Need a brief rundown on 1968 steam operations

[eldomtom2]

I've seen plenty of videos and photos, of course, but they don't provide broader context. If I time travelled back to early 1968, what lines and services would I have the best chance of seeing steam on?

 

[neilmc]

From the beginning of 1968, all remaining steam loco depots were in North West England, on the London Midland Region, in the Manchester, Liverpool and Preston divisions. Therefore a visit to those three towns would guarantee at least some steam, together with outlier sheds in the respective divisions such as Carnforth, Northwich and Buxton. Steam still penetrated further with the odd working to places such as Leeds, Healey Mills, Sheffield and Barrow. The vast majority would be freight workings, especially oil, with some parcels and the occasional passenger such as Preston to Liverpool and Blackpool portions of WCML expresses which ran right up until the very end of steam.

 

[L+Y]

Regarding Manchester and Liverpool, would it have depended on where one went? Would there have been much steam on the electrified lines by 1968, or was it pretty much confined to routes in and out of Victoria?

Similarly Liverpool - I know steam was still much in evidence into Exchange until the very end, but how much steam working was there on the LNW and CLC lines by this date?

 

[deltic14]

The books by Keith Widdowson describe a steam bashers moves during the period 1965 to 1968. He has books about his journeys in Scotland, Yorkshire, the Midland, Western and Southern regions. The Midland one has more about 1968.

 

[Bevan Price]

Well - you would also have spent a lot of time waiting hopefully to see a handful of steam locos, and often getting frustrated because a steam working was cancelled, or nothing more than a light engine movement. I know - that often happened to me. I spent many tedious hours in the waiting room at Preston, or other locations. Somewhere, I have a copy of a duplicated list of nominal steam workings at that time, and if I can find it, I will summarise the contents here. However the list some became out of date, as almost every month saw a reduction in steam workings.

 

[Taunton]

When were the Tebay bankers withdrawn? Were these the last steam operations on main line Class 1 passenger workings, pushing Class 40s up to the top?

Always seemed a bit contradictory that Tebay banking was completely withdrawn, where the comparable Beattock ones north of the border changed over to pairs of Class 20 for many years beyond, well into electrification times.

 

[D6130]

When were the Tebay bankers withdrawn? Were these the last steam operations on main line Class 1 passenger workings, pushing Class 40s up to the top?

IIRC, the bankers were withdrawn in January 1968....at which time the shed and the station both closed. For the last year or so, the Fairburn 2-6-4 tanks were replaced by BR Standard Class 4 4-6-0 tender locos, which had been made redundant at Croes Newydd by the dieselisation of the Cambrian lines and would - by this time - would have mainly been banking class 47s and 50s....with some 25s and a dwindling number of Black 5s and 8Fs on freight.

Always seemed a bit contradictory that Tebay banking was completely withdrawn, where the comparable Beattock ones north of the border changed over to pairs of Class 20 for many years beyond, well into electrification times.

Beattock bank is twice as long as Shap and a bit steeper in its upper reaches. It also passes through a much more wooded area, with all the adhesion problems that that entails....whereas most of Shap is open moorland.

 

[52290]

When were the Tebay bankers withdrawn? Were these the last steam operations on main line Class 1 passenger workings, pushing Class 40s up to the top?

Always seemed a bit contradictory that Tebay banking was completely withdrawn, where the comparable Beattock ones north of the border changed over to pairs of Class 20 for many
years beyond, well into electrification times.

I think Tebay shed closed on 31/12/67. I did attend on the day and got some photos but the weather was grot and they are not very good. Here's a shot of 75026 on the shed. A Britannia did come through on a north-bound express and this may have been the last scheduled steam working north of Carnforth.

 

[Gloster]

I think Tebay shed closed on 31/12/67. I did attend on the day and got some photos but the weather was grot and they are not very good. Here's a shot of 75026 on the shed. A Britannia did come through on a north-bound express and this may have been the last scheduled steam working north of Carnforth.

From something I read recently, possibly while catching up on a backlog of Cumbrian Railways Association journals, there may have been a few steam workings to Kendal, or possibly beyond, during 1968.

 

[E27007]

I've seen plenty of videos and photos, of course, but they don't provide broader context. If I time travelled back to early 1968, what lines and services would I have the best chance of seeing steam on?

In the main steam displaced to freight workings, the final steam worked passenger diagrams were Preston and Liverpool, ending in August 1968, and the number of classes had diminished to a handcount, areas working steam were were Carnforth, Lostock Hall, Rose Grove, Rose Grove had a steeply graded connection to a Colliery, the coal concentration sidings alongside the Station. The spectacular sound of an 8F on a heavy train of 16tonners with a second 8F as banker, still lives in my memory. 1966 and 1967 were better years,, steam on Settle and Carlisle, oddities such as ex LMS 2-6-4T locos working a passenger service between Leeds and Bradford came to an end Major steam depots with large allocations were Crewe, Leeds Holbeck, Carlisle Kingmoor, had closed by the end of 1967, for 1968, steam had concentrated to a closed geographical area,

 

[52290]

From something I read recently, possibly while catching up on a backlog of Cumbrian Railways Association journals, there may have been a few steam workings to Kendal, or possibly beyond, during 1968.

Maybe I should have said the last scheduled steam passenger working north of Carnforth.

 

[Beebman]

From something I read recently, possibly while catching up on a backlog of Cumbrian Railways Association journals, there may have been a few steam workings to Kendal, or possibly beyond, during 1968.

I've mentioned in another thread the Crecy book written by Stephen Leyland on the last steam workings of 1968. On page 219 there's a photo taken at Kendal on July 30th that year of 44894 hauling a failed DMU on the 09:00 Windermere-Morecambe. The photo caption says it's almost certainly the last time a failed DMU was steam hauled. It also says it's likely the loco was already on the branch as the daily tripper.

 

[John Luxton]

Similarly Liverpool - I know steam was still much in evidence into Exchange until the very end, but how much steam working was there on the LNW and CLC lines by this date?

I was 8 going on 9 when steam finished. My grandmother and great aunt lived in a house backing on to the Crewe - Liverpool line near the site of the old Sefton Park Station.

I never made any notes but I did visit their house regularly to watch the trains and steam appeared to be confined mainly to freight.

However, during the summer of 1968 I did notice there were more and more diesels on the freight trains. As to when I actually saw the last steam hauled freight I don't know. What I do recall is my great aunt telling me that the last train (The 15 Guinea Special) was running and I duly went to their house to see it go by!

Of course she wasn't aware it was routed via the L&M all she knew it was leaving Lime Street and presumed it would pass!

Thus I waited, and waited and waited!!

Although I was getting railway magazines by that age the actual route info had passed me by!

 

[Harvester]

I think Tebay shed closed on 31/12/67. I did attend on the day and got some photos but the weather was grot and they are not very good. Here's a shot of 75026 on the shed. A Britannia did come through on a north-bound express and this may have been the last scheduled steam working north of Carnforth.

Are you certain it was a Britannia heading north up Shap on Sunday 31/12/67, and if so did you identify it? The last steam movements at Kingmoor shed were reported to have ceased on Saturday 30/12/67, and the last report of a Britannia on a passenger train in 1967 was on Friday 29th.

 

[Revaulx]

Regarding Manchester and Liverpool, would it have depended on where one went? Would there have been much steam on the electrified lines by 1968, or was it pretty much confined to routes in and out of Victoria?

Similarly Liverpool - I know steam was still much in evidence into Exchange until the very end, but how much steam working was there on the LNW and CLC lines by this date?

Edge Hill and Speke Junction sheds didn’t close until May 1968, so presumably a good deal of freight in South Liverpool was still steam hauled until then.

The sheds on the lines out of Exchange in North Liverpool had all closed by the end of 1967, so presumably all the steam operating around there came from further north (Lostock Hall etc.).

 

[52290]

Are you certain it was a Britannia heading north up Shap on Sunday 31/12/67, and if so did you identify it? The last steam movements at Kingmoor shed were reported to have ceased on Saturday 30/12/67, and the last report of a Britannia on a passenger train in 1967 was on Friday 29th.

It was a Britannia, I have a poor photo of it at Tebay, but I think it was 30/12/67 when Tebay shed closed and when I was there. I will try and put the photo on this thread. The weather was awful!

 

[randyrippley]

It was a Britannia, I have a poor photo of it at Tebay, but I think it was 30/12/67 when Tebay shed closed and when I was there. I will try and put the photo on this thread. The weather was awful!

Begs a question:
is closure day the last day of working or the first day of non-working?

 

[47296lastduff]

Any shed must have been open on its last working day, so logically it was closed on and from the day after. The same method of counting already applies for stations, but the closure date is the first when it would have had a service. For example, if a station with no Sunday service runs it last trains on a Saturday, the closure is on and from the following Monday.

 

[52290]

Well here's my photo. I can see now that it's a parcel train and I now think it was taken on Saturday 30 December 1967 which was the last effective operational day of Tebay shed, not that there was much activity there. The loco seems to be 7000x, I can't make out the last digit.
My Halina 35X , loaded with Ilford FP3, wasn't up to gloomy, mid-Winter Tebay.

 

[D6130]

A valuable and historic photograph, despite the relatively poor quality. I think there is a good chance that there is someone on here who could identify the loco and the train....but, alas, not me!

Well here's my photo. I can see now that it's a parcel train and I now think it was taken on Saturday 30 December 1967 which was the last effective operational day of Tebay shed, not that there was much activity there. The loco seems to be 7000x, I can't make out the last digit.
My Halina 35X , loaded with Ilford FP3, wasn't up to gloomy, mid-Winter Tebay.

 

[Harvester]

Well here's my photo. I can see now that it's a parcel train and I now think it was taken on Saturday 30 December 1967 which was the last effective operational day of Tebay shed, not that there was much activity there. The loco seems to be 7000x, I can't make out the last digit.
My Halina 35X , loaded with Ilford FP3, wasn't up to gloomy, mid-Winter Tebay.

There was only one 7000X Britannia left in service by December 1967 and that was 70004. However it’s movements on 30/12/67 where not on the WCML. When magnified, the fourth digit on the number plate in the photo looks like 1 rather than zero, and the fifth could be 2

One Saturday 30 December 1967, 70012 worked the 08:05 (3M41) Carlisle-Manchester (Red Bank) parcels, but that would have been southbound through Tebay around mid-morning.

 

[Bevan Price]

According to the RCTS History of BR Standard locos, the following Britannias were withdrawal date 30/12/1967:
70004/12/14/21/23/24/35//45. Of course,some of these might already have been in store.
Several others were withdrawn the previous week, 23/12/1967:
70011/22/25.

The book gives a list of the last known workings of a few of the Britannias, but does not claim to be a complete list:
70014: 24/12/1967: 13:10 Carlisle - Skipton passenger.

70021: 28/12/1967: 03:35 Manchester Vic - Southport newspapers, then
09:00 Liverpool Exchange - Preston, 12:17 Preston - Manchester Vic

70004: 30/12/1967: 03:06 Carlisle - Ayr parcels

70012: 30/12/1967: 08:05 Carlisle - Manchester parcels

70045: 30/12/1967: 13:10 Carlisle - Skipton, then light engine to Rose Grove, then
01/01/1968 (whilst officially withdrawn), Coal train, Rose Grove to Wigan.
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