A LARGE gathering of invited family, friends and industry colleagues at Gloucester station on June 23 saw GB Railfreight Class 69 locomotive 69006 named Pathfinder Railtours by Pathfinder founder Peter Watts and Great Western Railway managing director Mark Hopwood.
The event was organised in secret to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Mr Watts promoting his first charter under the F&W Railtours banner in June 1973. Since that initial tour, F&W Railtours and its successor organisation, the more well-known Pathfinder Railtours, have organised more than 1100 other charters, with Mr Watts gaining a huge amount of respect throughout the rail industry and also from his many repeat charter participants.
The naming of 69006 involved much industry collaboration and cooperation. GBRf agreed to the name being carried by one of its recently converted Class 69s, and much of the behind-the-scenes organisation was carried out by Pathfinder’s marketing manager, Jack Boskett, with arrangements first being discussed some eight months before.
Mr Watts was completely unaware and thought he was going on a day trip with his family. The penny dropped when he recognised some of the many faces gathered on the platform at Gloucester to greet him.
Speaking ahead of the naming, Mr Hopwood told the assembled guests about the impact Mr Watts held within the rail industry and talked about some of the legendary charters operated by Pathfinder Railtours over the five decades, before inviting Mr Watts to unveil the new name carried by 69006.
Afterwards, Mr Watts said: “Pathfinder is a family organisation, and while it may
