and 37669 pull away from Plymouth on the return RTC railtour. 27.06.2026, copyright Paul Barlow.
Our grateful thanks to everybody who has contributed images of these workings - an extraordinary day for diesel fans in the westcountry!
More AI Improvements
Paul Barlow
Another Ai improved shot, a few details not quite right but a big improvement of the original scan. 45113 0837 Leeds-Plymouth 1V81 arrives at Exeter St Davids. 22.08.1982, copyright Paul Barlow.
A good result - many thanks Paul.
June 1976
Part 28
Roger Winnen
The BLS railtour awaits departure from Parkandillack. 27.06.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.
The BLS railtour awaits departure from Parkandillack. 27.06.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.
The BLS railtour awaits departure from Parkandillack. 27.06.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.
The next stop for the railtour was Nanpean Wharves. 27.06.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.
The BLS railtour at Nanpean Wharves. 27.06.1976, copyright Roger Winnen.