Tuesday 14/03/78
A nice way to start the day:
40113 0915 York – Leeds
… but after that it was all downhill …
45001 1005 Leeds – York
46055 1123 York – Leeds
47449 1206 Leeds – York
47449 1735 York – Leeds
46032 1906 Leeds – York
Wednesday 14/03/79
55019 0032 Leeds – Doncaster via Selby Canal Jn
This was retimed from 0040, and diverted via Selby Canal due to resignalling work at Doncaster.
47416 0121 Doncaster – York via Selby
55013 0254 York – Doncaster via Selby
This was running One Engine Only, but kept to time despite being load 13.
Meanwhile, 55019 had stuck to diagram, and I was in for some more new track:
55019 0402 Doncaster – Hull via Carcroft Jn, Skellow Jn
On arrival at Hull, I walked to Hull Corporation Pier and got my head down in the first ferry to New Holland Pier.
Ferry Hull Corporation Pier – New Holland Pier
DMU New Holland Pier – Cleethorpes
40024 0840 Cleethorpes – Doncaster
This was the return working of the 0120 Manchester – Cleethorpes newspapers. The stock ran all the way back to Manchester, but was advertised as a passenger service as far as Doncaster. It was a regular 40 diagram, with the same loco often appearing night after night.
Friday 14/03/80
86233 0050 Euston – Stafford
86255 0300 Stafford – Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke
I had come all this way to do The Bangor. I alighted at Piccadilly, walked across to Victoria, and found the train was cancelled due to Warrington PSB staff taking industrial action. Bah, humbug (or similar expressions).
47531 0850 Manchester Victoria – York, 20' late, Warrington PSB dispute.
There was some reason in this madness:
40069 1347 York – Manchester Victoria
I alighted to do the afternoon Bangor:
40012 1540 Manchester Victoria – Chester
The driver of this was especially ham-fisted, with the loco overloading and snatching savagely whenever he ripped open the power handle.
DMU / EMU Chester – Liverpool
40069 1805 Liverpool Lime Street – York
We had a parallel departure with 86247 on the 1805 Liverpool – Euston, and 40069 beat it to Edge Hill. 6' early into York. Then off to Plymouth to visit my parents:
45029 2134 York – Bristol Temple Meads via Selby, Doncaster, Rotherham Masborough, Sheffield, New Street, Worcester Shrub Hill, Gloucester.
(Sat 15/03/80)
47433 0635 Bristol Temple Meads - Plymouth
Saturday 14/03/81
After doing 55019 on the 2300 Kings Cross – Leeds as far as Doncaster, I had to return south. Fortunately I didn't have long to wait:
55008 0152 Doncaster – Kings Cross
Then later the same day, 40069 put in another appearance:
40069 2315 Kings Cross – Leeds via Joint Lines, Sleaford avoider, Doncaster, Hare Park, Wakefield Kirkgate, Wakefield Westgate, Viaduct.
So on successive nights out of Kings Cross I had my Deltic machine and my 40 machine on the same train. (The Saturday 2315 was the same train as the Weekdays 2300).
Monday 14/03/83
Returning from my brief trip to Ireland:
47xxx 0115 Holyhead – Chester
DMU 0300 Chester – Manchester Victoria
47423 0716 Manchester Victoria – York
Then after a day in York, word reached me of a 40 allocated out of Kings Cross:
43094 + 43162 1945 York – Kings Cross via Selby
Wednesday 14/03/84
I was working night shift in Leeds Control. There was the option of going home to my bed in York and sleeping soundly through the day, or alternatively:
DMU Leeds – Dewsbury
31404 0745 Dewsbury – Leeds
47518 0826 Leeds – Chester
40015 1045 Chester – Manchester Victoria
This was the 0847 Holyhead – Scarborough, and I was looking forward to spending many hours behind it. There was no heat until Frodsham, until suddenly the boiler burst into vigorous life, and the coaches were toasty and warm quite soon. On arrival at Manchester Victoria there was a 45/1 waiting to take over, as the 40 had been wired "No Heat". They had to wait 5 minutes for the steam pipes to cool down and the excess steam to disperse before attempting to uncouple this "No Heat" loco! Time for Plan B:
DMU Manchester Victoria – Preston
87017 1256 Preston – Carlisle
40024 1635 Carlisle – Leeds
… and back to another night shift!
Thursday 14/03/85
Having arrived at Perth behind 40122 on the 2050 from Carlisle, there was the option of doing the dreaded Blair Atholl overnight, but something better presented itself:
40122 0051 Perth – Stirling
This was the 6D22 2110 Inverness – Mossend Speedlink service. Three of us (all railway staff) cadged a ride in the back cab as far as Stirling, where they kindly stopped to drop us off. What we didn't realise was that Stirling station was locked up overnight, so the normal exits were closed. We had to go out through the car park. My mate examined the gate, declared it locked, and we set about climbing over it. I was in the undignified position of having one leg either side of the gate when my momentum caused the (now apparently unlocked) gate to swing gently open, with me still perched on top of it. We all fell about laughing at the ludicrousness of it all. After a doss at my mate's place, I came out for the up Inverness overnight:
47444 0437 Stirling – Glasgow Queen Street
Saturday 14/03/87
We changed shifts an hour earlier in Glasgow Control on a Saturday, so I was straight out from work onto:
87018 1310 Glasgow Central – Euston
11' early arrival into Euston. At the booked arrival time of 1831, I was just stepping onto the platform of the Underground at Victoria.
73106 1845 Victoria – Gatwick Airport
47588 2011 Gatwick Airport – Newhaven Marine via Wivelsfield, Lewes
7796 Newhaven Harbour – Seaford, Seaford – Gatwick Airport
My last 'birthday bash' just happened to co-incide with the date!
I've reminded myself that I need to buy a new SD card and that I have a very large amount of photos to backup!
