Back in the day...

[xotGD]

Friday 13th August 1976

Whilst on the family holiday I managed to persuade everyone that we should visit Penzance. The rest of the family were reluctant but gave in to my wishes. The time we spent there gives an indication of how impressed they were with the town but I wasn’t bothered. The train out of Penzance was hauled by WESTERN LADY, the last time I had a Class 52 for haulage in BR service.

W51575+51584 St Ives-St Erth (1013 St Ives-St Erth)
50012 St Erth-Penzance (0840 Plymouth-Penzance)
D1048 Penzance-St Erth (1205 Penzance-Paddington) Relief
W51575+51584 St Erth-St Ives (1245 St Erth-St Ives)

On our St Ives holiday a few weeks later, we also had a day in Penzance. While I have no idea of the traction going, I am certain that I didn't have a Western on the way back, as it was a through service from Penzance to St Ives.

We also took a trip to Falmouth, so some more unknown traction to and from Truro.

 

[Sultan1056]

On our St Ives holiday a few weeks later, we also had a day in Penzance. While I have no idea of the traction going, I am certain that I didn't have a Western on the way back, as it was a through service from Penzance to St Ives.

We also took a trip to Falmouth, so some more unknown traction to and from Truro.

That’s unfortunate having a unit all the way back from Penzance. I thought the St Ives branch was worked by a self contained dmu diagram. Having said that there must be a point where the units changeover. Anyway I suppose with at least three other journeys within Cornwall you must have stood a fair chance of a Western hauling a train.

 

[D1537]

Saturday 13 August 1983

For a couple of weeks I was house-sitting for my older sister in Manchester, which quite apart from being useful anyway for 40 action, was extremely handy in not having to do an overnight for the holiday trains on the Saturday.

However, I later found out that the usual overnight that we would have done normally (1M41 York-Shrewsbury) had been 40069 the night before. Win some, lose some.

40085 1E67 Man Picc-Skegness
40085 1M54 Skegness-Sheffield
40001 1M74 Sheffield-Man Picc

 

[AJM580]

Try 37103 for the Norwich-Yarmouth and return working not 37107.

You're right. I did a quick check and realised that I'd copied the wrong details across when updating the spreadsheet. My mileage log shows 37103 !

 

[CW2]

Saturday 13 August 1983

For a couple of weeks I was house-sitting for my older sister in Manchester, which quite apart from being useful anyway for 40 action, was extremely handy in not having to do an overnight for the holiday trains on the Saturday.

However, I later found out that the usual overnight that we would have done normally (1M41 York-Shrewsbury) had been 40069 the night before. Win some, lose some.

40085 1E67 Man Picc-Skegness
40085 1M54 Skegness-Sheffield
40001 1M74 Sheffield-Man Picc

#1491 refers.
40069 was my machine, and that run from York to Crewe was the last time I ever had it for haulage - not a bad way to bow out.

 

[Sultan1056]

Thursday 14th August 1975

Whilst on holiday I had a day trip to Plymouth including my first visit around Laira. I just remember the place being full of Westerns. On my return the train was hauled by WESTERN EMPRESS.

45010 Newquay-Plymouth (0910 Newquay-Plymouth) Additional
D1037 Plymouth-Newquay (1610 Plymouth-Newquay) Additional

Saturday 14th August 1976

My return home from a holiday in St Ives and I was hoping for a Western to take me to Paddington. I was somewhat disappointed when 47140 turned up but thankfully it only went as far as Plymouth before it was replaced by 50014.

W51311+51326 St Ives-St Erth (0822 St Ives-St Erth)
47140 St Erth-Plymouth (0835 Penzance-Paddington)
50014 Plymouth-Paddington (0835 Penzance-Paddington)
47415 Kings Cross-York (1500 Kings Cross-Newcastle)

Thursday 14th August 1980

My intention was to travel into Paddington on the Up Midnight, however this plan was scuppered when it was diverted via the Berks & Hants. Instead I was left with 47125. Another day on the Southern picking up 33s & 73s before heading onto Scotland.

37176 Bristol TM-Newport (0124 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
47125 Newport-Paddington via Bristol & Bath (2205 Milford Haven-Paddington)
4658+4669 Waterloo-Clapham J (0742 Waterloo-Horsham)
33060 Clapham J-Kensington Olympia (0812 Clapham J-Kensington-Olympia)
33060 Kensington Olympia-Clapham J (0827 Kensington Olympia-Clapham J)
508014+508041 Clapham J-Waterloo (0905 Chessington S-Waterloo)
73110 Waterloo-Basingstoke (0954 Waterloo-Weymouth Quay)
33117 Basingstoke-Andover (1010 Waterloo-Salisbury)
50011 Andover-Basingstoke (0940 Exeter St D-Waterloo)
33113 Basingstoke-Reading (1135 Poole-Newcastle)
47491 Reading-Paddington (0845 Penzance-Paddington)
1301+1310 Victoria-East Croydon (1513 Victoria-East Grinstead)
33037 East Croydon-Woldingham (1553 East Croydon-East Grinstead)
1110+1114+1123 Woldingham-East Croydon (1549 East Grinstead-Victoria)
5019+5133 East Croydon-London Bridge (1610 Tattenham Corner-London Bridge)
33029 London Bridge-East Croydon (1735 London Bridge-East Grinstead)
33205 East Croydon-Oxted (1818 London Bridge-East Grinstead)
1107+1119 Oxted-Clapham Jnc (1849 East Grinstead-Victoria)
508006 Clapham Jnc-Waterloo (1848 Waterloo-Waterloo via Kingston)
73118 Waterloo-Basingstoke (2005 Waterloo-Weymouth Quay)
50050 Basingstoke-Waterloo (1820 Exeter St D-Waterloo)
83010 Euston-Mossend Yard (2235 Euston-Perth)

Sunday 14th August 1984

31439 York-Malton (1853 York-Scarborough)
37093 Malton-York (1910 Scarborough-Sheffield)

 

[D1537]

Friday 14 August 1987

47618 Coventry-Stoke (1M88)
150110 Stoke-Derby (2P36)
47094 Derby-Bristol TM (1Z44, 1342 Derby-BTM relief)
47463 Bristol TM-B'ham NS (1M30, 1645 Bristol-Derby relief)
47474 B'ham NS-Oxford (1O09)
47631 Oxford-Coventry (1M40)

47094 was my 500th 47 for haulage.

 

[D6130]

47094 was my 500th 47 for haulage

Did you manage to have them all, apart from the four early withdrawals?

 

[Sultan1056]

That’s a fine achievement and that is from someone who for most of the time tried to avoid them.

 

[xotGD]

37093 Malton-York (1910 Scarborough-Sheffield)

Not pretending to be a police car at the time!

 

[D6130]

Not pretending to be a police car at the time!

'Ello, 'ello, 'ello! Would you mind stepping out of the cab sir? Is this your HST?

 

[Sultan1056]

Not pretending to be a police car at the time!

It was still in blue livery at the time. I do believe it was transformed the following year. In fact by 1985 my interest in the railway scene had waned somewhat. However one evening I was cycling across Clifton Bridge which provided a distant view of York shed. By then I wouldn’t have given it a second glance but today I noticed something very unusual. Curiosity got the better of me and I had to deviate my journey to Leeman Road where I could observe Class 37 in Police livery. IIRC it was without numbers and it was some weeks later that I noticed a story about it on the cover of Rail Magazine. Apparently it was for an advertisement but I can’t remember the story line.

 

[D6130]

It was still in blue livery at the time. I do believe it was transformed the following year. In fact by 1985 my interest in the railway scene had waned somewhat. However one evening I was cycling across Clifton Bridge which provided a distant view of York shed. By then I wouldn’t have given it a second glance but today I noticed something very unusual. Curiosity got the better of me and I had to deviate my journey to Leeman Road where I could observe Class 37 in Police livery. IIRC it was without numbers and it was some weeks later that I noticed a story about it on the cover of Rail Magazine. Apparently it was for an advertisement but I can’t remember the story line.

It was for a TV commercial advertising Inter-City....filmed on a Sunday on the Newcastle-Carlisle line under possession, so that both the HST and 37 could run in parallel in the same direction. The punchline was "You won't get stopped for speeding on one of our trains!"....or words to that effect. I think it's on YouTube somewhere.

 

[Sultan1056]

It was for a TV commercial advertising Inter-City....filmed on a Sunday on the Newcastle-Carlisle line under possession, so that both the HST and 37 could run in parallel in the same direction. The punchline was "You won't get stopped for speeding on one of our trains!"....or words to that effect. I think it's on YouTube somewhere.

Thanks for the reminder. More recently I recall 47829 being painted in a similar livery. Do you know if that was for a similar event?

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 15th August 1980

The penultimate day of my ALR and I tracked down two more Class 40s including LMR based 40175 on an Aberdeen-Edinburgh service. In the evening I headed down to Stranraer to cover the overnight service to Blackpool. This year the stock worked in on the 1725 from Glasgow, unlike previous years where the service worked in from Blackpool. This meant that it was unlikely to get a Class 40 but it would get me into the North West early Saturday morning to cover services hauled by Class 40s. On my arrival at Glasgow Central I was somewhat disappointed to see a solo class 25 at the head of the train, When the 25 departed from Glasgow it was apparent that it was not in the best of health as it lost time on its journey south. At Ayr the 25 was dismissed, being replaced by its more powerful cousin 27016 for a good thrash to Stranraer. The overnight train to Blackpool was not due to depart until 0124 and so with quite a bit of time to kill I travelled out and back to Girvan. In retrospect I should have stayed on the Euston service avoiding the farce which was about to happen.

47562 Mossend Yard-Dunblane (2235 Euston-Perth)
47040 Dunblane-Stirling (0705 Perth-Edinburgh)
27011 Stirling-Bishopbriggs (0649 Dundee-Glasgow QS)
37027 Bishopbriggs-Stirling (0844 Glasgow QS-Dundee)
40063 Stirling-Perth (0935 Glasgow QS-Aberdeen)
27022 Perth-Kirkcaldy (1105 Perth-Edinburgh)
Sc50264+51241 Kirkcaldy-Dundee (1125 Edinburgh-Dundee)
40175 Dundee-Haymarket (1240 Aberdeen-Edinburgh)
40159 Haymarket-Inverkeithing (1525 Edinburgh-Inverness)
Sc50749+51473 Inverkeithing-Haymarket (1535 Kirkcaldy-Edinburgh)
47704 Haymarket-Glasgow QS (1615 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS)
25072 Glasgow C-Ayr (1725 Glasgow C-Stranraer H)
27016 Ayr-Stranraer H (1725 Glasgow C-Stranraer H)
47564 Stranraer H-Girvan (2200 Stranraer H-Euston)
Sc51027+51049 Girvan-Stranraer H (2200 Glasgow C-Stranraer H)

Saturday 15th August 1981

Today felt like I was going in circles, mainly by DMUs too! My original plan was to travel north with Deltic 15 on 0550 KX-Aberdeen but I found out that a rather tempting 37216 was working a Hull-Scarborough diagram. I could delay my journey north until the early afternoon, it just meant that I had to endure a morning travelling on units. Having enjoyed a short journey to Beverley with the 37 I returned, by unit, to Selby. I was then hoping to travel to Edinburgh by Deltic but unfortunately the sight of 47456 on the 0940 KX-Edinburgh service quickly changed my mind. At York I discovered that Deltic 22 had just departed for Scarborough on a service from Glasgow. So I followed it, by unit, to Scarborough. If only I had known about this, I could then have enjoyed a good run along the Yorkshire coast with 37216 and avoided a lot of DMUs! By mid afternoon I was finally heading for Edinburgh, with a Deltic and unexpectedly out of Scarborough.

E51285 York-Selby (0850 York-Doncaster)
E51956+51957+51979 Selby-Hull (0716 Manchester Vic-Hull)
37216 Hull-Beverley (1028 Hull-Scarborough)
E50547+50567+50626+50636 Beverley-Hull (0730 Huddersfield-Hull)
E51954+52100 Hull-Selby (1148 Hull-Selby)
47456 Selby-York (0940 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)
E51544+51552 York-Scarborough (1239 Leeds-Scarborough)
55022 Scarborough-Edinburgh (1508 Scarborough-Glasgow QS)
55022 Edinburgh-Kings Cross (2035 Aberdeen-Kings Cross)
via Carlisle, Stockton, Selby West & Hertford N

Sunday 15th August 1982

An afternoon on the NYMR enjoying the sight and sound of GREYHOUND. Having returned to York I picked up 40002. This was the last time I had a required 40 for haulage.

46033 York-Malton (0840 Liverpool LS-Scarborough)
Bus Malton-Pickering
D821 1420 Pickering-Grosmont
D821 1555 Grosmont-Pickering
Bus Pickering-Malton
40197 Malton-York (1858 Scarborough-Wakefield W)
40002 York-Leeds (1908 Scarborough-Manchester Vic)
45121 Leeds-York (1910 Liverpool LS-York)

 

[xotGD]

37216 Hull-Beverley (1028 Hull-Scarborough)

My machine! The first 37 I had for haulage, just under a year after you had it. Details upthread...

 

[Sultan1056]

My machine! The first 37 I had for haulage, just under a year after you had it. Details upthread...

A good one to have first up!

 

[sh24]

Sultan1056 - out of interest how many of the 40's did you have for haulage?

 

[Sultan1056]

Not as many as @CW2; I think it was 161. I know a Deltic basher who only needed 40127 for haulage. I’m sure he didn’t have D322 because he probably wasn’t old enough.

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 16th August 1975

Returning home from our family holiday I had my third Western along the Newquay branch. Unfortunately a further 300+ miles to York in the book with a 47/4!

D1001 Newquay-Plymouth (1005 Newquay-Newcastle)
47477 Plymouth-York (1005 Newquay-Newcastle)

Saturday 16th August 1980

27016 was now paired up with 25142 and I settled down into an empty compartment hoping to have some decent sleep before my arrival into Preston sometime around 7am. I awoke to bright sunshine with train crew telling everyone to leave the train. Unexpectedly I could still hear the sound of the Sulzer engines and was astonished to find that we had only reached Ayr! We were bundled onto a lash up of DMUs, IIRC about 6 cars before continuing our journey. I have no idea what the problem was with the train but I was now faced with a 200 mile DMU trip to Preston. I had always fancied a diesel powered journey over Shap but not with a unit! I arrived into Preston around nine and without any information on what was working I travelled onto Chester. Here I found that the only required 40 I could get was 40093 working the Skegness-Manchester. However, I would have to take 40032 into Manchester and a unit across to Sheffield to intercept it. 40093 duly arrived and by late afternoon I had got my first required 40 of the day. The 40 was soon in trouble and it expired whilst travelling through Totley Tunnel. After some time 31228 came to our assistance and pushed the train out of the tunnel and onto Grindleford. Here required 40004 was attached to the front and took the train onto its destination. At Manchester I had only enough time to pick up a required 25 from Eccles before heading home and concluding my 1980 ALR.

27016+25142 Stranraer H-Ayr (0124 Stranraer H-Blackpool N)
Sc51250+51454+51520+51794 Ayr-Preston (0124 Stranraer H-Blackpool N)
86018 Preston-Warrington BQ (0903 Blackpool N-Crewe) Relief
M51673+51899 Warrington BQ-Chester (0940 Manchester Vic-Llandudno)
40032 Chester-Manchester Vic (1130 Bangor-Manchester Vic)
E51957+52090 Manchester Pic-Sheffield (1445 Manchester Pic-Hull)
40093 Sheffield-Totley Tunnel Loco Failure (1322 Skegness-Manchester Pic)
31228+(40093) Totley Tunnel-Grindleford (1322 Skegness-Manchester Pic)
40004+(40093) Grindleford-Manchester Pic (1322 Skegness-Manchester Pic)
M50941+50985 Manchester Vic-Eccles (2040 Manchester Vic-Chester)
25056 Eccles-Manchester Vic (1817 Llandudno-Manchester Vic)
47552 Manchester Vic-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Sunday 16th August 1981

50025 Waterloo-Basingstoke (1110 Waterloo-Exeter St D)
50047 Basingstoke-Waterloo (0945 Exeter St D-Waterloo)
55021 Kings Cross-York via Hertford N (1605 Kings Cross-York)

 

[sh24]

Not as many as @CW2; I think it was 161. I know a Deltic basher who only needed 40127 for haulage. I’m sure he didn’t have D322 because he probably wasn’t old enough.

Not a bad number at all!

Thanks to you and everyone posting their historic moves. I was too young to have enjoyed the late 70’s/early 80’s heyday but it is great reading the moves here.

 

[CW2]

Not a bad number at all!

Thanks to you and everyone posting their historic moves. I was too young to have enjoyed the late 70’s/early 80’s heyday but it is great reading the moves here.

My total of 40s was 173, or thereabouts (some uncertainty due to a stolen book when I was on a midlands bashing trip in the early 70s). I was by no means the "Top Man", and missed several boilered locos which should have been easy pickings, which just eluded me. At some point, "normal" life and family commitments collided with bashing, so the chase for more 40 mileage diminished. I simply turned my eyes abroad, and spent many weeks chasing around after steam in Poland while it was still very much real - and before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Keep up the good work chaps - I'm enjoying reading about these bashes. @Sultan1056 in particular - I never heard of the Stranraer - Blackpool running as a DMU from Ayr. You obviously got your head down in the Mk 1 compo and dossed quite heavily, so waking up at Ayr would have been quite a shock. I wonder what farce took place?

 

[Sultan1056]

in particular - I never heard of the Stranraer - Blackpool running as a DMU from Ayr. You obviously got your head down in the Mk 1 compo and dossed quite heavily, so waking up at Ayr would have been quite a shock. I wonder what farce took place?

I have no idea whether the problem was with the locos or the stock. At Ayr, I was probably in a state of shock with the realisation that I would have to continue my journey by DMU all the way to Preston, thereby preventing me to ask why I was being told to get out of a nice comfortable loco hauled train.
I believe it was quite rare to find a Scottish based unit so far south, not that it made me feel any the better for it!

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 17th August 1974

WESTERN DUCHESS, my first Western for haulage; what a fantastic thrash!

D1044 Newquay-Plymouth (1005 Newquay-Newcastle)
46054 Plymouth-York (1005 Newquay-Newcastle)

 

[Zerothebrake!]

Saturday 17th August 1974

WESTERN DUCHESS, my first Western for haulage; what a fantastic thrash!

D1044 Newquay-Plymouth (1005 Newquay-Newcastle)
46054 Plymouth-York (1005 Newquay-Newcastle)

After the Lord Mayor's show comes the sh#t cart.

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 18th August 1973

No Lord Mayors Parade for me in ‘73, just a Duff,47104 and Gateshead’s 46056.

1692 Newquay-Plymouth (1005 Newquay-Newcastle)
193 Plymouth-York (1005 Newquay-Newcastle)

Monday 18th August 1975

My first ever 37 for haulage.

37088 York-Scarborough (0821 Sheffield-Scarborough)
DMU Scarborough-York

Saturday 18th August 1979

Quite a productive day for me with required 40s on the Newcastle-Blackpool and reverse plus a couple of big 37s.

55021 York-Doncaster (0606 York-Kings Cross)
E51961+51962+51968 Doncaster-Sheffield (0600 Hull-Manchester Pic)
31270 Sheffield-Chesterfield (0747 Sheffield-Skegness)
31203 Chesterfield-Sheffield (0834 Chesterfield-Skegness)
37106 Sheffield-York (0730 Birmingham NS-Newcastle)
40112 York-Leeds (0935 Newcastle-Blackpool N)
40024 Leeds-York (0910 Blackpool N-Newcastle)
40198 York-Leeds (1300 Scarborough-Manchester Vic)
31327 Leeds-Sheffield (1439 Leeds-Plymouth)
E51217+51953 Sheffield-Rotherham (1445 Manchester Pic-Hull)
E51951+51978+52091 Rotherham-Sheffield (1435 Hull-Sheffield)
31124 Sheffield-Rotherham (1055 Paignton-Leeds)
E50613 Rotherham-Sheffield (1517 Hull-Manchester Pic)
47107 Sheffield-Chesterfield (1639 Leeds-Bristol TM)
47098 Chesterfield-Sheffield (1026 Penzance-Bradford Exchange)
E50215+51956+51979+52092 Sheffield-Doncaster (1905 Sheffield-Hull)
47544 Doncaster-Selby (1805 Kings Cross-York)
37143 Selby-Leeds (2039 Hull-Leeds)
47549 Leeds-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Monday 18th August 1980

40036 York-Leeds (1925 Scarborough-Wakefield W extended to Leeds) via Selby, Milford J & Castleford
E50554+50575+50637+50638 Leeds-York (2200 Leeds-York)

Tuesday 18th August 1981

York Races were on and that meant additional services. I took a 31 to Castleford before returning to cover the Scarborough Spa Express. The diesel hauled section to Leeds producing an NB 31.

31216 York-Castleford (1800 York-Wakefield W) Additional
E50599+50635 Castleford-Leeds (1813 Goole-Leeds)
E50002 Leeds-York (2018 Leeds-York)
31283 York-Leeds (2100 York-Leeds) Additional
E50553+50583 Leeds-York (2200 Leeds-York)

Saturday 18th August 1984

45109 York-Leeds (0815 Newcastle-Llandudno)
45142 Leeds-York (0905 Liverpool LS-Scarboroug

 

[Sultan1056]

Tuesday 19th August 1975

47403 York-Kings Cross (0805 York-Kings Cross)
DMU Paddington-Slough (1148 Paddington-Reading)
DMU Slough-Windsor & Eton C (1220 Slough-Windsor & Elton Central)
EMU Windsor & Eton R-Waterloo (1714 Windsor & Elton Riverside-Waterloo)
47422 Kings Cross-York (1900 Kings Cross-Newcastle)

Tuesday 19th August 1980

The 1925 Scarborough-Wakefield service normally a solid 40 turn wasn’t today, instead a disappointing 31/4.

E50573+50584 York-Scarborough (1713 Bradford Exc-Scarborough)

31408 Scarborough-York (1925 Scarborough-Wakefield W)

Wednesday 19th August 1981

37136 York-Church Fenton (1755 York-Sheffield) Additional
E52072+52078 Church Fenton-York (1645 Manchester Vic-Scarborough)

 

[NorthWestRover]

Tuesday 19th August 1975

47403 York-Kings Cross (0805 York-Kings Cross)
DMU Paddington-Slough (1148 Paddington-Reading)
DMU Slough-Windsor & Eton C (1220 Slough-Windsor & Elton Central)
EMU Windsor & Eton R-Waterloo (1714 Windsor & Elton Riverside-Waterloo)
47422 Kings Cross-York (1900 Kings Cross-Newcastle)

Went on a visit to see the Queen?

 

[D1537]

Did you manage to have them all, apart from the four early withdrawals?

No. I missed 47208, 47282, 47291 and 47325, having 504 in total.

 

[Sultan1056]

Went on a visit to see the Queen?

Not quite, I don’t think she was in. I just had a look at her house.