Back in the day...

[Kirkoswald]

Thanks for providing the update on 37054s working. Did you travel behind it on the day?

I will hopefully offer some more tales of my travels. I have certainly enjoyed reminiscing.

Re 37054 unfortunately I was headed elsewhere.

 

[Sultan1056]

Thursday 12th July 1979

47128 York-Leeds (1749 York-Liverpool LS)
47411 Leeds-York (1805 Liverpool LS-York)

Saturday 12th July 1980

I had arrived early at York to see Deltic 6 head off towards Scarborough on an ECS. I knew that it would therefore end up working out of Filey so I took the first unit out to Scarborough and then onto Filey. Here No. 6 was waiting to take a Newcastle service as far as Scarborough where it would then drop onto the Bridlington-KX service. I left No. 6 at York where I went in the search of required class 40s. I had no information of what was about so I thought my best bet was to head to Manchester with 40057 working the Newcastle-Blackpool service. At Manchester I must have found out some “gen” because I took the next available DMU to Blackpool where I scored with my first required 40 of the day. I then dropped onto 40128 working the diesel leg of a service from Glasgow before dashing to Chester for a zero minute connection onto 40094.

E50279+50286+51546+51554 York-Scarborough (0635 York-Scarborough)
E50279+50286+51546+51554 Scarborough-Filey (0802 Scarborough-Hull)
55006 Filey-Scarborough (0854 Filey-Newcastle)
55006 Scarborough-York (0847 Bridlington-Kings Cross)
40057 York-Manchester Vic (1020 Newcastle-Blackpool N)
M50389+50467+50519+50573 Manchester Vic-Blackpool N (1345 Manchester Vic-Blackpool N)
40110 Blackpool N-Preston (1525 Blackpool N-Edinburgh)
40128 Preston-Manchester Vic (1320 Glasgow C-Manchester Vic)
86256 Manchester Pic-Crewe (1812 Manchester Pic-Euston)
47471 Crewe-Chester (1705 Euston-Holyhead)
40094 Chester-Manchester Vic (1817 Llandudno-Manchester Vic)
86101 Manchester Pic-Crewe (2330 Manchester Pic-Brighton)

Sunday 12th July 1981

Today the 1005 KX-York was unusually a set of Mark 1 coaches. 40069 had come to the rescue (I don’t know where from) of the errant 46027. Deltic 22 replaced them both for the return journey to KX.

55015 York-Retford (1150 York-Kings Cross)
40069+(46027) Retford-York (1005 Kings Cross-York)
55022 York-Newark (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55007 Newark-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 13th July 1979

43109+43114 York-Doncaster (0830 Newcastle-Kings Cross)
55017 Doncaster-Kings Cross (0935 Hull-Kings Cross)
55013 Kings Cross-York (1405 Kings Cross-York)
40140 York-Doncaster (1605 Newcastle-Kings Cross)
47413 Doncaster-Grantham (1956 York-Kings Cross)
55018 Grantham-York (2015 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)

Sunday 13th July 1980

In my opinion one of the worst overnight trips of the period, “The Splitter” especially on a Sunday morning when you ended up at Manchester having a lot of time to kill before the next available train. In this instance it was a DMU to Prestatyn which was diverted along the freight only Middlewich line.

86209 Crewe-Stafford (0040 Liverpool LS-Euston)
47511 Stafford-Manchester Pic (0350 Stafford-Manchester Pic)
M50629+51906 Manchester Pic-Prestatyn (0842 Manchester Pic-Llandudno)
via Northwich & Crewe
40171 Prestatyn-Chester (0948 Holyhead-Euston)
40035 Chester-Rhyl (0835 Euston-Holyhead)
40034 Rhyl-Llanfairfechan (1155 Manchester Vic-Holyhead)
40135 Llanfairfechan-Manchester Vic (1438 Holyhead-Manchester Vic)
47521 Manchester Vic-York (1805 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)

 

[Sultan1056]

9th July 1976

I may well have posted earlier in this thread that this day 48 years ago was a significant one. Primary School trip to York (from Warrington) and I started spotting. The details of that day are long gone and the only haulage I know about is

46029 Man Vic to York

However, my love of trains and railways began on that day.

Saturday 14th July 1973

Almost three years earlier I am allowed for the first time to go York station unattended and with my own Ian Allan spotting book. The first loco to go in it was 187, which later became 46050.

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 14th July 1979

I was just following my nose today dropping onto new engine after new engine. After having two “Big” 37s I found myself at Sheffield contemplating my next move. I decided to head over to Nottingham where rich pickings could be made with several services booked for double headed 20s and 25s.

47465 York-Leeds (0747 York-Liverpool LS)
31127 Leeds-Rotherham (0837 Leeds-Paignton)
37068 Rotherham-York (0714 Wellingborough-Scarborough)
37076 York-Sheffield (1015 Scarborough-Birmingham NS)
47535 Sheffield-Nottingham (1300 Sheffield-St Pancras)
25248+25294 Nottingham-Beeston (1232 Skegness-Leicester)
20134+20139 Beeston-Derby (1258 Skegness-Derby)
45130 Derby-Long Eaton (1607 Derby-St Pancras)
M50656+50730 Long Eaton-Derby (1615 Nottingham-Derby)
25136 Derby-Spondon (1300 Llandudno-Nottingham)
M50685+50714 Spondon-Derby (1533 Lincoln St Marks-Crewe)
25309+25318 Derby-Spondon (1425 Blackpool N-Leicester)
25038+25153 Spondon-Derby (1415 Yarmouth-Derby)
31142 Derby-Sheffield (1608 Bristol TM-Newcastle)
E51961+51962+51980 Sheffield-Doncaster (1845 Manchester Pic-Doncaster)
55010 Doncaster-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

Monday 14th July 1980

40119 York-Wakefield Westgate via Castleford (1925 Scarborough-Wakefield Westgate)
E50644+50645 Wakefield Westgate-Leeds (2100 Doncaster-Leeds)
47458 Leeds-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Tuesday 14th July 1981

47251 York-Darlington (1605 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)
43061+43118 Darlington-York (1700 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)

 

[xotGD]

I think we all read the moves from a few years before we started bashing and think "If only!".

 

[Kirkoswald]

Saturday 30th April 1977

DMU York-Sheffield (0718 York-Sheffield)
45022 Sheffield-Birmingham NS (0700 Bradford Exch-Penzance)
45032 Birmingham NS-Cardiff C (0830 Manchester Pic-Cardiff C)
47483 Cardiff C-Swansea (1015 Paddington-Swansea)
43048+43049 Swansea-Bristol Parkway (1400 Swansea-Paddington)
45003 Bristol Parkway-Bristol TM (1223 Manchester Pic-Taunton)
47032 Bristol TM-Gloucester (1430 Paignton-York)
47020 Gloucester-York (1430 Paignton-York)

Sunday 30th April 1978

This spotting trip to Eastleigh Works Open Day involved at quick visit to Cricklewood. 33106 plus a 4TC set was providing a shuttle service between the station and depot. After visiting the works I headed back to London and then onto Ashford & Hither Green.

DMU St Pancras-Cricklewood (0700 St Pancras-Bedford)
DMU Cricklewood-St Pancras
EMU Waterloo-Eastleigh
33106 Eastleigh-Eastleigh MPD
EMU Eastleigh-Waterloo
EMU Waterloo East-Ashford / Ashford-London Bridge / London Bridge-Hither Green / Hither Green-London Bridge / London Bridge-East Croydon / East Croydon-Victoria
47124 Kings Cross-Leeds (1940 Kings Cross-Leeds) Relief
DMU Leeds-York (2115 Liverpool LS-York)

Saturday 30th April 1979

With the new timetable only a couple of weeks away and the introduction of a full HST timetable I managed to get my final daytime visit with a Deltic to Bradford. On my return home the 1809 to York should have called at Selby, however Selby Swingbridge was stuck open after the passage of a boat. IIRC back then it was quite a common occurrence. The train was diverted via Selby Canal Jcn, Selby West, Gascoigne Wood and then onto York.

55014 York-Kings Cross (0612 Newcastle-Kings Cross)
55021 Kings Cross-Bradford Exchange (1245 Kings Cross-Bradford Exchange)
55021 Bradford Exchange-Doncaster (1730 Bradford Exchange-Kings Cross)
55003 Doncaster-York via Selby West (1809 Kings Cross-York)

Wednesday 30th April 1980

55007 York-Selby (1956 York-Kings Cross)
55006 Selby-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

Sorry for the belated response but might your moves dated 30th April 79 actually relate to the 28th? Thanks.

 

[QJ]

Straight out of work on the Friday evening........ 14 and 16/07 listed for context

Friday 14 July 1978
47407 FP 1940 London Kings Cross - Bradford Interchange (London Kings Cross to Peterborough)
47521 GD 1950 London Kings Cross - Aberdeen (Peterborough to Grantham)
1*114 DMU 2139 Grantham - Nottingham (Grantham to Nottingham)
45126 TO 2100 London Saint Pancras - Sheffield (Leicester to Nottingham)

Saturday 15 July 1978
45118 TO 2359 (14/07) Sheffield - London Saint Pancras (Chesterfield to Derby)
45102 TO + 45118 TO (14/07) Sheffield - London Saint Pancras (Derby to Leicester)
45122 TO 0005 London Saint Pancras to Sheffield (Leicester to Nottingham)
45104 TO 0005 London Saint Pancras - Sheffield (Nottingham to Sheffield)
47097 CF 0600 Sheffield - Cardiff (Sheffield to Chesterfield)
47306 TO 0605 Sheffield - London Saint Pancras (Chesterfield to Nottingham)
25127 TO 0730 Nottingham -Llandudno (Nottingham to Derby)
40186 SP 0730 Birmingham New Street - Newcastle (Derby to Sheffield)
08879 TI 0810 Leeds - Paignton (shunt stock)
40042 LO 0845 Manchester Piccadilly - Skegness (Sheffield to Lincoln Central)
37080 TE 0940 Yarmouth - Newcastle (Lincoln Central to Gainsborough Lea Road)
37127 TI 1250 Skegness - Sheffield (Gainsborough Lea Road to Sheffield)
40077 GD 1035 Paignton - Leeds (Sheffield to Doncaster)
37250 GD 1703 Doncaster - Hull (Doncaster to Thorne North)
1*101(3) DMU 1653 Hull - Doncaster (Thorne North to Doncaster)
55022 HA 1608 London Kings Cross - York (Doncaster to York)
55007 FP 1700 Edinburgh - on Kings Cross (York to Peterborough)
1*105 DMU 2210 Peterborough - Cambridge (Peterborough to March)
1*105 DMU 2110 Harwich Town - Peterborough (March to Peterborough)

Sunday 16 July 1978
47422 GD 2315 (15/07) London Kings Cross - Leeds (Peterborough to Doncaster)
<via Spalding - Joint line - Sleaford Avoider - Lincoln Central - Gainsborough>
40022 SP 0350 Doncaster - Cleethorpes (Doncaster to Cleethorpes)
<via Carcroft Junction - Skellow Junction>
1*105+1*114 DMU 0722 Cleethorpes - Doncaster (Cleethorpes to Doncaster)
<via Skellow Junction - Carcroft Junction>
47458 0755 Bradford Interchange - London Kings Cross (Doncaster to Peterborough)
<via Joint line - Lincoln Central - Sleaford Avoiding line - Spalding>
47421 1104 London Kings Cross - Cleethorpes (Peterborough to Lincoln Central)
<via Spalding - Joint Line - Sleaford Avoiding Line - Boultham Junction - Lincoln Central>
47544 1205 York - London Kings Cross (Lincoln Central to Peterborough)
<via Joint line - Sleaford - Spalding>
47423 1404 London Kings Cross - York (Peterborough to Sleaford)
<via Spalding - Joint Line>
1*104 DMU 1555 Grantham - Skegness (Sleaford to Skegness)
20005 TO + 20009 TO 1815 Skegness - Derby (Skegness to Boston)
25125 TO + 25129 TO 1830 Skegness - Leicester (Boston to Sleaford)
37114 MR 1850 Skegness - Cambridge (Sleaford to Peterborough)
<via Spalding>
55013 HA 1230 Aberdeen - London Kings Cross (Peterborough to London kings Cross)

and sleep

 

[Sultan1056]

Sorry for the belated response but might your moves dated 30th April 79 actually relate to the 28th? Thanks.

I have checked my notes and you are correct. I have now edited my messages. Cheers.

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 15th July 1978

A day trip to Perth. This was unusual by the fact that I had a fixed plan of the trains that I would travel on. Fortunately everything dropped into place for me today.

47479 York-Leeds (0821 York-Tenby)
40040 Leeds-Carlisle (0715 Nottingham-Glasgow C)
87029 Carlisle-Glasgow C (0745 Euston-Glasgow C)
40160 Glasgow QS-Perth (1335 Glasgow QS-Aberdeen)
47273 Glasgow QS-Cowlairs Banking locomotive (1335 Glasgow QS-Aberdeen)
40123 Perth-Edinburgh (1235 Inverness-Edinburgh)
55007 Edinburgh-York (1700 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)

 

[CW2]

Saturday 15th July 1978

A day trip to Perth. This was unusual by the fact that I had a fixed plan of the trains that I would travel on. Fortunately everything dropped into place for me today.

47479 York-Leeds (0821 York-Tenby)
40040 Leeds-Carlisle (0715 Nottingham-Glasgow C)
87029 Carlisle-Glasgow C (0745 Euston-Glasgow C)
40160 Glasgow QS-Perth (1335 Glasgow QS-Aberdeen)
47273 Glasgow QS-Cowlairs Banking locomotive (1335 Glasgow QS-Aberdeen)
40123 Perth-Edinburgh (1235 Inverness-Edinburgh)
55007 Edinburgh-York (1700 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)

A couple of big class 40s there, as both 40040 and 40123 were - I think - vacuum only, and relatively early withdrawals. A very fine bash.

 

[Kirkoswald]

I have checked my notes and you are correct. I have now edited my messages. Cheers.

Thanks for checking. Much appreciated.

 

[Sultan1056]

A couple of big class 40s there, as both 40040 and 40123 were - I think - vacuum only, and relatively early withdrawals. A very fine bash.

At the time I was very pleased with 40040 but a little disappointed with 40123. I had previously picked up 123 up whilst in a spotting trip. I never had either of them again so in retrospect a very good day.

 

[D1537]

At the time I was very pleased with 40040 but a little disappointed with 40123. I had previously picked up 123 up whilst in a spotting trip. I never had either of them again so in retrospect a very good day.

40040 was a serious rarity, and had the last laugh on a number of people. On 28/6/80 it did 1M48 0752 Leeds-Llandudno. There were a couple of very large machines out that day, including 40193 which did the Manchester-Yarmouth to Sheffield. Therefore quite a few people ended up going for 40040's return working (1E82 1353 Llandudno-York) only for 040 to fail in Llandudno station. 40049 did 1E82, 40040 was dragged to Llandudno Junction and then Crewe where it was withdrawn.

 

[CW2]

40040 was a serious rarity, and had the last laugh on a number of people. On 28/6/80 it did 1M48 0752 Leeds-Llandudno. There were a couple of very large machines out that day, including 40193 which did the Manchester-Yarmouth to Sheffield. Therefore quite a few people ended up going for 40040's return working (1E82 1353 Llandudno-York) only for 040 to fail in Llandudno station. 40049 did 1E82, 40040 was dragged to Llandudno Junction and then Crewe where it was withdrawn.

Yes, I was one of those victims!
#1123 refers.

 

[D1537]

Yes, I was one of those victims!
#1123 refers.

Ouch. Even more painfully, somewhere on the Internet there's a picture of a group of people posing with 40040 at Llandudno just before it decided to retire.

 

[Bald Rick]

I read these posts with fascination, partly because of the dedication of those doing this all those years ago, partly in disbelief that this was something that people found interesting or enjoyable, and partly for the railway history it involves.

One thing that intrigues me though - tickets. What sort of tickets did you buy to do these trips, especially considering that many of the trips involved very short notice changes of plans etc?

 

[12LDA28C]

I read these posts with fascination, partly because of the dedication of those doing this all those years ago, partly in disbelief that this was something that people found interesting or enjoyable, and partly for the railway history it involves.

One thing that intrigues me though - tickets. What sort of tickets did you buy to do these trips, especially considering that many of the trips involved very short notice changes of plans etc?

It would have been Rover tickets of some kind, no doubt. I believe some nefarious types might have occasionally travelled slightly beyond the validity boundary of their chosen Rover, or at least so I'm told.

 

[CW2]

One thing that intrigues me though - tickets. What sort of tickets did you buy to do these trips, especially considering that many of the trips involved very short notice changes of plans etc?

In my case I had a series of summer holiday jobs working for Travellers Fare, either in station buffets or (as noted in this thread) as a train trolley caterer from Euston. I worked one summer at Manchester Victoria station buffet. I recall the validity I used then was an Area 22 rover ticket. That was valid from around the Manchester area to Blackpool and Llandudno, and was designed for day tripping families. Of course, one rover ticket looks much like another, so some unscrupulous souls stretched the area of validity by a considerable distance...

 

[NorthWestRover]

Some people may even have used a day return for multiple trips on one day. Or so I'm told.

 

[Sultan1056]

Wednesday 16th July 1980

Probably travelled with a Yorkshire Ranger on this day.

55014 York-Selby (1955 York-Kings Cross)
31196 Selby-Leeds (2039 Hull-Leeds)
E50270+50639+50646+51557 Leeds-York (2200 Leeds-York)

 

[D1537]

It would have been Rover tickets of some kind, no doubt. I believe some nefarious types might have occasionally travelled slightly beyond the validity boundary of their chosen Rover, or at least so I'm told.

"Slightly"

 

[alan71]

"Slightly"

Which ‘coasts’ & which ‘peaks’?

I did read that often summer Saturday services often had guards who didn’t usually do passenger services so weren’t too knowledgeable about ticketing. Not entirely certain on that though

 

[CW2]

I do recall asking the Travellers Fare roster clerk to roster me early shift Friday and late shift Saturday so that I could do the FO Blackpool - Stranraer and return. After much puzzled discussion, she agreed.

Sadly the details of precisely what validity I used for this move are lost in the mists of time.

 

[D1537]

Which ‘coasts’ & which ‘peaks’?

I did read that often summer Saturday services often had guards who didn’t usually do passenger services so weren’t too knowledgeable about ticketing. Not entirely certain on that though

Yes, that was the case - many, but by no means all, SO services were rostered for guards from freight depots. Having said that, most regular passenger guards were fairly clueless about rover tickets, especially when they stopped printing the little maps on them.

 

[D6130]

Sadly the details of precisely what validity I used for this move are lost in the mists of time.

Wouldn't you have been travelling free on duty if you were operating a catering trolley?

 

[CW2]

Wouldn't you have been travelling free on duty if you were operating a catering trolley?

The Blackpool - Stranraer was a strictly off-duty bashing move, and as a summer holiday employee I didn't qualify for privilege fares.

My exploits with the trolley came in later years, and I was based at Euston at the time. A priv ticket would be issued for the booked journey e.g. Euston to Llandudno and return. Valid routes are very elastic, I find.

 

[D6130]

The Blackpool - Stranraer was a strictly off-duty bashing move, and as a summer holiday employee I didn't qualify for privilege fares.

My exploits with the trolley came in later years, and I was based at Euston at the time. A priv ticket would be issued for the booked journey e.g. Euston to Llandudno and return. Valid routes are very elastic, I find.

Ah, sorry....I misunderstood. I thought you meant that you had asked to be rostered on the Blackpool-Stranraer. I see what you meant now!

 

[xotGD]

A Northumbrian Ranger was the standard frog for those of us based around Newcastle. Having an ordinary return to Durham as an emergency piece was also prudent if you suddenly found the need to travel.

 

[D1537]

A Northumbrian Ranger was the standard frog for those of us based around Newcastle. Having an ordinary return to Durham as an emergency piece was also prudent if you suddenly found the need to travel.

I once showed my Northumbrian (in error, I may have actually been valid, can't remember) to a guard out of Bristol with 47363 on the Newquay-Newcastle. Was fine. To be fair, Newcastle was on the map.