Back in the day...

[D6130]

Class 04:

Of course....pre-1957 number - later to become D2215. Thanks!

 

[Harvester]

A day on the Battlefield Line.


I've posted these images before, but here are the Rats:

View attachment 105061

And here is a non-operational 26011, which was also there that day:

View attachment 105062

The class 26 looks in good nick compared to 45015. Was 45015 there that day, or maybe it was still at Toton during its first stage of degeneration.

 

[xotGD]

The class 26 looks in good nick compared to 45015. Was 45015 there that day, or maybe it was still at Toton during its first stage of degeneration.

I can't recall whether the Peak was there or not. I've just looked in my photo album and I don't have a phot of it, so either it was hidden away or not there.

 

[CW2]

Saturday 03/11/79
I covered the overnight departures from Kings Cross in the hope of a class 40 producing:
40058 2100 Kings Cross – Edinburgh
A fine – and very extended – overnight, with diversions via (inhale deeply):
Joint Lines (Lincoln Central), Selby, Stockton, Newcastle, Scotswood, Carlisle.
This was load 12, so a good test for a class 40 up Beattock.

Thursday 03/11/83
Travelling home from an early shift at Leeds, it all went a bit wrong …
45112 1400 Leeds – Chaloners Whin Junction
This was the 1205 Liverpool – Scarborough. All went well until the brakes were applied on the approach to York. Alas the brakes came hard on, and couldn’t be released. After half an hour a rescue loco arrived from York …
08771 15xx Chaloners Whin Junction – York
The 08 couldn’t blow off the brakes either, so they simply isolated the brakes on the entire train, and hauled us loose-coupled into York station! Utterly illegal – but effective.

Thursday 03/11/88
86434 0209 Carlisle – Mossend
37402 0347 Mossend – Stirling
47595 0517 Stirling – Inverness
47541 1038 Inverness – Aberdeen
47705 1308 Aberdeen – Glasgow Queen Street
81017 1620 Glasgow Central – Crewe
Rather more 47 mileage than I would have liked – but a nice scenic day out, topped off with a lengthy run with an 81.

Thursday 03/11/94
43176 + 43171 0802 Reading – Paddington
90017 0910 Kings Cross – Leeds
158 901 Leeds – York
46229 1348 York – Didcot via Moorthorpe, Sheffield, Derby, Saltley, Solihull.
43015 + 43003 2222 Didcot – Reading
This was a steam tour originating diesel hauled (with a class 47) from Ealing Broadway at some unpleasantly early time of day. I preferred to take the class 90 from Kings Cross to Leeds to intercept the interesting part of the steam railtour, with 46229 working throughout from York to Didcot.

Friday 03/11/00
Post-Hatfield, I was trying to get home after a team meeting…
43085 + 43083 1733 Long Eaton – St Pancras
This journey took over 3 hours, thanks to the amended timetable.
43151 + 43037 2100 Paddington – Reading

 

[Cheshire Scot]

A much shorter excursion to Europe again seeking out a few ‘new’ routes and ‘new’ football grounds and teams. As previously, for continuity I have covered the full trip in one entry to save interested parties having to piece it together day by day.

Friday 3rd November 1989
14.34 Manchester Piccadilly to Euston - 86403 load 9
Northern Line Euston to Charing Cross
19.56 Charing cross to Dover Priory - 4 CEP
Walk to Eastern Docks

Saturday 4th November 1989
01.00 Dover Eastern Docks to Oostende – Prins Albert
06.34 Oostende to Aachen – 1801 load 8
10.01 Aachen – Duren – 110 119 7 load 4
10.39 Duren to Neuss – 212 253 9 on rear of 3 car set incl. driving trailer
11.46 Neuss to Dusseldorf Hbf – 111 141 8 on rear of 4 car set incl. driving trailer
S Bahn Dusseldorf to Krefeld (no detail recorded)
Tram to Stadium - Bayer Uerdingen 3 Nurnburg 3 – Bundesliga 1. Bus back to station
17.45 Krefeld to Monchengladback - 141 326 9 load 4
18.08 Monchengladbach to Aachen - 110 148 4 load 3

Sunday 5th November 1989
09.03 Aachen to Brussels Nord – 27xx load 10 – banked out of Liege by 2384 - formation includes Copenhagen to Oostende sleeper
11.18 Brussels Nord to Brussels Airport – 2 car EMU
12.09 Airport to B Nord – 2 car EMU
12.23 B Nord to B Midi - 1189 load 7
12.59 Brussels Midi to Bruges – 2703 load 7
Bus to stadium – FC Bruges 0 Antwerp 2 Belgian First Division – walk back to town

Monday 6th November 1989
08.27 Bruges to Blankenburg – 6 car EMU
Tram Blankenburg to Oostende
10.00 Oostende to Dover Eastern Docks – Prins Albert
Bus to Dover Priory
13.34 Dover Priory to Ramsgate – 2 x 4 CEP
14.15 Ramsgate to Victoria – 4 VEP
Victoria Line to Euston
17.00 Euston to Stockport – 86xxx load 12 (Pullman set including 2 x RFB, also BFO and BG)

and back to work on Tuesday

 

[D6130]

Nothing from me today I'm afraid....but a few interesting snippets coming up later in the month.

 

[xotGD]

3rd November 1988

47591 New St - Oxford 1O09
50023 Oxford - Paddington 1F47

This must have been a work trip. Nice to get a Hoover on expenses.

3rd November 1990

86417 New St - Carstairs
47635 Carstairs - Waverley

Attending Hearts 1 Dunfermline 1

And having some beer.

Then a Tram to Newcastle. On one such trip I overdossed and ended up in Darlington for a bit of a fester before I could get back to the Toon. The only time I've done that.

 

[CW2]

Saturday 04/11/78
47520 1345 Leeds – Harrogate

Sunday 04/11/79
Having arrived in Edinburgh behind 40058 all the way from Kings Cross, I was keen to see if there was any more class 40 activity to be sampled in Scotland. I dropped straight into 40086 on the 0810 Edinburgh – Inverness:
40086 0810 Edinburgh – Perth via Ladybank
Alas the 40 came off at Perth (as booked), and the rest of the day was spent blathering around behind a succession of 47s in the hope of something better:
47464 1006 Perth – Dundee
47197 1113 Dundee – Stirling
47045 1223 Stirling – Dundee
47464 (again) 1433 Dundee – Glasgow Queen Street
27202 + 27207 1700 Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh via Grahamston
So all I could do was settle down at Edinburgh and hope that something interesting would produce on one of the southbound overnights. After all, 40058 was still available on Haymarket …
I struck lucky with the first overnight:
40056 2025 Edinburgh – Kings Cross
70’ late, after a very prolonged wait at Grantham, for reasons unknown.
So the Sunday meandering around Scotland was overly Sulzery, but that was more than compensated by the lengthy overnight with 40056.

Sunday 04/11/84
47550 1410 Glasgow Central – Carlisle via Dumfries
87022 1636 Carlisle – Euston
43150 + 43023 2135 Paddington – Reading

 

[NorthWestRover]

Thursday 4th November 1982

Looks like an after 6th Form dabble just in case...

45133 Earlestown to Lime St
45117 Lime St to St Helens J

Hmmm.

 

[xotGD]

4th November 1988

Return from London not as interesting as the outbound the previous day:

86213 Euston - New St 1G47

4th November 1990

47853 Newcastle - New St

I've got a few more Diesel Days coming up to report over the next week or so - better than a Can and a Duff!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Even my two Peaks was better than a Can and a Duff! Both very poor poker hands.

 

[xotGD]

Even my two Peaks was better than a Can and a Duff! Both very poor poker hands.

At least the Can was on expenses!

 

[CW2]

Monday 05/11/84
47530 1045 Reading – Birmingham New Street via Coventry
This heap shut down just north of Oxford, so I had high hopes of something big off Didcot to rescue us. Alas, after a few minutes, it was coaxed back into life.
85031 1318 Birmingham New Street – Euston
I was heading for Glasgow, but wasn’t about to turn down a run with an 85. We arrived 12 minutes early into Euston!
There I made my way expectantly towards the 1650 Euston – Glasgow, a rock solid class 87 110 mph diagram:
86246 1650 Euston – Glasgow Central
We lost 10 minutes to Rugby, then maintained the schedule until the climb of Beattock. We spent the next hour crawling slowly from signal to signal as the pair of 37s on the Clitheroe – Gunnie cement had dreadful adhesion problems. If they had stopped we could have assisted in rear (and I could have counted the 37s for haulage as well!), but alas not.

Tuesday 05/11/85
37408 1105 Glasgow Queen Street – Perth
This normally returned ECS from Perth to Cowlairs, but today the 1105 Aberdeen – Queen Street was running 40 minutes late, so this ran as a passenger train in its path as far as Bishopbriggs, then ECS to Cowlairs as booked.
37408 1247 Perth – Bishopbriggs
DMU Bishopbriggs – Glasgow Queen Street
37178 1545 Glasgow Central – Carlisle
87023 1943 Carlisle – Glasgow Central
There was a bonus awaiting me back at Glasgow, 37090 on the 2157 to Stranraer:
37090 2157 Glasgow Central – Stranraer
The boiler packed in as we passed Shields Junction. I hunkered down under my coat, and dossed. I awoke at Girvan to total silence. 37090 had been detached to assist 47442 which had slipped to a stand in the hills south of Girvan, so I just had to wait and shiver in the cold dark night for the 37 to put in another appearance.
Not an overnight for the faint hearted.

Tuesday 05/11/91
En route to a training course in glorious Stoke on Trent:
47846 0635 Reading – Oxford
This was the 0600 Paddington – Edinburgh, and it terminated at Oxford due to the driver’s window being jammed open.
47814 0814 Oxford – Coventry
86255 0916 Coventry – Birmingham New Street
47819 1035 Birmingham New Street – Stoke on Trent
I could have had an extra 2 hours in bed!

Friday 05/11/93
En route to Scotland for a steam tour:
43162 + 43004 2028 Reading – Paddington
87015 2203 Euston – Edinburgh (via Carstairs avoider)

 

[D6130]

WEDNESDAY 5th NOVEMBER 1986:

A Guy Fawkes day that I shall never forget as long as I live:

I was booked to work the 08 30 Brighton-Cardiff as far as Salisbury as the guard:

33 039 Brighton to Salisbury via Eastleigh

We set off on time and by Hove, the Crompton, which was almost ex-works, was bowling her lightweight 5 car load along at close to the 70 mph line speed. I decided to do a quick ticket check before the first stop at Worthing but, just as I got up from my seat in the guard's compartment of the BSK, there was an almighty lurch, followed by a full emergency vacuum brake application. By the time we had come to a stand, I had picked myself up, brushed myself down and was looking out of the window. The driver's hand gestures confirmed my worst fears. As we were passing through Aldrington, a man had thrown himself from the platform ramp under the front of the loco. We came to a stand about 500 yards before reaching Portslade station and having carried out my protection duties, I consulted with the driver and another Brighton driver, who was travelling passenger to Fareham to bring back a freight train, then tactfully broke the bad news to the passengers, checked their onward connections and then walked to Portslade station to make phone calls to control with their salient details. Walking back to the train, I was greeted by sights on and under the front of the loco which I had never seen before and never wish to see again. I also noticed that their was a second person in the cab....it turned out that a young, newly-qualified driver based at Three Bridges was en route to his passiing-out exam for class 33s, using our train between Havant and Salisbury. The HQ loco inspector from Waterloo had been due to join the train at Havant but, as the trainee lived at Crawley, he decided to travel pass to Brighton and join the train there, whence the Brighton driver had let him drive from the outset. During the two hours that we were stuck while the BT Police and cleaning teams did their stuff, the poor trainee never once left the cab and I felt desparately sorry for him. Eventually, we were cleared to depart, with the other Brighton driver who had been travelling passenger now at the controls. On arrival at Fareham, he was relieved by a Fratton driver who asked me whether I signed the route via Eastleigh. "Afraid not" said I. "Don't worry mate, just follow me!" said he....and off we went, recovering about twenty minutes, despite a brief passenger stop at Eastleigh.

 

[Falcon1200]

Thursday 5th November 1998; A trip south to ride the last few SR DEMUs

91002 0800 Glasgow C-Kings X
87001 2205 Euston-Manchester Piccadilly

@D6130 a most horrible incident, well done for remaining so calm and collected. Fortunately my involvement with such tragedies was only ever from the safety of an office.

 

[Harvester]

What a terrible experience @D6130, for you and the crew. I can well imagine It was a day you will never forget.

 

[CW2]

@D6130 A horrible day for you indeed. It puts into context that sometimes it really is a matter of life and death on the railways, and our quaint hobby has to take a back seat.
Like @Falcon1200 I've had to deal with such incident from the safety of an office,but no closer than that in a professional basis.
(I was once on a train in Tunisia when an elderly man decided to end it all by walking out in front of the train I was on. The crew treated it as a normal everyday occurence. Having checked that the man was indeed dead, that bundled his body clear of the track, then set off again. The total delay was under 10 minutes!).

 

[Techniquest]

Jeepers D6130, what a horrible thing to have to suffer. Very glad you had crew on the train to assist, both physically and mentally. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 6th November 1982

Goyles!

87031 Crewe to Nuneaton
31220 Nuneaton to Hinckley
31114 Hinckley to Birmingham NS
31415 Birmingham NS to Leicester
31416 Leicester to Birmingham NS
31416 Birmingham NS to Leicester
31214 Leicester to Nuneaton
31239 Nuneaton to Leicester
31401 Leicester to Birmingham NS
81021 Crewe to Warrington BQ

All the Goyles were required, as was the Roarer. The gaps will have been 86/2.

 

[CW2]

Saturday 06/11/76
47523 0650 York – Brighton
47523 1715 Brighton – York
This was a “Holiday Preview Special” organised by BR Leeds Division. As was often the case with such trains, it was basically a cut-price railtour. The route was via Leeds, ECML, Canonbury, Stratford, South Tottenham, Gospel Oak, Mitre Bridge, Clapham Jn., East Croydon, and Quarry Line (which I didn’t even know existed until then).
On the return we went via Redhill, Crystal Palace, Clapham Jn., Gospel Oak, Harringay Curve, ECML, Leeds. (With grateful thanks to Six Bells Junction website for confirmation of the route).

Wednesday 06/11/85
After a chilly overnight to Stranraer, I hoped that we might at least get the bonus of the pilot loco off the sleepers from Euston working back as far as Ayr. Not this morning. Oh well …
37090 0730 Stranraer – Paisley Gilmour Street

Sunday 06/11/88
A day on the Birmingham – Nuneaton drags, hoping for some class 58 action …
47532 0831 Crewe – Birmingham New Street
58021 1058 Birmingham New Street – Nuneaton
On arrival at Nuneaton, 58003 was already being given the Right Away on the 0940 Euston – Shrewsbury back to Birmingham New Street. I leapt off 58021 before it stopped and on to 58003 as it was already on the move. (Not recommended!). Such things were possible before Central Door Locking came in.
58003 1136 Nuneaton - Birmingham New Street
Word at New Street was that 37207 would be re-engineing the Euston – Shrewsbury at Wolverhampton, so I stuck with it …
86248 1218 Birmingham New Street – Wolverhampton
… only to see 31437 lined up to take over. Thanks, but no thanks.
86253 1248 Wolverhampton – Birmingham New Street
58014 1358 Birmingham New Street – Nuneaton
87027 1437 Nuneaton – Rugby
90004 1527 Rugby – Nuneaton
47110 1552 Nuneaton - Birmingham New Street
58005 1627 Birmingham New Street – Nuneaton
58014 1734 Nuneaton - Birmingham New Street
85022 1901 Birmingham New Street – Crewe
So four different 58s in the book, and the day rounded off with a Roarer. A pretty good day, but the dragging gets a bit tedious after a while, so I didn’t go there week after week like some people.
Bizarrely the train from Birmingham New Street to Crewe with 85022 was a through train from Newcastle to Liverpool.

Friday 06/11/92
Off to Scotland once more for another railtour …
43177 + 43086 1926 Reading – Paddington
87006 2110 Euston – Edinburgh (via Carstairs avoider)
{Not continued on the next line, but rather on the next day!].

Saturday 06/11/93
[From previous day]. At this time there were four 37s painted in Inter City livery which were dedicated to working the Caledonian Sleeper services to Aberdeen and Inverness, namely 37505/510/683/685. So the forward power from Edinburgh wasn’t a surprise:
37510 + 37505 0445 Edinburgh – Dundee
156 446 Dundee – Stirling
44871 0857 Stirling – Inverness
After enjoying a splendid run with 44871 over the Highland Main Line, there was time to check into my hotel then return for the “dessert course”, i.e. 37405 on the 1705 Inverness – Edinburgh. I alighted at Kingussie to pick up the 1200 Kings Cross – Inverness HST. It turned out to be a longer than expected wait, as the HST turned up 44 minutes late.
43109 + 43118 1913 Kingussie – Inverness.
I don’t know what the original cause of the lateness was, but the traincrew were keen to reach Inverness as soon as possible, and regained 10 minutes of the delay. As we rounded the curve onto Culloden Viaduct there were sparks flying from the wheel flanges.

 

[D6130]

43109 + 43118 1913 Kingussie – Inverness.
I don’t know what the original cause of the lateness was, but the traincrew were keen to reach Inverness as soon as possible, and regained 10 minutes of the delay. As we rounded the curve onto Culloden Viaduct there were sparks flying from the wheel flanges.

I expect they were eagerly anticipating taking part in the full-on Inverness Saturday night!

 

[CW2]

I expect they were eagerly anticipating taking part in the full-on Inverness Saturday night!

Hmm, could be! It was the fastest entry I've ever made to Inverness, that's for sure!

 

[Cowley]

Hmm, could be! It was the fastest entry I've ever made to Inverness, that's for sure!

I managed a trip up there the year after to sample the 37s on the sleeper services (as well as on Kyle and Oban trains too), they were outstandingly loud in the middle of the night on those huge trains.

 

[xotGD]

So four different 58s in the book, and the day rounded off with a Roarer. A pretty good day, but the dragging gets a bit tedious after a while, so I didn’t go there week after week like some people.

I know what you mean. I was getting these Type 5s for haulage, but wasn't exactly excited by it. Having a lie in became more appealing than trekking into New St for the drags. Eight 58s and two 56s was all I ever managed. Do I wish I'd gone for them more often? Not really.

 

[CW2]

I know what you mean. I was getting these Type 5s for haulage, but wasn't exactly excited by it. Having a lie in became more appealing than trekking into New St for the drags. Eight 58s and two 56s was all I ever managed. Do I wish I'd gone for them more often? Not really.

Yes, it's not as if the route was / is at all scenic. All rather low speed and industrial. It's nice to do once or twice, but that's enough for me.

 

[MDB1images]

Saturday 06/11/93
[From previous day]. At this time there were four 37s painted in Inter City livery which were dedicated to working the Caledonian Sleeper services to Aberdeen and Inverness, namely 37505/510/683/685. So the forward power from Edinburgh wasn’t a surprise:

In the early 90's I was chasing the RAF's Buccaneer aircraft around so on a lot of midweek restdays I phoned up RAF Lossiemouth ops the night before for any flightplan gen, it was then the Aberdeen sleepers from Preston.
I dread to think how many miles I had off those 37's(also had a substantial amount of waking up cold sat in some random bit of countryside 'awaiting a rescue loco' as well with them), to be honest I remember a variety of freight liveried ones on it as well.
Remember a generator coach with them.
Sadly I'd given up recording any moves between 1990 and 2005(save for the odd rare move at work)so no details to hand.
I remember at some point the connection I got from Aberdeen to Elgin (and vice versa)was also a Tractor on a Inverness run vice Class 158.
Was always surprised not to see many 37 bashers on it as they could do the sleepers to/from Aberdeen from Edinburgh and have a day bashing between Aberdeen and Inverness on the 37 diagram, certainty some mileage to be had in a day.

 

[Cowley]

In the early 90's I was chasing the RAF's Buccaneer aircraft around so on a lot of midweek restdays I phoned up RAF Lossiemouth ops the night before for any flightplan gen, it was then the Aberdeen sleepers from Preston.
I dread to think how many miles I had off those 37's(also had a substantial amount of waking up cold sat in some random bit of countryside 'awaiting a rescue loco' as well with them), to be honest I remember a variety of freight liveried ones on it as well.
Remember a generator coach with them.
Sadly I'd given up recording any moves between 1990 and 2005(save for the odd rare move at work)so no details to hand.
I remember at some point the connection I got from Aberdeen to Elgin (and vice versa)was also a Tractor on a Inverness run vice Class 158.
Was always surprised not to see many 37 bashers on it as they could do the sleepers to/from Aberdeen from Edinburgh and have a day bashing between Aberdeen and Inverness on the 37 diagram, certainty some mileage to be had in a day.

Those were (some of) the days eh?

 

[MDB1images]

I know what you mean. I was getting these Type 5s for haulage, but wasn't exactly excited by it. Having a lie in became more appealing than trekking into New St for the drags. Eight 58s and two 56s was all I ever managed. Do I wish I'd gone for them more often? Not really.

The move of choice(with choice being the word!) was finish whatever moves on the Saturday before picking up 1V32 at some point down to Brum as it was booked double heading from Stafford via cannock to get the ball rolling.
Gotta be honest back in the day I was somewhat underwhelmed with the Class 58's on the drags.
Rated the Class 56's though!

 

[MDB1images]

Those were (some of) the days eh?

Not half!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 7th November 1982

45135 Lime St to St Helens J

That's it...