Back in the day...

[NorthWestRover]

There's a whole thread of people almost in tears over the withdrawal of the 507s. It's like late 1981 all over again.

 

[xotGD]

There's a whole thread of people almost in tears over the withdrawal of the 507s. It's like late 1981 all over again.

It's surreal.

All that emotion over plastic.

 

[Sultan1056]

Wednesday 5th December 1979

55009 York-Newark (1811 York-Kings Cross)
55003 Newark-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

Friday 5th December 1980

55008 York-Retford (1955 York-Kings Cross)
55007 Retford-Doncaster (1935 Kings Cross-Hull)
40161 Doncaster-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

Saturday 5th December 1981

Today went remarkably well for me with six different Deltics. I even managed to have time to cross the Pennines to cover Deltic 7 returning from Liverpool.

55019 Kings Cross-Newark (0005 Kings Cross-Newcastle)
55016 Newark-Kings Cross (2025 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
55007 Kings Cross-Doncaster (0550 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)
55017 Doncaster-Kings Cross (0807 York-Kings Cross)
55021 Kings Cross-Doncaster (1403 Kings Cross-York)
55010 Doncaster-Grantham (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55017 Grantham-Doncaster (1603 Kings Cross-York)
43114+43160 Doncaster-Wakefield W (1650 Kings Cross-Harrogate)
E50042 Wakefield W-Huddersfield (1904 Wakefield W-Huddersfield)
47458 Huddersfield-Manchester Vic (1718 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
55007 Manchester Vic-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Wednesday 5th December 1984

302215/302266 Chelmsford-Colchester (1105 Liverpool St-Colchester)
47583 Colchester-Ipswich (1130 Liverpool St-Norwich)
31451 Ipswich-March (1225 Harwich PQ-Peterborough)
31401 March-Peterborough (1332 Norwich-Birmingham NS)
43052+43198 Peterborough-York (1535 Kings Cross-Newcastle)

 

[D1537]

I take it that you didn't have time to pop down to the Crown for a pint then?

If only I think there was about 20 minutes between the trains ... fastest pint ever!

 

[xotGD]

If only I think there was about 20 minutes between the trains ... fastest pint ever!

On the Cambrian I've done 11.00 opening time in Aberystwyth for a pint then back to the station for the 11.20 departure.

Young and daft.

 

[Bald Rick]

If only I think there was about 20 minutes between the trains ... fastest pint ever!

I routinely get a swifty in the Great Western at Wolverhampton with a sub 20 minute connection.
Sometimes two super-swifties!

 

[Harpo]

I routinely get a swifty in the Great Western at Wolverhampton with a sub 20 minute connection.
Sometimes two super-swifties!

 

[D1537]

I routinely get a swifty in the Great Western at Wolverhampton with a sub 20 minute connection.
Sometimes two super-swifties!

Oh aye but it was a good 5 minutes to the Crown (and 5 back) and that was assuming 1M72 was on time!

 

[D1537]

Everyone knows that the Gateshead Deltics were far superior to their Haymarket and Finsbury Park stable mates.

 

[CW2]

Wasn't the issue with Gateshead that the water supply to the washing plant was inadvertently destroyed in the late 70s, possibly by the Metro construction works?

Certainly some of the 37s wore a livery based on oil mixed with coal dust.

 

[Bald Rick]

Oh aye but it was a good 5 minutes to the Crown (and 5 back) and that was assuming 1M72 was on time!

I invite you to get from the very south end of Platform 1 at Wolverhampton to the front bar of the Great Western in less than 5 minutes, and that’s assuming Avanti are on time!

 

[ls2270]

Wednesday 5th December 1979

55009 York-Newark (1811 York-Kings Cross)
55003 Newark-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

Friday 5th December 1980

55008 York-Retford (1955 York-Kings Cross)
55007 Retford-Doncaster (1935 Kings Cross-Hull)
40161 Doncaster-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

Saturday 5th December 1981

Today went remarkably well for me with five different Deltics. I even managed to have time to cross the Pennines to cover Deltic 7 returning from Liverpool.

55019 Kings Cross-Newark (0005 Kings Cross-Newcastle)
55017 Newark-Kings Cross (2025 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
55007 Kings Cross-Doncaster (0550 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)
55017 Doncaster-Kings Cross (0807 York-Kings Cross)
55021 Kings Cross-Doncaster (1403 Kings Cross-York)
55010 Doncaster-Grantham (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55017 Grantham-Doncaster (1603 Kings Cross-York)
43114+43160 Doncaster-Wakefield W (1650 Kings Cross-Harrogate)
E50042 Wakefield W-Huddersfield (1904 Wakefield W-Huddersfield)
47458 Huddersfield-Manchester Vic (1718 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
55007 Manchester Vic-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Wednesday 5th December 1984

302215/302266 Chelmsford-Colchester (1105 Liverpool St-Colchester)
47583 Colchester-Ipswich (1130 Liverpool St-Norwich)
31451 Ipswich-March (1225 Harwich PQ-Peterborough)
31401 March-Peterborough (1332 Norwich-Birmingham NS)
43052+43198 Peterborough-York (1535 Kings Cross-Newcastle)

That’s interesting as I didn’t realise Class 302s worked on the GE. I only ever remember them on the LTS lines.

 

[Sultan1056]

That’s interesting as I didn’t realise Class 302s worked on the GE. I only ever remember them on the LTS lines.

I’m no emu expert but I understand they were regular performers on the GE throughout their careers.

 

[ls2270]

I’m no emu expert but I understand they were regular performers on the GE throughout their careers.

Always interesting to learn new things!

 

[Harpo]

That’s interesting as I didn’t realise Class 302s worked on the GE. I only ever remember them on the LTS lines.

Yes. A split fleet from the beginning. I think it was something like first 20 (?) to the GE and the rest to LTS along with the 8 308s with motor baggage cars for boat trains and baggage trains.

LTS sets went to Ilford for big exams and so could appear on the GE. GE-allocated EMUs didn’t usually appear on the LTS except for tours (306/309) or police control yobbex (306s) at Southend C.

302s also appeared on the WA side to B Stortford and briefly to Cambridge when (86+)LHS finished but their seriously crappy internals caused a bad reaction and 312s quickly replaced them.

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 6th December 1980

A very good day of Deltics, however my final journey of the day should have taken me to Edinburgh with Deltic 16. It suffered a boiler failure at Newcastle and was despatched to Gateshead. Things were not looking good for me!

55022 York-Kings Cross via Hertford N (2230 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
55016 Kings Cross-Doncaster (0805 Kings Cross-Hull)
55003 Doncaster-Peterborough (1045 York-Kings Cross)
55022 Peterborough-Doncaster (1205 Kings Cross-Hull)
55015 Doncaster-York (1220 Kings Cross-York)
55015 York-Grantham (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55022 Grantham-Kings Cross (1630 Hull-Kings Cross)
55016 Kings Cross-Newcastle via Lincoln & Leamside (2230 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)

Sunday 6th December 1981

Having Deltic 16 to Doncaster made it six different Deltics for the weekend. There were in fact only two others operating that weekend, Nos 8 & 15. My final journey of the day was with Deltic 10 which seemed to be in fine fettle. However it lost an engine the following day and struggled on in service for a couple more weeks. In fact I never had it again for haulage.

55019 York-Kings Cross (2045 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
via Normanton, Lincoln & Sleaford
55021 Kings Cross-York (1005 Kings Cross-York)
55016 York-Doncaster (1550 York-Kings Cross)
43069+43158 Doncaster-York (1500 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)
55017 York-Peterborough (1913 York-Kings Cross)
55010 Peterborough-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

Monday 6th December 1982

After spending the Sunday in several pubs around Exeter, I headed back to London on the up midnight. I took in the morning East Grinsteads before resuming a search for more beer. This included a hike along the East India Dock Road in the search of a home brew pub. On arrival to my disappointment I found that it changed ownership and was now some disco themed pub. I returned home via the MML and called by Sheffield for my first visit to The Fat Cat. Well worth a visit today.

50031+50047 Exeter St D-Taunton (2135 Penzance-Paddington)
50031 Taunton-Paddington via Bristol TM (2135 Penzance-Paddington)
415422/416302 Victoria-Clapham Jnc (0649 Victoria-Coulsdon North)
7031/7429 Clapham Jnc-East Croydon (0700 Victoria-Bognor Regis)
33048 East Croydon-Saunderstead (0727 East Croydon-East Grinstead)
1313/1314 Saunderstead-East Croydon (0703 East Grinstead-London Bridge)
33059 East Croydon-London Bridge (0801 East Grinstead-London Bridge)
5170/5209/5274 London Bridge-Cannon St (0835 Orpington-Cannon St)
302268/302290 Fenchurch St-Stepney East (1010 Fenchurch St-Shoeburyness)
45132 St Pancras-Sheffield (1525 St Pancras-Sheffield)
43191+43192 Sheffield-York (1512 Plymouth-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 7th December 1979

40081 York-Leeds (2150 York-Shrewsbury)
47520 Leeds-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Sunday 7th December 1980

Fortunately 40086 was on hand to replace Deltic 16 which had suffered a boiler failure. The only time I had a class 40 over the Blyth & Tyne. Even more fortunate for me was Deltic 4 being held back at Haymarket the day before, giving me an escape route out of Edinburgh.

40086 Newcastle-Edinburgh via Bedlington Jnc (2230 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)
55004 Edinburgh-York via Leamside (1125 Edinburgh-Plymouth)
55013 York-Doncaster (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55010 Doncaster-York (1405 Kings Cross-York)

 

[D1537]

Saturday 7 December 1985
47418 1M73 Newcastle-Manchester Vic
47416 1E53 Manchester Vic-York
47481 1E88 York-Newcastle

Monday 7 December 1987
47483 1M88 Coventry-B'ham NS
47521 1O05 B'ham NS-Banbury
47637 1E63 Banbury-B'ham NS
With the dreaded nose of 451xx poking out of the gloom waiting to take 1E63 forward to Newcastle, a trip via Manchester it was to be.
87028 1A58 B'ham NS-B'ham Int
47545 1M07 B'ham Int-Manchester Picc
No Pennine loco tonight though; 483 should have run light off 1M88 from Manchester to Liverpool for 1O09 to Poole, but something has clearly gone awry with the second part of that plan. Not complaining though!
47483 1E93 Manchester Vic-Newcastle

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 8th December 1978

47528 York-Selby (1816 York-Kings Cross)
47520 Selby-York (1608 Kings Cross-York)

Saturday 8th December 1979

Deltic 4 had just been returned to traffic after spending the previous 19 months in Doncaster Works waiting for replacement power units. No 4 had taken the Night Aberdonian sleeper to Edinburgh the previous evening and to nobody’s surprise there was a large clamour of enthusiasts waiting at Edinburgh to sample it. Many people did the same move as me taking No 4 to York and returning to Edinburgh. On arrival into Edinburgh I hoped to return south with it on an overnight service to Newcastle. There were two other Deltics in Edinburgh that evening, No 9 and No 15, so there seemed little problem in getting out of Edinburgh. There were four overnight services to London; three had seating accommodation and one was sleepers only. Unusually Haymarket held onto two Deltics that evening with only No 15 being allocated to the sleeper only service. There was a large contingency of enthusiasts about to get bowled, however I along with two others asked the guard if we could travel in the Brakevan (BG) of the sleeper service and surprisingly he let us on; a very lucky escape!

55015 York-Edinburgh (2230 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)
55004 Edinburgh-York (0950 Edinburgh-Plymouth)
55004 York-Edinburgh (0725 Plymouth-Edinburgh)
55015 Edinburgh-Newcastle (2210 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)

 

[D1537]

Monday 8 December 1986
47599 1M32 Newcastle-Stalybridge
Panic stations here as there was no dmu shuttle in the bay platform! Apparently it was still at Stockport due to some sort of farce. Carrying on to Victoria and a mad dash across town was usually doable, but we we were a bit late on this occasion and I would have to do an impression of Usain Bolt to make 1A80. Desperate measures were called for...
Taxi Stalybridge-Stockport
87015 1A80 Stockport-Rugby

Tuesday 8 December 1987
Standard afternoon move, with added "Gateshead" just for Mr xotGD
47418 1M76 Newcastle-Leeds
47413 1E19 Leeds-Durham
47422 1M19 Durham-Leeds
47402 1E93 Leeds-Newcastle

 

[xotGD]

I originally posted this photo very early in the thread, but it seems appropriate to post it again...

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 9th December 1978

Today I had 47216, although at the time as was unaware that it would become notorious and require renumbering to 47299. It performed okay for me making a very tight connection onto the Harwich Boat Train. Unfortunately today it was another Class 47, albeit required, rather than the preferred class 37.

45042 York-Sheffield (0700 Newcastle-Poole)
31252 Sheffield-Wakefield W (0730 Worcester SH-Leeds)
47425 Wakefield W-Leeds (0904 Kings Cross-Leeds)
45129 Leeds-Sheffield (0935 Carlisle-Nottingham)
47488 Sheffield-York (1150 Birmingham NS-Newcastle) Relief
47216 York-Sheffield (1335 Newcastle-Swansea)
47170 Sheffield-Chesterfield (1515 Manchester Pic-Harwich PQ)
45042 Chesterfield-Sheffield (1139 Poole-Leeds)
45148 Sheffield-Chesterfield (1803 Sheffield-St Pancras)
46038 Chesterfield-Sheffield (1021 Penzance-Bradford Exchange)
E51222 Sheffield-Doncaster(1724 Manchester Pic-Doncaster)
47425 Doncaster-York (1809 Kings Cross-York)

Sunday 9th December 1979

Both the ECML & WCML were closed overnight for planned engineering work, trains would be diverted over the G&SW via Dumfries and Kilmarnock and was a repeat of similar diversions a month previously (see post #6243). Four weeks earlier there were about 10 bashers who travelled with Deltic 17 along this diversion. Tonight that figure had tripled at least.
There were four overnight services from KX to Edinburgh these being the 2000 (1S60), 2100 (1S66), 2215 Sleeper Only (1S70) and finally the 2230 (1S72). The loco on 1S60 would be re-engined at Newcastle where it would then go to Gateshead for fuel before returning to take over 1S66, i.e. the locos would drop back a service at Newcastle.
Our hopes of having another Deltic tonight were raised when the first service 1S60 arrived into Newcastle with Deltic 7. This in theory would drop back onto the next service 1S66 after it had gone to Gateshead for refuelling. After a wait of a further two hours 1S66 arrived into Newcastle with a class 47, but instead of being replaced by Deltic 7 it ran around its train and continued onto Edinburgh. The reason being the loco from KX was low on fuel and was replaced at York. This meant that Deltic 7 dropped onto the next service 1S70, sleeping cars only! We had to watch with despair as it headed out towards Carlisle. Fortunately we could play our “Get Out of Jail Free” card because 40015 worked in on 1S70 and after being refuelled it came out to re-engine 1S72.

40015 Newcastle-Edinburgh (2230 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)
via Carlisle, Kilmarnock, Crossmyloof Jnc, Holytown & Shotts
55009 Edinburgh-York (1120 Edinburgh-Plymouth)

Wednesday 9th December 1981

By this late stage of Deltic operations No 22 was becoming quite difficult to follow, in fact in its last four months of service it was only in traffic for about 20 days and quite a few of those were spent on test runs between York & Liverpool. I took the opportunity of having it to Grantham knowing that I wouldn’t be returning back to York with another Deltic.

55022 York-Grantham (2019 York-Kings Cross)
47109 Grantham-York (2015 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)

 

[D1537]

Wednesday 9 December 1987
47418 1M26 Newcastle-York (removed - no heat)
47618 1M26 York-Stalybridge
53355+53812 2H59 Stalybridge-Stockport - the dreadful Gloucester Class 100/Cravens Class 105 mashup, both the last of their class, a regular sight on the shuttle
87005 1A77 Stockport-Rugby

 

[QJ]

Tuesday 9 December 1980

An after work evening positioning move for a couple of days track bashing in Ireland.

47060 OC 1B12 1620 London Paddington - Bristol Temple Meads (London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads)
(HST generator set W9468 - 41145 - 41146 - 40002 - 42299 - 42300 - 42301 - 44040 - ADB925325)
31210 BR 1E38 1934 Bristol Temple Meads - Newcastle (Bristol Temple Meads to Gloucester)
46033 GD 1E38 1934 Bristol Temple Meads - Newcastle (Gloucester to Cheltenham Spa)
1*101 (3) 2045 Cheltenham Spa - Swindon (Cheltenham Spa to Gloucester) [B800]
45115 TO 1V98 1615 Newcastle - Cardiff Central (Gloucester to Newport)
25221 CD 1V13 1928 Crewe - Cardiff Central (Newport to Cardiff Central)
HST 2115 London Paddington - Swansea (Cardiff Central to Swansea) [43019 + 43014]

to connect with 1C78 0035 Swansea to Fishguard Harbour

 

[Sultan1056]

Monday 10th December 1979

55002 York-Newark (1811 York-Kings Cross)
55005 Newark-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

Thursday 10th December 1981

My regular evening Deltic move to Newark was now no more because my return train from Newark (1740 KX-York) had gone over to an HST diagram. Instead I had to travel to Peterborough and return with the 1940 KX-Hull as far as Doncaster. From here I could get a DMU home to York or wait for the 2000 KX-Aberdeen which wasn’t normally good for a Deltic. Although tonight Deltic 15 appeared which made it my last decent evening run out with Deltics.

55017 York-Peterborough (1814 York-Kings Cross)
55022 Peterborough-Doncaster (1940 Kings Cross-Hull)
55015 Doncaster-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

 

[D1537]

Tuesday 10 December 1985
47416 1O62 Coventry-Brighton
47416 1M07 Brighton-Coventry

Wednesday 10 December 1986
47592 1M14 Coventry-Crewe
47476 1V99 Crewe-Coventry

 

[xotGD]

Tuesday 10 December 1985
47416 1O62 Coventry-Brighton
47416 1M07 Brighton-Coventry

Another entry for the "Generators got everywhere" list!

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Another entry for the "Generators got everywhere" list!

I got them on Manchester Victoria -Stalybridge and Liverpool on the Transpennines.

 

[D1537]

Another entry for the "Generators got everywhere" list!

I've had Generators to Brighton, Portsmouth, Poole, Penzance, Swansea, Holyhead, Hull, King's Lynn, Stranraer and Inverness amongst others. However, never to Norwich or really anywhere much in East Anglia apart from the King's Lynn line, and Kent is a blank as well.

 

[CW2]

I've had Generators to Brighton, Portsmouth, Poole, Penzance, Swansea, Holyhead, Hull, King's Lynn, Stranraer and Inverness amongst others. However, never to Norwich or really anywhere much in East Anglia apart from the King's Lynn line, and Kent is a blank as well.

I had Generators up and down the ECML ad nauseam, as well as across the Pennines, but like @D1537 I never had one in Anglia or Kent. I can add Haverfordwest to the list. Imagine doing the night ferry into Fishguard Harbour to find the first way out was a bus! I did the bus to Haverfordwest to pick up the 33 on the 0740 Milford Haven to Bristol Temple Meads. 47408. Thanks very much.