Back in the day...

[Cowley]

31st December 1993

I stayed on the ECML on my Rover today. Three runs from the Toon to York and back with 91023/28/25/16/29/20

As tomorrow is a blank, I'll take the opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year. May all your moves be successful and the thrash be plentiful!

Same to you good sir. May your brakes be dual and your boiler be unisolated.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Nothing from back in the day, but...

Friday 31st December 2021

68020 Leeds to Manchester Victoria, 1F70 14.34 Scarborough to Man Vic

Having come across with 158787 and 802212 this morning to meet up with daughter. There are a few bashers in the back Standard Class coach.

I hope recording this already is not tempting fate...

 

[Cowley]

31/12/90

This day was a unit from Topsham to Exeter and then another one to Teignmouth followed by a few 47s (840, 801 and 848) between there, Tiverton Parkway and Newton Abbot and then 47809 to Pinhoe where it packed up!
47813 eventually appeared from St David’s, passed us wrong line and was hooked on the front which which took us to Axminster (which only had a single platform at the time) for 33101 back to Exeter st David’s (which I think I originally wanted to get at Yeovil Junction), where 33116 had hastily been rustled up for the 17:37 Exeter to Waterloo (possibly replacing the 47 that rescued us) which I then took to Honiton.

I think it was then a visit to the pub with friends before having 50033 to Axminster and then 47490 back to Exeter again.

Basically carnage on the Mule that day!

 

[AJM580]

31/12/1991 - S & C specials

321901 Doncaster - Leeds
56109 + 47475 1Z33 Leeds - Carlisle
26011 + 26040 + 47475 1Z33 Carlisle - Leeds
91006 1A27 Leeds - Doncaster
91029 1A28 Doncaster - Peterborough
156452 Peterborough - Norwich

 

[CW2]

31/12/1991 - S & C specials

26011 + 26040 + 47475 1Z33 Carlisle - Leeds

Ah the damned elusive 26011. Whenever I got anywhere near it, it would run away and sulk. I tried (and failed) to have it on several occasions.

 

[Harvester]

Sunday 1st January 1989

This trip to Sheffield is the only record of a “New Year Day” outing I have.

150123 15:42 Beeston-Derby
43103+43??? 16:22 Derby-Sheffield
43022+43186 17:23 Sheffield-Derby
150123 18:04 Derby-Beeston

Best wishes and a Happy New Year to everyone.

 

[D6130]

Nothing from me today either....but I wish all our readers a very Happy New Year. Here's hoping that 2022 will be better than 2021!

 

[CW2]

... and a Happy (indeed Happier) New Year from me too.

Back to the gen:

Saturday 01/01/83
Returning home from the In-Laws:
33004 1231 Abergavenny – Crewe
EMU Crewe – Stockport
DMU Stockport – Stalybridge
47438 1702 Stalybridge – York

Wednesday 01/01/92
My habit of seeing in the New Year with steam in Poland had come to an end, but instead I was allowed out to play on New Year’s Day on the Mid Hants Railway (taking wife and kids along with me of course):
WD 601 1016 Alton – Alresford
WD 601 1102 Alresford – Ropley
76017 1143 Ropley – Alresford
76017 1202 Alresford – Alton
76017 1316 Alton – Alresford
76017 1402 Alresford – Medstead & Four Marks
WD 601 1431 Medstead & Four Marks – Alresford
WD 601 1502 Alresford – Alton

Friday 01/01/93
This time we were all travelling from Reading to Plymouth to visit my parents, so I got up early to have a solo trip to the Mid Hants:
76017 1115 Alton – Alresford
76017 1210 Alresford – Alton
Then straight back to Reading for:
43042 + 43148 1406 Reading – Plymouth

Saturday 01/01/94
MHR again:
73096 1210 Alresford – Alton
73096 1310 Alton – Alresford

Sunday 01/01/95
… and again. Double Bubble this time:
31874 + 76017 1310 Alton – Alresford
76017 + 31874 1400 Alresford – Alton

Monday 01/01/96
By way of a change, we were staying with the Mother in Law up in the Welsh Valleys, so I cast around for somewhere to start the New Year with steam:
“Wilbert” 1300 Norchard Low Level – Lydney Junction
“Wilbert” 1325 Lydney Junction – Norchard

Thursday 01/01/98
… and much the same again a couple of years later:
“Wilbert” 1330 Norchard Low Level – Lydney Junction
“Wilbert” 1355 Lydney Junction – Norchard Low Level

Friday 01/01/99
… and back to the MHR once more …
73096 1203 Alresford – Alton
73096 1315 Alton – Alresford

Saturday 01/01/00
To see in the Millenium we visited my parents in Plymouth, so the Dart Valley Railway was the nearest operating steam line:
68011 1410 Buckfastleigh – Totnes Littlehempston
68011 1450 Totnes Littlehempston – Buckfastleigh
(I’ve had plenty of runs in and out of Marylebone with 68011 the diesel, but this was the steamy variety, a small tank loco).

 

[NorthWestRover]

Friday 1st January 1988

86430 WBQ to Crewe
47615 Crewe to Wolves

Happy New Year!

 

[Techniquest]

Happy New Year from me to all of you. I'm enjoying reading this posts, I don't have anything interesting to contribute usually, but here's to what will hopefully be a great year for all of us. I can't complain too much about 2021, it was a very good year all in for me.

Quite, 2022 is about to begin properly here as I'm getting ready to get the metaphorical red pen out. Third trip to Worcester within a week, just to get another 802/0. Hopefully this one I'll get to have more than just a 50 chain leap with, which was sadly the case at the end of 2021 with 802018. Assuming I get 802010, that leaves just 802005 to get, and I've already checked for it but it's on a day off, to clear the GWR IET fleet. Slowly getting there!

 

[xotGD]

Happy New Year from me to all of you. I'm enjoying reading this posts, I don't have anything interesting to contribute usually, but here's to what will hopefully be a great year for all of us. I can't complain too much about 2021, it was a very good year all in for me.

Quite, 2022 is about to begin properly here as I'm getting ready to get the metaphorical red pen out. Third trip to Worcester within a week, just to get another 802/0. Hopefully this one I'll get to have more than just a 50 chain leap with, which was sadly the case at the end of 2021 with 802018. Assuming I get 802010, that leaves just 802005 to get, and I've already checked for it but it's on a day off, to clear the GWR IET fleet. Slowly getting there!

Happy Cucumber hunting!

 

[Techniquest]

Happy Cucumber hunting!

I've never seen a cucumber with yellow ends before! Nor have I heard that nickname for GWR's IET fleet, but it's funky

I shall soon have my mini trip report posted, and you'll see how I got on

 

[Cowley]

Wednesday 01/01/92
My habit of seeing in the New Year with steam in Poland had come to an end, but instead I was allowed out to play on New Year’s Day on the Mid Hants Railway (taking wife and kids along with me of course):
WD 601 1016 Alton – Alresford
WD 601 1102 Alresford – Ropley
76017 1143 Ropley – Alresford
76017 1202 Alresford – Alton
76017 1316 Alton – Alresford
76017 1402 Alresford – Medstead & Four Marks
WD 601 1431 Medstead & Four Marks – Alresford
WD 601 1502 Alresford – Alton

I’d spent the whole of the previous summer (1991) volunteering on the Mid Hants and 76017 was (and still is) one of my favourite steam locos. It was perfect for the line - and had actually worked on the line in steam days, it even bore evidence of a runaway and crash that happened (I think) on the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton railway in steam days.
Punchy, reliable and made a great noise.

 

[CW2]

I’d spent the whole of the previous summer (1991) volunteering on the Mid Hants and 76017 was (and still is) one of my favourite steam locos. It was perfect for the line - and had actually worked on the line in steam days, it even bore evidence of a runaway and crash that happened (I think) on the Didcot, Newbury & Southampton railway in steam days.
Punchy, reliable and made a great noise.

I have to agree - it's a really good fit for the line.

 

[Cowley]

1/1/88

DMU Topsham - Exeter SD
DMU Exeter SD - Dawlish
Lunch in a cafe with my Grandma.
50002 (original toothpaste livery) Dawlish - Exeter and a DMU home.
(My grandmother had priv travel so we used to go on a few trips each year together)

1/1/91

47832 Exeter - Newton Abbot
A Sprinter (possibly a 155?) NA - Exeter.
I found 33101 sitting at the front of the 14:22 Exeter - Waterloo so I took that Axminster for 50027 back (both of which I’d had the week before but if you’re going to dangle a 33 in front of me then that’s what happens).

Nice to remember those days.

 

[CW2]

Monday 02/01/78
Returning from Reading to York after the Christmas / New Year festivities. As I was laden down with luggage, I opted for the through Poole – Newcastle service rather than going via London (which as an impoverished student I couldn’t afford anyway):
47504 1343 Reading – Birmingham New Street via Solihull
45036 1550 Birmingham New Street – Sheffield
The Peak continued to Leeds with the front portion of the train (4 coaches), so another loco was waiting to work forward from Sheffield on the Newcastle portion (7 coaches) :
37086 1745 Sheffield – York via Cudworth
This was my first ever recorded run with a class 37. I was suitably impressed.

Wednesday 02/01/80
I’d spent the New Year in Plymouth, and came out for a little run over the South Devon Banks:
50025 1348 Plymouth – Exeter St Davids
My previous run with 50025 had been as 425 in multi with 404 on the 1355 Glasgow Central – Euston as far as Crewe way back in 1973. At Exeter I awaited the delayed arrival of the 1323 Paddington – Penzance, in the hope of something of interest on the train:
31415 1555 Exeter St Davids – Newton Abbot 18-> 20’ late.
Well I wasn’t expecting that. I required this loco for haulage, so I boarded the train, wondering just how this underpowered Goyle was going to cope over the banks on load 9. Instead we turned onto a non-platform road adjacent to Newton Abbot stabling point, and there the 31 was hooked off and replaced by something a bit more suitable:
50032 16xx Newton Abbot – Plymouth 25-> 20’ late.

Friday 02/01/81
The day of the last loco-hauled “Hull Executive”:
55015 1705 Kings Cross – Retford
55019 1905 Retford – Kings Cross

Wednesday 02/01/91 (Poland)
Five English steam cranks enjoying some “real” steam trains in Poland. We got to hear of an extraordinary event. There had been an international youth rally taking place in Praha over the previous couple of days, and now the cream of Polish youth was on its way home in a series of 12-coach special trains from Praha Holesovice via the border crossing at Miedzylesie to all parts of Poland. Consequently every available locomotive was being sent to Miedzylesie to work these specials, including – crucially – Klodzko’s Pt47 28 and Pt47 112 2-8-2 passenger steam locos. We took a diesel all the way from Wroclaw to Miedzylesie more in hope than expectation, but en route our passenger train was looped to be overtaken by the Pt47s running light engine tender first, so our hopes were high. At Miedzylesie I was deputed to go into the station despatcher’s office (Dyzurny Ruchu) to use my best pidgin Polish to see what I could glean. It turned out that the trains the Pt47s were working had already arrived, and were waiting in the yard north of the station (instead of in the main station platforms as we had expected). So our party of five cranks set off through the deep snow into the yard, passing the Customs officials walking the other way as we did so! At the far end of the yard the Pt47s had already attached and were awaiting departure. Rather than attempting to board the trains (which were utterly wedged with the cream of Polish youth - 1000+ per train - so 5 smelly old coal-encrusted English cranks would tend to stand out a bit), we got talking to the traincrews, and were invited to board the locos (which were every bit as scruffy and coal-encrusted as we were). Pt47 112 was manual fired and Pt47 28 was stoker fired, so to give the fireman on Pt47 112 a bit more room to swing a shovel we split 2 + 3, i.e. 2 cranks on Pt47 112 and 3 (including me) on Pt47 28.

The driver of Pt47 28 was not on the best of terms with his fireman, and seemed to be bullying him pretty constantly. The run as far as Klodzko was fairly uneventful – but certainly proved there was a heavy train behind us. Then the fun started. We were only booked to stand at Klodzko for a couple of minutes, but the driver decided we needed to take water. So we came to a prolonged halt (under clear signals), holding up everything behind us. When we were eventually topped up and ready to go, the loco wasn’t having any of it. We had managed to stop “top dead centre”. Eventually after a prolonged session of heaving the regulator open, battering the valve gear with a hammer, and swinging the cutoff back and fore, suddenly we got power in reverse, and gave the train a mighty thwack. Then we managed to go forward, only to come to a stop at the signal which had been put back on us because we were taking too long to depart! Once we did get the road, we had another performance of the same issue.

Leaving Klodzko there is a pretty steep climb up to a summit at Bardo. The automatic stoker chose this time to get jammed, so the fireman had to fire manually over the top of it, which was very awkward for him. We were booked to stop for water at Kamieniec from 2329 to 0029, but had taken water at Klodzko instead, so we ran through the platform at Kamieniec precisely on time at 0029. The station redcap called out (in Polish) something to the effect of “You don’t need any more water do you?” at which point the driver spontaneously decided that having travelled a full 22 kilometres since our last water stop, and with just 72 kilometres more to go, and being right on time (at last), it was suddenly vital that we stop for yet more water. So he put the brake in, and we came to a halt just beyond the reach of the water column. We had to set back. Guess what: top dead centre again. We spent 5 minutes fruitlessly chuffing, hammering, and winding the gear back and fore, before deciding that perhaps we didn’t need water after all, and set off towards Wroclaw. Meanwhile the fireman was trying to get the jammed stoker equipment to work, and failing badly. The loco fire was getting progressively run down as we attacked the heavy climb north of Kamieniec, and the driver was getting quite agitated. The regulator was wide open, and the reverser in pretty much full forward gear; speed was down to 20 kph, with boiler pressure at only 65% of maximum. The fireman was firmly ordered to stop p***ing about with the stoker and get some coal on the fire, and quick!

There was further entertainment later in the journey when about 10 km south of Wroclaw the air pump packed in. Without saying a word to anybody – and with us thrashing along in total darkness at a steady 75 kph – the driver picked up a hammer, opened the cab door, clambered along the outside of the cab and onto the running board of the loco, then along the boiler until he reached the air pump, where he proceeded to bray seven bells out of it to persuade it to his way of thinking. My mate was sitting in the fireman’s seat doing his timing log, and hadn’t seen what had happened, so I called across to him and he looked up, just in time to see the driver walking back towards him along the side of the locomotive, whilst nobody at all was in control of the train!

We were only about 10 minutes late into Wroclaw. We alighted there, thanking the crew for their entertaining performance, then waited for Pt47 112 to arrive on the train behind us. After that I continued by fast (electric) train to Leszno for another day bashing steam on service trains. Not a textbook performance by any means, but utterly enthralling.

Pt47 28 2220 Miedzylesie – Wroclaw

 

[Cowley]

Monday 02/01/78
Returning from Reading to York after the Christmas / New Year festivities. As I was laden down with luggage, I opted for the through Poole – Newcastle service rather than going via London (which as an impoverished student I couldn’t afford anyway):
47504 1343 Reading – Birmingham New Street via Solihull
45036 1550 Birmingham New Street – Sheffield
The Peak continued to Leeds with the front portion of the train (4 coaches), so another loco was waiting to work forward from Sheffield on the Newcastle portion (7 coaches) :
37086 1745 Sheffield – York via Cudworth
This was my first ever recorded run with a class 37. I was suitably impressed.

Wednesday 02/01/80
I’d spent the New Year in Plymouth, and came out for a little run over the South Devon Banks:
50025 1348 Plymouth – Exeter St Davids
My previous run with 50025 had been as 425 in multi with 404 on the 1355 Glasgow Central – Euston as far as Crewe way back in 1973. At Exeter I awaited the delayed arrival of the 1323 Paddington – Penzance, in the hope of something of interest on the train:
31415 1555 Exeter St Davids – Newton Abbot 18-> 20’ late.
Well I wasn’t expecting that. I required this loco for haulage, so I boarded the train, wondering just how this underpowered Goyle was going to cope over the banks on load 9. Instead we turned onto a non-platform road adjacent to Newton Abbot stabling point, and there the 31 was hooked off and replaced by something a bit more suitable:
50032 16xx Newton Abbot – Plymouth 25-> 20’ late.

Friday 02/01/81
The day of the last loco-hauled “Hull Executive”:
55015 1705 Kings Cross – Retford
55019 1905 Retford – Kings Cross

Wednesday 02/01/91 (Poland)
Five English steam cranks enjoying some “real” steam trains in Poland. We got to hear of an extraordinary event. There had been an international youth rally taking place in Praha over the previous couple of days, and now the cream of Polish youth was on its way home in a series of 12-coach special trains from Praha Holesovice via the border crossing at Miedzylesie to all parts of Poland. Consequently every available locomotive was being sent to Miedzylesie to work these specials, including – crucially – Klodzko’s Pt47 28 and Pt47 112 2-8-2 passenger steam locos. We took a diesel all the way from Wroclaw to Miedzylesie more in hope than expectation, but en route our passenger train was looped to be overtaken by the Pt47s running light engine tender first, so our hopes were high. At Miedzylesie I was deputed to go into the station despatcher’s office (Dyzurny Ruchu) to use my best pidgin Polish to see what I could glean. It turned out that the trains the Pt47s were working had already arrived, and were waiting in the yard north of the station (instead of in the main station platforms as we had expected). So our party of five cranks set off through the deep snow into the yard, passing the Customs officials walking the other way as we did so! At the far end of the yard the Pt47s had already attached and were awaiting departure. Rather than attempting to board the trains (which were utterly wedged with the cream of Polish youth - 1000+ per train - so 5 smelly old coal-encrusted English cranks would tend to stand out a bit), we got talking to the traincrews, and were invited to board the locos (which were every bit as scruffy and coal-encrusted as we were). Pt47 112 was manual fired and Pt47 28 was stoker fired, so to give the fireman on Pt47 112 a bit more room to swing a shovel we split 2 + 3, i.e. 2 cranks on Pt47 112 and 3 (including me) on Pt47 28.

The driver of Pt47 28 was not on the best of terms with his fireman, and seemed to be bullying him pretty constantly. The run as far as Klodzko was fairly uneventful – but certainly proved there was a heavy train behind us. Then the fun started. We were only booked to stand at Klodzko for a couple of minutes, but the driver decided we needed to take water. So we came to a prolonged halt (under clear signals), holding up everything behind us. When we were eventually topped up and ready to go, the loco wasn’t having any of it. We had managed to stop “top dead centre”. Eventually after a prolonged session of heaving the regulator open, battering the valve gear with a hammer, and swinging the cutoff back and fore, suddenly we got power in reverse, and gave the train a mighty thwack. Then we managed to go forward, only to come to a stop at the signal which had been put back on us because we were taking too long to depart! Once we did get the road, we had another performance of the same issue.

Leaving Klodzko there is a pretty steep climb up to a summit at Bardo. The automatic stoker chose this time to get jammed, so the fireman had to fire manually over the top of it, which was very awkward for him. We were booked to stop for water at Kamieniec from 2329 to 0029, but had taken water at Klodzko instead, so we ran through the platform at Kamieniec precisely on time at 0029. The station redcap called out (in Polish) something to the effect of “You don’t need any more water do you?” at which point the driver spontaneously decided that having travelled a full 22 kilometres since our last water stop, and with just 72 kilometres more to go, and being right on time (at last), it was suddenly vital that we stop for yet more water. So he put the brake in, and we came to a halt just beyond the reach of the water column. We had to set back. Guess what: top dead centre again. We spent 5 minutes fruitlessly chuffing, hammering, and winding the gear back and fore, before deciding that perhaps we didn’t need water after all, and set off towards Wroclaw. Meanwhile the fireman was trying to get the jammed stoker equipment to work, and failing badly. The loco fire was getting progressively run down as we attacked the heavy climb north of Kamieniec, and the driver was getting quite agitated. The regulator was wide open, and the reverser in pretty much full forward gear; speed was down to 20 kph, with boiler pressure at only 65% of maximum. The fireman was firmly ordered to stop p***ing about with the stoker and get some coal on the fire, and quick!

There was further entertainment later in the journey when about 10 km south of Wroclaw the air pump packed in. Without saying a word to anybody – and with us thrashing along in total darkness at a steady 75 kph – the driver picked up a hammer, opened the cab door, clambered along the outside of the cab and onto the running board of the loco, then along the boiler until he reached the air pump, where he proceeded to bray seven bells out of it to persuade it to his way of thinking. My mate was sitting in the fireman’s seat doing his timing log, and hadn’t seen what had happened, so I called across to him and he looked up, just in time to see the driver walking back towards him along the side of the locomotive, whilst nobody at all was in control of the train!

We were only about 10 minutes late into Wroclaw. We alighted there, thanking the crew for their entertaining performance, then waited for Pt47 112 to arrive on the train behind us. After that I continued by fast (electric) train to Leszno for another day bashing steam on service trains. Not a textbook performance by any means, but utterly enthralling.

Pt47 28 2220 Miedzylesie – Wroclaw

Amazing and very enjoyable to read.

 

[Techniquest]

Absolutely cracking tale from Poland there! You just have to love the determination of the crew, I dread to think what the passengers thought of all the faffing around with things braking etc though!

Your first 37 reminds me of my first one, 37203, now over 17 years ago. Very impressed, and I only wish I'd spent more time at the droplight!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Friday 2nd January 1987

31433 Warrington C to Liverpool LS, 1M19 07.12 Cleethorpes to Liverpool
31430 Liverpool LS to Warrington C, 1E47 15.45 Liverpool to Hull

The penultimate time I had a goyle for haulage. I didn't have another for over 5 years, until August 1992.

 

[D6130]

FRIDAY 2nd JANUARY 1981:

A quick trip through to Edinburgh and back.

303 029 Helensburgh Central-Glasgow QS LL via Yoker (10 44 Helensburgh Central-Airdrie)
47 711 12 30 Glasgow QS HL-Edinburgh via Falkirk Grahamston (Consist: SC12012/12013/12011/12017/11008/9707 Load 6 AB/EH)
47 705 17 00 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS HL via Falkirk Grahamston (Consist: SC9709/11006/12007/12023/12019/12022 Load 6 AB/EH)
27 110 18 21 Glasgow QS HL-Garelochhead (service to Oban) (Consist: SC4250/4186/4189/14010 Load 4 VB/SH)

SATURDAY 2nd JANUARY 1982:

Another Winter Bank Holiday trip through to Edinburgh. By amazing co-incidence, I had the same unit and loco on the outward journey as I had had a year previously! Was this the day of the last Deltic special?....I nipped into my flat in Hyndland en route, possibly to pick up some photographic gear.

303 029 Helensburgh Central-Hyndland via Yoker (09 44 Helensburgh Central-Airdrie)
303 068 Hyndland-Glasgow QS LL (10 14 Helensburgh Central-Airdrie)
47 711 11 30 Glasgow QS HL-Edinburgh via Falkirk Grahamston (Consist: SC12013/12051/12027/12021/11005/9709 Load 6 AB/EH)
47 708 15 00 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS HL via Falkirk Grahamston (Consist: SC9707/11009/12025/12015/12031 Load 5 AB/EH)
303 009 Glasgow QS LL-Helensburgh Central via Yoker (15 52 Airdrie-Helensburgh Central)

FRIDAY 2nd JANUARY 1987:

Returning South to Brighton after spending New Year with friends in Ayrshire:

318 xxx Kilwinning-Glasgow Central HL
87 009 Glasgow Central-Euston
EMU Victoria-Lewes

 

[NorthWestRover]

Yes, it was the Deltic farewell special on 2nd January 1982.

 

[D6130]

Yes, it was the Deltic farewell special on 2nd January 1982.

Thanks. I hadn't marked the occasion in my notebook and couldn't remember the exact date. Living in Glasgow at the time, it wasn't really practical to travel on the special....unless I could have smuggled myself on board the return trip as far as Newcastle. As it was, I positioned myself above the Eastern portal of Calton Tunnel - with a few hundred others - to photograph the arrival and then returned to Waverley for the departure. Unfortunately, I cant put my hand on the photos just now.

 

[xotGD]

2nd January 1982

I was one of the many lining platforms and other vantage points up and down the ECML to witness the end of an era. Back home in the evening, the Deltic Farewell featured on the BBC evening news.

I don't think any of us thought we'd see Deltics back on the main line. Forty years on, amazingly, yes we can. And over the years we've had the bizarre sight of No. 22 working freight, the summer Saturday trips to Ramsgate, No. 16 being painted purple and assorted other highs and lows. Nothing else compares.

2nd January 1989

Heading back to Brum after the holidays, and I struck lucky...

85016 Carlisle - New St

2nd January 1990

I took a different route the following year...

47597 Newcastle - Manchester Piccadilly
31405 Piccadilly - New St

2nd January 1994

I was back out on the North County Rover...

86240 Carlisle - Preston
90003 Preston - Oxenholme
87017 Oxenholme - Preston
86245 Preston - Oxenholme
90012 Oxenholme - Lancaster
90004 Lancaster - Carlisle

2nd January 1996

47806 York - Leeds

 

[AJM580]

02/01/97

15 years to the day after the Deltic Farewell Special. D9000 was back out for her second railtour, "The Deltic Reunion", this time without any problems

Moves for the day were as follows

158786 Norwich - Peterborough

D9000 Peterborough - Doncaster - Hull - Selby - Leeds - Knaresborough - York

The reunion hinted to in the tour's name took place when D9000 was brought into the NRM and met up with the Deltic prototype briefly before returning south.

D9000 York - Doncaster - Peterborough

158862 Peterborough - Norwich

 

[CW2]

Monday 03/01/77
A visit to my parents:
47027 1205 Paddington – Reading

Wednesday 03/01/79
A day of deep snow, and I’m on the Settle & Carlisle Line!
45128 0915 Leeds – Carlisle 25->65’ late, deep snow.
85008 1846 Carlisle – Preston. This was the 1720 Glasgow Central – Euston relief, running 70 minutes late.
86259 2233 Preston – Crewe “The Barrow Kippers”

Saturday 03/01/81
I was heading to Kings Cross to cover the 1035 additional to Edinburgh, which stood a reasonable chance of getting a class 40 on it. Thanks to farces on London Underground I arrived on the concourse at Kings Cross at 1037, just missing 40070 on the 1035 Edinburgh. Never mind, there was a 1235 Newcastle additional, so that might produce something of interest. I’ll just fester for that:
55015 1235 Kings Cross – York 40->60’ late, running One Engine Only.
55022 1813 York – Doncaster 11’ late, waiting connections
55007 1907 Doncaster – Hull.
This was the Saturday equivalent of the Hull Executive, its last day of running with a Deltic.
55007 2100 Hull – Doncaster
55014 2235 Doncaster – York
At Doncaster I had been told everything else coming north from Kings Cross was 46 / 47, but in fact 40058 was behind on the 2004 relief. In fact, the 2004 was the normal train (load 13 including sleepers) whereas Deltic 14 was on the relief (load 6) departing at 2000. A very odd loco allocation in view of the relative loads.
40058 2326 York – Edinburgh

Friday 03/01/92
I knew that RfD’s 90023 was on loan to work passenger trains on the ECML, so I set off to have it:
47446 0629 Reading – Paddington
91004 0800 Kings Cross – Newcastle
90023 was coming south from Edinburgh, and I was on a +19’ onto it at Newcastle. Sadly there were signalling failures at both Northallerton and Ferryhill, turning a punctual departure from York into a 35’ late arrival into Newcastle. 90023 passed us heading south as we stood at Ferryhill awaiting the chaos to be resolved. All I could do was catch the next train south to see what it might work next out of Kings Cross:
43100 + 43046 1135 Newcastle – Kings Cross
At Kings Cross 90023 was swapped onto the 1550 to Bradford Forster Square. As the route from Leeds wasn’t yet electrified, that meant the provision of an ETH 47 from Leeds:
90023 1550 Kings Cross – Leeds
47500 (+90023 dead) 1812 Leeds – Bradford Forster Square
47500 (+90023 dead) 1923 Bradford Forster Square – Leeds
90023 2005 Leeds – Kings Cross
47581 2320 Paddington – Reading
I did eventually have 90023 to Edinburgh in May 1992 – see post #679.

Sunday 03/01/93
After a family trip to visit my parents it is time to come home:
43133 + 43101 1435 Plymouth – Reading
45’ late due to points failure at Totnes.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 3rd January 1981

I must have been out spotting with presumably a unit into Liverpool from Warrington. I may have gone onto Merseyrail too. Not sure what ticket I had.

87022 Lime St to Crewe
87009 Crewe to Lime St

Saturday 3rd January 1987

I was in the UK for a couple of weeks back from my "year abroad" in Germany/France. My girlfriend was a student in Oxford, so I presume we had a reason to go there..

86410 WBQ to Crewe, 1A18 06.30 Carlisle to Euston
47529 Crewe to Oxford, 1O** 09.25 Man Picc to Poole
47468 Oxford to Crewe, 1M** 17.10 Poole to Man Picc
142036 Crewe to WBQ, 23.24 Crewe to Preston

 

[Harvester]

02/01/97

15 years to the day after the Deltic Farewell Special. D9000 was back out for her second railtour, "The Deltic Reunion", this time without any problems

I wasn’t aware of any problems on the Farewell Special. 55022 (D9000) arrived in Kings Cross that evening (2/1/82) on time, after running from Edinburgh in well under six hours.

Sorry mis-read the above, you were referring to problems on it’s first railtour in preservation!

 

[xotGD]

Not sure what ticket I had.

I think we've all had a few of those!

 

[D6130]

Having just discovered my notebook for Autumn 1975 to Spring 1976, I hope you will forgive me for posting another backdated offering, which I think will be of considerable interest to some members. With the imminent (May 1976?) transfer of the Fort William overnight service from the ECML to the WCML, I decided to take a weekend trip to Mallaig immediately before Christmas, meeting up with a school friend at Helensburgh on the Saturday morning and staying with his family there overnight following our WHL trip. I would have been using one of my first - if not my very first - free pass/es, having joined the railway on 3rd November 1975:

FRIDAY 19th DECEMBER 1975:

EMU Petersfield-Waterloo
47 524 Kings Cross-Edinburgh (19 30 Kings Cross-Aberdeen/Fort William)

SATURDAY 20th DECEMBER 1975:

40 142 04 35 Edinburgh-Glasgow Queen Street (19 30 Kings Cross-Fort William)
26 033 Shunt Platform 5-Platform 7 at Queen Street
27 008 06 00 Glasgow Queen Street-Fort William
27 106 banking Glasgow Queen Street-Cowlairs
27 013 10 30 Fort William-Mallaig
27 013 14 05 Mallaig-Fort William
27 008 1615 Fort William-Crianlarich

The original intention was to go all the way back to Helensburgh with the Up Sleeper but, shortly before leaving the Fort, a member of staff told us that he had heard a rumour that a Haymarket 26 had gone down to Oban with that morning's 01 00 papers from Glasgow and would be returning on the 17 40 from that town. As a result, we baled-out at Crianlarich, went for a very swift pint and look what came round the corner:

26 009 19?? Crianlarich-Helensburgh Upper (17 40 Oban-Glasgow Queen Street)

The first 20 class 26s, being five tons heavier than their later sisters due to having different bogies, were RA6 as opposed to RA5 - and thus officially banned from the West Highland Lines. However, in emergency, this was sometimes ignored and I had occasionally seen them on freight trips at the Southern end of the line (Faslane or Glen Douglas), but this was the only time that I ever saw one - or was hauled by one - on a passenger train on the line. I needed it for haulage and was never hauled by it again.

SUNDAY 21st DECEMBER 1975:

303 089 Helensburgh Central-Glasgow Queen Street via Singer
86 235 Glasgow Central-Euston
7341 Waterloo-Petersfield

Meanwhile, back to the current date:

WEDNESDAY 3rd JANUARY 1973:

A new year spotting trip to Polmadie, Glasgow Central and Queen Street:

5353 (later to become 27 007) Helensburgh Upper-Glasgow Queen Street HL (07 55 ex-Oban)
5368 (later to become 27 022) Glasgow Queen Street HL-Helensburgh Upper (16 35 to Fort William/Mallaig)

SATURDAY 3rd JANUARY 1976:

A day trip to Kings Lynn and back....mainly for spotting and track bashing. On arrival in London, quick visits were made to Euston, St Pancras and Kings Cross, before making my way to Liverpool Street. At Kings Cross I witnessed 47 174 arrive at 09 55 with the overnight from Inverness, followed soon afterwards by 47 411 with an overnight from Glasgow - both diverted from the WCML due to storm damage.

EMU Petersfield-Waterloo
47 011 Liverpool Street-Kings Lynn
47 011 Kings Lynn-Liverpool Street

Withdrawn Scottish Region Swindon Inter-City class 126 DMU vehicles SC79083/79101/79164 were noted in Papworth Sidings, Ely....presumably en route to Snailwell for asbestos removal and then scrapping. On returning to London, a quick visit was made to Paddington, where 1036, 31 231/42, 47540 and 50 025/033 were seen.

EMU Waterloo-Petersfield

SATURDAY 3rd JANUARY 1981:

A quick afternoon trip out to Dumbarton from my parents' place to intercept what was to be the last rostered class 27 on the evening Glasgow-Fort William/Mallaig:

303 031 15 22 Helensburgh Central-Dumbarton Central (service to Airdrie)
27 002 Dumbarton Central-Garelochhead (16 35 GLQ-FTW/MLG) (Consist: SC3883/4255/4193/14024/1840/80735 Load 6 VB/SH)

 

[CW2]

SATURDAY 20th DECEMBER 1975:

40 142 04 35 Edinburgh-Glasgow Queen Street (19 30 Kings Cross-Fort William)
26 033 Shunt Platform 5-Platform 7 at Queen Street
27 008 06 00 Glasgow Queen Street-Fort William
27 106 banking Glasgow Queen Street-Cowlairs
27 013 10 30 Fort William-Mallaig
27 013 14 05 Mallaig-Fort William
27 008 1615 Fort William-Crianlarich

The original intention was to go all the way back to Helensburgh with the Up Sleeper but, shortly before leaving the Fort, a member of staff told us that he had heard a rumour that a Haymarket 26 had gone down to Oban with that morning's 01 00 papers from Glasgow and would be returning on the 17 40 from that town. As a result, we baled-out at Crianlarich, went for a very swift pint and look what came round the corner:

26 009 19?? Crianlarich-Helensburgh Upper (17 40 Oban-Glasgow Queen Street)

The first 20 class 26s, being five tons heavier than their later sisters due to having different bogies, were RA6 as opposed to RA5 - and thus officially banned from the West Highland Lines. However, in emergency, this was sometimes ignored and I had occasionally seen them on freight trips at the Southern end of the line (Faslane or Glen Douglas), but this was the only time that I ever saw one - or was hauled by one - on the line. I needed it for haulage and was never hauled by it again.

First off, 40142 was a one-off, being (in later years) the only split-box 40 to retain a working boiler, and was the only split-box 40 allocated to Scotland. I spent a lot of time and energy in pursuit of that loco, only for it to fail / be taken off diagram / dematerialise Doctor Who style. Eventually I managed 1 run Perth - Dundee off it.
As for 26009, that was one of the very earliest class 26 withdrawals (1977). I don't think I ever even saw it, let alone had it for haulage as you did. Well done, Sir!
(I did do the West Highland Line to Fort William on the overnight from Kings Cross back in - I think - 1974 with a school trip, but sadly my records of that trip have disappeared. Otherwise my main traction on the WHL has been 37s, so it is refreshing to have an account of then the Type 2s were the only traction on the route).