(I'm off for a few days, so this covers until the end of the month):
Friday 29/03/02
I had long fancied another run on the 1030 from Euston to Glasgow Central, “Royal Scot”, whilst the train was still limited-stop and in the hands of AC electric locos.
I got rather more than I bargained for…
90008 1030 Euston – Glasgow Central via Bellshill
My cunning plan was to do the “Royal Scot” throughout to Glasgow Central in under 5 hours, and return immediately with a different loco on the 1536 Glasgow – Euston. All was going to schedule until Motherwell. There the DVT on the preceding 0830 Euston – Glasgow had a fit of the sulks and refused to co-operate with the loco, and had brought that train to a standstill blocking the main Motherwell – Glasgow route section. My train with 90008 was diverted around the failure via Bellshill to Glasgow Central. We still arrived at Glasgow Central in good time. So where’s my 1536 back to Euston then? Ah, penny dropped - that’s usually formed off the 0830 ex Euston … which still hasn’t arrived yet. Very rapidly, the Royal Scot stock was emptied, cleaned, and reloaded to step up to form the 1536 Glasgow – Euston.
90008 1536 Glasgow Central – Euston, 24->30’ late.
So I managed to do the same loco and stock from Euston to Glasgow Central and return in 11 hours! On arrival at Euston, 90008 and set were quickly turned round once more to work the 2200 Euston – Manchester, but I’d had enough by then! A pity really - I could have cleared it for 1000 miles in a little over 13 hours, but the prospect of arriving at Manchester Piccadilly in the wee small hours with no way out was not appealing.
Friday 29/03/13
An engineering block affecting Paddington resulted in some interesting diversions with HSTs:
43017 + 43069 1059 Waterloo – Westbury via Basingstoke, Salisbury
153 370 1252 Westbury – Bath Spa
43153 + 43185 1342 Bath Spa – Paddington via Foxhall Jn., Banbury (reverse), High Wycombe, Old Oak Common
Friday 31/03/00
There was an additional 37/4 turn diagrammed on the North Wales Coast (possibly due to 6 Nations Rugby?), so I took a day off to cover it:
47849 0733 Reading – Birmingham New Street
37401 1007 Birmingham New Street – Chester
37421 1157 Chester – Bangor (Additional)
37426 1319 Bangor – Chester
150 207 Chester – Crewe
37429 1527 Crewe – Holyhead
37429 1822 Holyhead – Crewe
90003 2015 Crewe – Euston
Saturday 31/03/07
A spin on the 90s in Anglia:
390 036 0829 Rugby – Euston
90009 1000 Liverpool Street – Norwich
90009 1230 Norwich – Ipswich
90014 1309 Ipswich – Diss
90015 1347 Diss – Liverpool Street
90036 1530 Liverpool Street – Ipswich
90001 1709 Ipswich – Liverpool Street
390050 1858 Euston – Rugby
