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Has a railtour ever been inside Heathrow?

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Gathursty

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As the title says. Apart from Heathrow Express and Connect services, has any railtour been down to the airport?
 
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cactustwirly

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As the title says. Apart from Heathrow Express and Connect services, has any railtour been down to the airport?

No, it's owned by HAL not Network Rail, and trains need to be fitted with ATP, as there isn't any TPWS
 

gazthomas

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Can't see it happening either, busy line, need for ATP, tunnel emergency evacuation issues, etc.
 

tiptoptaff

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The need for ATP will soon be replaced with ERTMs - so in the medium term it will be technically possible if you use the Cambrian 37s
 

JonathanH

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The need for ATP will soon be replaced with ERTMs - so in the medium term it will be technically possible if you use the Cambrian 37s

Not sure that it would be in the long term health interests of the tour participants or anyone using the stations for a long time afterwards to take 37s down the Heathrow tunnels.
 

gazthomas

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Well, in principle a tour could run with stock that meets these requirements (e.g. class 332s!). Maybe there could be a 332 farewell tour in a couple of years' time...
That is true, as you can imagine I had a take of knackered Mark 1s in mind!
 

Peter Mugridge

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More than once, @bluegoblin7 ... the picture below... I took before the Terminal 4 loop was opened to the public; the two original 1938 Stock farewell tours, a week apart from each other, ran round the loop and paused for a pathing and photo stop at the Terminal 4 station.

Your picture, I think, is one of the more recent tours as it's not a full 7 car rake?

Peter Archive 2346.jpg
 
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bluegoblin7

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More than once, @bluegoblin7 ... the picture below... I took before the Terminal 5 loop was opened to the public; the two original 1938 Stock farewell tours, a week apart from each other, ran round the loop and paused for a pathing and photo stop at the Terminal 5 station.

Your picture, I think, is one of the more recent tours as it's not a full 7 car rake?

View attachment 58987

Indeed, there's quite a long history of heritage stock running to Heathrow. Your pic is, of course, Heathrow Terminal 4 rather than T5, but the point stands. Can't take the credit for the photo (as captioned, it's embedded via Flickr), but yes, it was one of the recent (can we still call 2013 recent?) trips of the preserved set that went round the T4 loop, reversed at T123 and then onto T5, reversing there via the sidings. A similar even happened in 2011.
 

brstd4260

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Speaking as someone who worked at the airport for nearly 20 years, I suspect the Aviation Security Acts and general security considerations would make any such railtour a non starter!
 

pdeaves

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Speaking as someone who worked at the airport for nearly 20 years, I suspect the Aviation Security Acts and general security considerations would make any such railtour a non starter!
Not disbelieving you but... why? Ordinary passenger trains run on the line every few minutes. A tour would just be another passenger train. It's not like it would run on 'non-passenger' route.
 

306024

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Not disbelieving you but... why? Ordinary passenger trains run on the line every few minutes. A tour would just be another passenger train. It's not like it would run on 'non-passenger' route.

Maybe because such a tour wouldn't have 'ordinary passengers' ;)

Presumably such a tour would want to visit Terminals 4 and 5, in which case you are looking at the middle of the night for paths. That would cost a bit to organise, and who would pay all that when you can go to both for free from T2/3.
 

pdeaves

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Maybe because such a tour wouldn't have 'ordinary passengers' ;)
Presumably such a tour would want to visit Terminals 4 and 5, in which case you are looking at the middle of the night for paths. That would cost a bit to organise, and who would pay all that when you can go to both for free from T2/3.
I don't know why that would affect general security, though.
 

brstd4260

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Not disbelieving you but... why? Ordinary passenger trains run on the line every few minutes. A tour would just be another passenger train. It's not like it would run on 'non-passenger' route.

It's a question the reason for being there. Access to the airport environs (and this would presumably apply to HEX/LUL Tunnels), is legally restricted to those with specific business on the airport (i.e those working at, flying in or out, or those delivering people or goods to the airport). It does not cover casual visitors such as plane spotters or presumably (although I doubt if it has been tested) rail tours
 

RJ

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Not sure that it would be in the long term health interests of the tour participants or anyone using the stations for a long time afterwards to take 37s down the Heathrow tunnels.

I've been to T4 and T5 with a pair on 37s and I'll never forget the experience. T5 wasn't so bad but before long at T4 and the then T123, I got a burning sensation in my eyes and throat with those locomotives idling away, sapping the humidity out of the air. I was only there for a few minutes but do not envy the contractors and buffing staff working down there who were coughing and covering their faces.

The departure from T123 was spirited. Nothing else I've done on the railways has quite rivalled the climb up to Airport Junction. The sound, reverberations, vibrations and smokescreen leaving the platform were quite something, then the sound of wound up turboes, cooling fans frenetically revving up and down and the engines powering away towards linespeed was lovely. Triggered some serious ASMR!

I can't see a railtour ever going down there with diesel locomotives, much less the older, louder types but if it does happen, it'd be well worth doing!
 
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