March Whitemoor Yard Class 45s

[Davester50]

A meander around the web today brought up some flickrs and youtubes of the dumped 45s at March.
When and why did they end up there?

Pretty sure I visited in about 1989, but that's a dim memory these days!

 

[Cowley]

A meander around the web today brought up some flickrs and youtubes of the dumped 45s at March.
When and why did they end up there?

Pretty sure I visited in about 1989, but that's a dim memory these days!

I visited March with my stepbrother in 1987 and there were lots of dumped 45s - along with some 20s and the recently withdrawn local (Norwich based) class 03s.

At the time there was also a very long scrap line at Toton which consisted of mainly class 45s, along with the odd 25 and 46. Perhaps it was as simple as the yard at Whitemoor was chosen over Toton at the time, just because of the large amount of available siding space?

 

[Gloster]

Try looking at .derbysulzers.com , the first stop for your Class 45 information.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I visited March with my stepbrother in 1987 and there were lots of dumped 45s - along with some 20s and the recently withdrawn local (Norwich based) class 03s.

At the time there was also a very long scrap line at Toton which consisted of mainly class 45s, along with the odd 25 and 46.

I remember making a trip to Bescot and a wander around the withdrawn 45s.
For reasons I still can't fathom, I never tried to venture over to March for the 45s. I did a couple of official visits to Toton but the only withdrawn Peak I photo'd was 45015.

My mid-teen self visited Swindon Works in 1985 and Crewe Works in 1986. Both sites had ample 40s and 25s on death row. I will always regret not having a 35mm camera for the Swindon visit. D818 Glory and the yet-to-be-saved MetroVic D5705 were there.

 

[Cowley]

I remember making a trip to Bescot and a wander around the withdrawn 45s.
For reasons I still can't fathom, I never tried to venture over to March for the 45s. I did a couple of official visits to Toton but the only withdrawn Peak I photo'd was 45015.

My mid-teen self visited Swindon Works in 1985 and Crewe Works in 1986. Both sites had ample 40s and 25s on death row. I will always regret not having a 35mm camera for the Swindon visit. D818 Glory and the yet-to-be-saved MetroVic D5705 were there.

Amazing what was still kicking around in those days if you knew where to look.

A couple of photos from our trip to March in 1987. Not great quality but nice moments to have captured. Not sure what the guy fiddling with the 03 was up to. He definitely wasn’t wearing a BR uniform!

 

[Sun Chariot]

A couple of photos from our trip to March in 1987. Not great quality but nice moments to have captured. Not sure what the guy fiddling with the 03 was up to. He definitely wasn’t wearing a BR uniform!

Nice. I liked the adornments on "depot pets" 45013 and 45107. I have a couple of 35mm shots of the latter.

The 03 guy? Maybe an enterprising supplier for Collectors Corner , or perhaps he had an "epiphany" that a certain online auction site would launch in the UK 1999 and he'd make a fortune selling TOPS numbers / data panels...

 

[Davester50]

Try looking at .derbysulzers.com , the first stop for your Class 45 information.

Thanks. Interesting that it wasn't until 1994 that the last of the March 45s were finally moved.
If it's anything like the brakes on the wife's car after it's not moved for a week or two, that must have been some effort to move them!

 

[Richard Scott]

I remember making a trip to Bescot and a wander around the withdrawn 45s.

What year was that, never any there that I could remember? Saw a few 25s there around 1987.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Mar 2025 ==

Thanks. Interesting that it wasn't until 1994 that the last of the March 45s were finally moved.
If it's anything like the brakes on the wife's car after it's not moved for a week or two, that must have been some effort to move them!

Brakes wouldn't have been on, probably all scotched. As long as axle bearings free (likely as roller bearings in grease) and traction motors moved freely, wouldn't have been a problem.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Mar 2025 ==

The 03 guy? Maybe an enterprising supplier for Collectors Corner , or perhaps he had an "epiphany" that a certain online auction site would launch in the UK 1999 and he'd make a fortune selling TOPS numbers / data panels...

Certainly a few 45s in preservation that are running because a few people had foresight to collect some spares?

 

[Sun Chariot]

What year was that, never any there that I could remember? Saw a few 25s there around 1987.

Off top of my head, 1984 or 1985. I'd bought my first 35mm SLR in May '86, just in time for my Crewe Works visit.
I did return to Bescot early 1989 but nowhere near as much interest there; mostly cond wagons.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Mar 2025 ==

Certainly a few 45s in preservation that are running because a few people had foresight to collect some spares?

i did a highly unofficial visit ro MC Metals in the wet summer of 1990, to see the Cl 104 Mexican Bean, ex LMS OHLE test cars and 33s (021, 055) in their final days; but I'd have never managed to carry a "trophy" back across a wet field, let alone get it back to the south of England.

 

[Strathclyder]

Martin Loader has a few pics of some of the withdrawn Peaks at March, all dating from August 1988.

45013 Whitemoor 16 August 1988

45070 Whitemoor 16 August 1988

45122 Whitemoor 16 August 1988

45137 March 16 August 1988

45142 Whitemoor 16 August 1988

As noted above, the last ones were removed, dragged all the way up to Glasgow and scrapped there in early 1994 (presumably because MC Metals was the only scrapyard capable of handling such work by then); right on the eve of privatisation iirc.

Martin also has a pic of two 03s (084 & 158) from the same visit, both of which were later preserved together.

03084 Whitemoor Yard 16 August 1988

 

[Ayrshire Roy]

Martin also has a pic of two 03s (084 & 158) from the same visit, both of which were later preserved together.

03084 Whitemoor Yard 16 August 1988

My dad sent me an almost identical photo just last week that has me as a kid on top of the 03s buffer beam.
There is 47s behind them then so it must of been taken after the 45s left.

 

[Pyewipecarshed]

As @Cowley suggests they were there because there was room for them. Much of Whitemoor yard was out of use so there was plenty of siding space to store withdrawn locos

 

[Richard Scott]

As @Cowley suggests they were there because there was room for them. Much of Whitemoor yard was out of use so there was plenty of siding space to store withdrawn locos

Think it was also reasonably secure (obviously not totally as plenty of items 'fell off' of locos during their time there) and was a view that some may be reinstated should traffic increase as a number were in quite good condition. Obviously never materialised and almost all went for scrap, ultimately.

 

[Cowley]

Think it was also reasonably secure (obviously not totally as plenty of items 'fell off' of locos during their time there) and was a view that some may be reinstated should traffic increase as a number were in quite good condition. Obviously never materialised and almost all went for scrap, ultimately.

I remember that we chatted to a fellow enthusiast that weekend who told us not to start taking bits off locomotives as the police had been called on those that tried doing it.

Not sure if it was true obviously and we absolutely, definitely, most certainly didn’t leave with anything in my stepbrothers bag.

 

[Sun Chariot]

...and we absolutely, definitely, most certainly didn’t leave with anything in my stepbrothers bag.

I feel a game of charades coming on:
"Cab? Engine room? Or bogies?"

 

[Richard Scott]

I feel a game of charades coming on:
"Cab? Engine room? Or bogies?"

I believe electrical cubicle or brake frames had the items that were 'poorly attached' and most likely to 'fall off'.
Unfortunately I never visited March or Toton and despite locos being there for years, and I could drive by the time they went, I have a lot of empty spaces in the 45s in my books!! Saw most of the /1s but very few /0s.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I believe electrical cubicle or brake frames had the items that were 'poorly attached' and most likely to 'fall off'.
Unfortunately I never visited March or Toton and despite locos being there for years, and I could drive by the time they went, I have a lot of empty spaces in the 45s in my books!! Saw most of the /1s but very few /0s.

My 1970s were close to the Midland Main Line; summer trips to see grandmother in Exmouth (so Dawlish and Teignmouth were a staple part of those holidays). 45s and 46s galore; yet my earliest recollected haulage, was 45003 on a Merrymaker to Blackpool.

 

[Cowley]

I believe electrical cubicle or brake frames had the items that were 'poorly attached' and most likely to 'fall off'.

We found that the slow speed control buttons on the class 20s that were stored at March were particularly loose. Erm.

Unfortunately I never visited March or Toton and despite locos being there for years, and I could drive by the time they went, I have a lot of empty spaces in the 45s in my books!! Saw most of the /1s but very few /0s.

I visited the scrap line at Toton a couple of times in the 1980s and it was somehow even more mystical, I think partly because of the huge overgrown marshalling yard (which March also had), but also the derelict post war buildings and the fact that there were still 25s and 46s in the line. Plus literally nobody around at all.

 

[Richard Scott]

My 1970s were close to the Midland Main Line; summer trips to see grandmother in Exmouth (so Dawlish and Teignmouth were a staple part of those holidays). 45s and 46s galore; yet my earliest recollected haulage, was 45003 on a Merrymaker to Blackpool.

Annoyingly I lived on what is now Cross Country route when growing up, rode behind loads but, whilst interested in trains, didn't collect numbers! Ended up with 7 recorded haulage on 45s in the end! Probably had nearer 20 or 30, in reality. Oh well, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Still have the memories of seeing them and off to the seaside with the grandparents so can't complain.