Fifteen Guinea Special

The Fifteen Guinea Special was a railtour which took place on Sunday 11th August 1968 and ran from Liverpool Lime Street to Carlisle and back via Manchester Victoria.

The Fifteen Guinea Special was the last main-line passenger train to be hauled by steam locomotive power on British Rail on 11 August 1968 before the introduction of a steam ban that started the following day, the extra day added to allow for the movement of locomotive BR Standard Class 7 70013 Oliver Cromwell to Bressingham Steam Museum. It was a special rail tour excursion train organised for the occasion from Liverpool Lime Street via Manchester Victoria to Carlisle and back, and was pulled in turn by four steam locomotives during the four legs of the journey (with two engines sharing the third leg). The last scheduled standard gauge steam-hauled passenger services had run on 3 August 1968 from Preston. Steam continued to be used on the narrow gauge Vale of Rheidol Railway under British Rail, which was subsequently privatised in 1989.

Reason for name

The Fifteen Guinea Special was so named because of the high cost of tickets for the rail tour cost £15 guinea's (British currency being £15.75 in 2013). Guinea prices were normally only used for luxury items or professional fees and ticket prices had been inflated due to the high demand to travel on the last BR steam-hauled mainline train.

1968 route and locomotives

The chosen steam locomotives for the trip we're three LMS Black Fives and the final remaining BR Britannia pacific that was still in service for British Railways, this being No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell. The chosen black fives being: Nos. 44781, 44871 and 45110 (45110 was a last minute susbstitute for classmate No. 45305 due to mechanical problems).

The tour departed Liverpool Lime Street right time at 9:10am behind 45110 and travelled to Manchester Victoria travelling via Rainhill and Newton le Willows with the arrival in Manchester Victoria being 6 minutes late at 10:42am (10:36am booked time). Follow the change of engine from 45110 to 70013 Oliver Cromwell, the tour departed Manchester Victoria right time at 11:06am and travelled via Darwen and Blackburn to Hellifield. From Hellifield the tour travelled along the Settle and Carlisle Line to Carlisle Citadel with the arrival being 33 munutes late at 3:29pm (2:56pm booked time).

Following the change of engine from 70013 Oliver Cromwell to the two black fives that would be double heading (44871 pilot & 44781 train), the tour departed Carlisle Citadel 14 minutes late at 3:44pm (3:30pm booked time). The tour followed the outward route back to Manchester Victoria arriving 12 minutes late at 7:00pm (6:48pm booked time). No. 45110 then took over the train from 44871 & 44781 for the final leg of the special returning the train from Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street. The departure from Manchester Victoria was 5 minutes late at 7:07pm and the final arrival back into Liverpool was 9 minutes late at 8pm (7:50pm booked time).

Anniversary re-runs 2008 and 2013.

In the preservation era, a number of anniversary tours have been run with one taking place in the 1990's and two in the 2000's, the most recent anniversary trip taking place in 2013.

1968 Run

Following completion of the special, all of the engines used on the tour except 44781 we're preserved.<ref>

Section of Tour	Image	Number	Name	Class	Builder	Notes
Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria.		45110		LMS "Black Five" class 4-6-0	Vulcan Foundry
Manchester Victoria to Carlisle.		70013	Oliver Cromwell	BR "Britannia Pacific" class 4-6-2	Crewe Works
Carlisle to Manchester Victoria.		44871		LMS "Black Five" class 4-6-0		Double headed with 44781 (pilot engine)
		44781				Double headed with 44871 (train engine)
Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street.		45110			Vulcan Foundry

1993 Re-run "25th anniversary"

1993's tour took place on Wednesday 11th August 1993 and didn't originate in Liverpool. The tour instead ran from Nuneaton to Leeds and back behind diesel traction with steam haulage only from Leeds to Carlisle and back. Only one "Black Five" was used on the tour with the remaining 2 engines being a "Princess Coronation" and "Jubilee".

Section of Tour	Image	Number	Name	Class	Builder	Notes
Nuneaton to Leeds.		Diesel		N/A	N/A
Leeds to Carlisle.		46229	Duchess of Hamilton	LMS "Princess Coronation" class 4-6-2	Crewe Works
Carlisle to Leeds.		44871		LMS "Black Five" class 4-6-0		Double headed with 45596 Bahamas (pilot engine)
		45596	Bahamas	LMS "Jubilee" class 4-6-0	North British Locomotive Company	Double headed with 44871 (train engine)
Leeds to Nuneaton.		Diesel		N/A	N/A

2008 Re-run "40th anniversary"

2008's tour took place on Sun 10th August as 11th August was on Monday. The outward routing for the 2008 trip followed the original tour in 1968, but with the addition of a stop in Hellifield for water and the 2008 tour didn't stop at Ais Gill. The return routing followed the original of 1968 but from Blackburn the tour was to avoid Manchester Victoria and the return loco changeover instead took place in Blackburn with the tour then returning from Blackburn to Liverpool via Lostock Hall Junction and Wigan North Western before rejoining the original outward route at Newton le Willows.

No. 45110 while operational in 2008 didn't have a valid mainline certificate, she had only operated on the mainline from September 1998 until May 2000 when the engine was forcefully withdrawn from the mainline following continuous mechanical problems. Despite not having a mainline certificate the engine worked a final set of passenger trains on the Severn Valley Railway in August 2008 while on a 6 month extension to her boiler certificate.

Section of Tour	Image	Number	Name	Class	Builder	Notes
Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria.		48151	Gauge O Guild	LMS "8F" class 2-8-0	Crewe Works	45110 unavailable
Manchester Victoria to Carlisle.		70013	Oliver Cromwell	BR "Britannia Pacific" class 4-6-2
Carlisle to Blackburn.		45407	The Lancashire Fusilier	LMS "Black Five" class 4-6-0	Armstrong Whitworth	Double headed with 45231 The Sherwood Forester (pilot engine). 44871 undergoing overhaul.
		45231				Double headed with 44871 (train engine), Sherwood Forester nameplates removed
Blackburn to Liverpool Lime Street		45407	The Lancashire Fusilier

2013 Re-run "45th anniversary

With 11th August being on Sunday, a re-run was planned for 2013. 2013's re-run was diverted via Liverpool South Parkway and Warrington Central with the engine changeover taking place at Longsight (this being due to the original route via Rainhill and Newton le Willows being closed for engineering works and electrification). This tour was also the first steam special to travel along the route via Hunts Cross and Warrington Central in preservation, until then steam traction hadn't run along the route since the end of steam in 1968.

It also saw the originally planned black five number 45305 work the tour from Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester and then back that evening. 45305 was the originally chosen engine to haul the tour from Liverpool to Manchester and back in August 1968, but was replaced the night before the tour by 45110 following the collapse of it's firebox brickarch.

The engine for the Liverpool to Manchester sections in 1968, 45110 was taken out of service in 2008 following the expiry of its boiler ticket in August of that year so it's place was taken by 45305. 44871 while operational at the time wasn't available to haul the tour due to the engine being needed in Fort William for use on "The Jacobite" trains between Fort William and Mallaig, it's place instead was taken by 45231. 44932 had been planned to also be re-numbered as scrapped classmate 44781 for the trip but this didn't happen.

Section of Tour	Image	Number	Name	Class	Builder	Notes
Liverpool Lime Street to Longsight.		45305		LMS "Black Five" class 4-6-0	Armstrong Whitworth	45110 unavailable, Alderman A.E. Draper nameplates removed
Longsight to Carlisle.		70013	Oliver Cromwell	BR "Britannia Pacific" class 4-6-2	Crewe Works
Carlisle to Longsight.		45231		LMS "Black Five" class 4-6-0	Armstrong Whitworth	44871 unavailable Double headed with 44932 (pilot engine), Sherwood Forester nameplates removed
		44932			Horwich Works	Double headed with 45231 (train engine)
Longsight to Liverpool Lime Street.		45305			Armstrong Whitworth

Plans for 2028 Re-run "60th Anniversary"

A trip for the 50th anniversary in 2018 didn't take place due to the re-modeling and refurbishment of Liverpool Lime Street. In October 2023, It was announced that plans are being looked at for a re-run to take place in 2028 for the 60th anniversary with the intention of having all three of the four surviving original engines (44871, 45110 and 70013 Oliver Cromwell) from 1968 used. Plans are being arranged for the tour to run as close to the original special as possible with the original routing from 1968 and original engines hauling the tour on their respective sections from 1968. The second black five for the double headed section of the tour is yet to be chosen but is assumed to be 45305.

The date isn't yet known, but 11th August for 2028 will be on Friday. As of Oct 2025, No. 44871 is operational and mainline certified. No. 45110 is undergoing a mainline standard overhaul at Carnforth Motive Power Depot following a change of ownership & No. 70013 is also undergoing a mainline standard overhaul at the Great Central Railway. Subject to if the engine is chosen for use on the tour, No. 45305 is also undergoing a mainline standard overhaul at the Great Central Railway, subject to decision the loco could possibly be disguised as No. 44781.

PROVISIONAL PLAN

Section of Tour	Image	Number	Name	Class	Builder	Notes
Liverpool Lime Street to Manchester Victoria.		45110		LMS "Black Five" class 4-6-0	Vulcan Foundry
Manchester Victoria to Carlisle.		70013	Oliver Cromwell	BR "Britannia Pacific" class 4-6-2	Crewe Works
Carlisle to Longsight.		44871		LMS "Black Five" class 4-6-0		To double head with TBC (pilot engine)
		N/A				To double head with 44871 (train engine)
Manchester Victoria to Liverpool Lime Street.		45110			Vulcan Foundry

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