Tuesday 28/03/78
40109 1109 York – Leeds (Relief)
40007 1154 Leeds – York (Relief)
Required 40s both ways. The evening was less impressive:
46043 1906 Leeds – York
(Tuesday 27/03/79)
55006 2323 York – 10 miles south of Carstairs via High Level Bridge, Scotswood
Wednesday 28/03/79
I was somehow fast asleep at Newcastle (or so the story goes). I "awoke" to witness 55006 struggling slowly up Beattock at 25 mph on One Engine Only on load 12. We made it over the top all right, but then ground to a halt on the descent, with the air compressor frozen solid in the arctic temperatures. I learned this because the guard walked forward along the snow-covered ballast to find out what was going on, and the driver walked back to meet him. They converged just beneath my window, when the Haymarket driver uttered the immortal phrase:
"Aye Doogie, Yon big engine's a failure."
We sat for a long time, blocking the railway and awaiting assistance. A southbound Freightliner powered by a class 40 came hammering by, on the southbound climb to Beattock, through a blizzard. Eventually, a rescue loco arrived:
81006 (propelling) 04xx 10 miles south of Carstairs – Carstairs
Here it got even more complicated. The direct route from Carstairs to Edinburgh was blocked by snowdrifts, so we had to take the "scenic" route – and there's a required 40 come to haul us:
40166 (+55006 dead) 05xx Carstairs – Edinburgh via Motherwell, Shotts
We arrived at Edinburgh at 0655, which was 133' late on the revised "Penmanshiel" timetable, which was itself 85 minutes later than the normal timings.
On arrival at Edinburgh I had to explain that I had overslept, and could they please endorse my ticket so that I could take the first available service back to Newcastle?
43108 + 43104 0730 Edinburgh – Dunbar
Bus Dunbar – Berwick upon Tweed (along the A1, passing the Penmanshiel tunnel collapse site)
43080 + 43060 0855 Berwick upon Tweed – Newcastle
Of course I could have stayed on the HST all the way back to York, but there was something better on offer:
55014 1020 Newcastle – York
I think I got plenty of value for money out of my £4.98p student return to Newcastle …
Friday 28/03/80
86222 0011 Crewe – Stockport
40057 0051 Stockport – York via Denton Jn, OA&GB Jn
Sunday 28/03/82
47441 0020 Crewe – Stafford
47560 0107 Stafford – Crewe
47479 0407 Crewe – Stafford
47490 0350 Stafford – Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke
I made this minus connection at Stafford thanks to the introduction of British Summer Time putting the clocks forward at 0200, meaning this train was running an hour later than normal (BST).
47090 0840 Manchester Piccadilly – Stockport
DMU Stockport – Manchester
47490 1042 Manchester Piccadilly – Stockport
DMU Stockport – Stalybridge via Piccadilly
47401 1233 Stalybridge – York
43051 + 43118 1810 York – Kings Cross via Selby
Some days are better than others. This day falls firmly in the "others" category.
Monday 28/03/83
Word reached me that 40028 was on the 1405 Liverpool – Newcastle …
47489 1254 York – Manchester Victoria
40028 1449 Manchester Victoria – Newcastle
It got even better when 40028 was turned back out for the 2100 to Kings Cross, a mere load 13!
40028 2100 Newcastle – Kings Cross
That was the end of its passenger exploits for a while. It did the 0405 vans to Peterborough, then 7D61 freight trip to Sleaford, and promptly derailed!
Wednesday 28/03/84
DMU Leeds – Hull
31430 1545 Hull – Selby
DMU 1644 Selby – York
40028 1710 York – Leeds
47523 1801 Leeds – York
Thursday 28/03/85
A rest day off work, so I had arranged to take my wife for a ride over the Highland Main Line and the Far North Line. The Edinburgh traction controller took it upon himself to provide me with something a little better than the usual 47 for my journey north:
47708 0725 Glasgow Queen Street – Stirling
27023 + 27012 0805 Stirling – Inverness (Bless you Andy!)
37114 1130 Inverness – Wick
37114 1800 Wick – Inverness
47520 2350 Inverness – Glasgow Queen Street
Tuesday 28/03/89
5407 1510 Crewe – Chester – Shrewsbury – Crewe