Mass Timing Days
At least once a year a group of society members will attempt to record the performance and punctuality of as many trains as possible on an agreed route.
The selection criteria is that the route should be approximately 25 to 70 miles long, at least 90mph line speed (somewhere), mixed traction, accessible to large number of members and journey time of about a hour.
The date and route is decided many months in advance and advertised in the society magazine 'Milepost'. Normally a Saturday in summer is chosen to provide maximum daylight. The event is co-ordinated by an organiser who will attempt, as far as humanly possible, to allocate one society member per service train to ensure that a complete a picture of the day's rail services are recorded. The organiser produces a report of the day which appears in 'Milepost', or as a supplement, passing comment on each individual run - not always an easy task as there can be over 70 runs to comment on - in each direction!
A full history of the Mass Timing Day is detailed in the table below:
July 2022 To and from Liverpool and Chester
September 2019 Glasgow and Edinburgh to Aberdeen
July 2018 Reading-Bristol/Cardiff
June 2017 Preston-Carlisle-Lockerbie
July 2016 Doncaster-Leeds/Edinburgh
July 2015 St Pancras-Leicester/Corby
July 2014 St Pancras-Leicester/Corby
June 2013 Leeds-Manchester & branches
July 2012 Chiltern lines
July 2011 Rugby-Birmingham-Stafford
July 2010 Manchester & Stockport to Stoke and Crewe
June 2009 Paddington-Reading
July 2008 Crewe to Newport via Shrewsbury and Hereford
July 2007 Sevenoaks to Folkstone Central and Tonbridge to Hastings 21st MTD
June 2006 York to Darlington
June 2005 Liverpool Street to Colchester
September 2004 Basingstoke - Southampton
September 2003 Leicester - Derby/Nottingham
September 2002 Leamington Spa - Oxford/Princes Risborough
September 2001 Darlington - Newcastle
September 2000 Bristol - Birmingham
April 1999 Taunton - Exeter
April 1998 Cardiff - Swansea
April 1997 Kings Cross - Cambridge
April 1996 North Wales Coast
July 1995 Crewe - Liverpool
July 1994 Waterloo - Basingstoke
July 1993 West Midlands Day Ranger
September 1992 Doncaster - York
September 1991 Stafford - Crewe
September 1990 Derby - Sheffield
September 1989 Kings Cross - Stevenage
September 1988 Paddington - Reading
September 1987 Gatwick Express