Back in the day...

[D6130]

Thursday 30 June 1988

Today's trip to Manchester in search of new track on the vice-dmus came up trumps hugely with a first visit to Southport for me. GWR green beastie as well.

47422 1M26 Newcastle-Manchester Vic
47628 2F12 Manchester Vic-Southport (new 47 track Wigan Wallgate Stn Jc-Southport)
47628 2J06 Southport-Manchester Vic (via Bolton)
47422 1E73 Manchester Vic-Newcastle (cleared for 3000 miles)

Which year was that?

 

[D1537]

Which year was that?

Sorry, 1988, changed now.

 

[D1511]

Wed 30th June 1982

1C86 11.06 Edinburgh - Birmingham NS 47705 xeh HA Edinburgh - Carstairs
1M27 11.15 Glasgow C - Birmingham NS 86318 xem WN Carstairs - Birmingham NS
1O?? 14.23 Manchester Picc - Portsmouth H 47324 xos TO Birmingham NS - Portsmouth H
2H82 21.25 Portsmouth H - Salisbury 33003 xe EH Portsmouth H - Southampton

 

[SW Rover]

Tuesday 1st July 1986
33027 1V77 1510 Portsmouth H - Bristol TM (to Warminster)
33012 1O85 1610 Bristol TM - Brighton (Warminster to Salisbury)
33035 1L12 1729 Salisbury - Waterloo (Salisbury to Basingstoke)
33007 1V17 1738 Waterloo - Exeter St Davids (Basingstoke to Yeovil Junc)
50006 1O26 1940 Exeter St Davids - Waterloo (Yeovil Junc to Salisbury)
33018 2O98 2015 Bristol TM - Portsmouth H (from Salisbury)

Wednesday 1st July 1987
33201 1V54 1010 Portsmouth H - Swansea (to Warminster)
33021 1O40 0950 Swansea - Portsmouth H (Warminster to Salisbury)
50015 1O38 1105 Exeter St Davids - Portsmouth H (Salisbury to Portsmouth H)
33031 1V87 1810 Portsmouth H - Cardiff (Cosham to Southampton)
33001 1O45 1620 Cardiff - Portsmouth H (from Southampton)
33201 1V96 2025 Portsmouth H - Cardiff (to Southampton)
33021 1O47 1810 Cardiff - Portsmouth H (from Southampton)
33019 2O98 2015 Bristol TM - Portsmouth H (from Fareham)

 

[xotGD]

33209 1V66 1310 Portsmouth H - Bristol (Salisbury to Warminster)

33201 1O47 1810 Cardiff - Portsmouth H (from Southampton)
33205 2O98 2015 Bristol TM - Portsmouth H (from Fareham)

33201 1V54 1010 Portsmouth H - Swansea (to Warminster)

33201 1V96 2025 Portsmouth H - Cardiff (to Southampton)

I'm surprised by the number of 33/2s appearing on these services. I thought they were rare beasties.

 

[Harpo]

I'm surprised by the number of 33/2s appearing on these services. I thought they were rare beasties.

Not so in later days. I once had two different slims on the north & west in the same day. (No surviving note books sadly.)

 

[sh24]

Not so in later days. I once had two different slims on the north & west in the same day. (No surviving note books sadly.)

They roamed freely once the Hastings line was electrified and the troublesome tunnels singled.

 

[D1537]

Friday 1 July 1988
I used to enjoy a quick trip on the Tyne Valley Line, and would always prefer this to a bash on the Pennines unless something really good was out.

47568 2M37 Newcastle-Carlisle
47568 2E42 Carlisle-Newcastle
47634 1V66 Newcastle-York
47452 1E69 York-Newcastle

Normally I would have been taking 1V66 further south for an overnight leading into the Summer Saturday, but on this weekend I had an event on Saturday morning that I couldn't get out of, which would scupper the day completely. Or so I thought....

 

[xotGD]

I used to enjoy a quick trip on the Tyne Valley Line

Likewise. Initially with 40s on 1M04/1S15, then later with 37s on the DMU replacement turns (including visits to The Rocking Horse in Hexham for a pint). Plus the occasional 25 on unit drags. I missed the 26 on a unit drag, which then did a return trip to Durham!

 

[D1537]

Likewise. Initially with 40s on 1M04/1S15, then later with 37s on the DMU replacement turns (including visits to The Rocking Horse in Hexham for a pint). Plus the occasional 25 on unit drags. I missed the 26 on a unit drag, which then did a return trip to Durham!

Was the Rocking Horse the one right outside the station? If so, I've been there a few times. Quite often in 88 there were two diagrams out on the Tyne Valley in which case you could also have time for a pint at Haltwhistle ... or two at Haydon Bridge!

 

[D1511]

Basher pubs.....now there's an idea for a separate thread!

Thursday 1st July 1982

1B02 00.05 London Padd - Penzance 50019 xeh LA Reading - Exeter St D
1B02 00.05 London Padd - Penzance 31228 vb TI Exeter St D - Plymouth
1O06 05.45 Plymouth - London W 50021 xeh LA. plymouth - London W
1N24 11.30 London Liverpool St - Norwich 47569 xe SF London Liverpool St - Norwich
1M67 14.14 Norwich - Birmingham NS 31262 vb MR Norwich - Thetford
1L35 16.00 Kings Lynn - London Liverpool St. 47006 xi SF Cambridge - London Liverpool St
1V19 19.10 London W - Exeter St D 50015 xeh LA London W - Woking
1L93 20.10 London W - Salisbury 47353 xos CD London W - Basingstoke
1O24 18.18 Exeter St D - London W 50010 xeh LA Basingstoke - London W

 

[D1537]

Basher pubs.....now there's an idea for a separate thread!

There's a bit of a discussion starting at post #6197 on this very thread.

 

[xotGD]

Was the Rocking Horse the one right outside the station? If so, I've been there a few times. Quite often in 88 there were two diagrams out on the Tyne Valley in which case you could also have time for a pint at Haltwhistle ... or two at Haydon Bridge!

Yes, handiest pub for the station. I have no recollection of the quality of the beer.

 

[Bald Rick]

I have no recollection of the quality of the beer.

Which suggests it was either very good or very bad!

 

[xotGD]

Which suggests it was either very good or very bad!

Or me being 17 meant that just getting a pint was a win in itself!

 

[SuspectUsual]

Or me being 17 meant that just getting a pint was a win in itself!

Were you still at the cider stage then?!?

 

[D1511]

There's a bit of a discussion starting at post #6197 on this very thread.

Thanks, I enjoyed checking that. Ryries was the fester pub at Haymarket, and the Guildford for Waverley. The more adventurous went to the Diggers (Athletic Arms) for the best McEwans 80-/-

Friday 2nd July 1982
A rather splendid Crompton day .......

1C04 00.50 London Paddington - Milford Haven (legendary kipping train!) 47462 xe CD London Paddington - Swansea
1C04 00.50 London Paddington - Milford Haven 33019 xe EH Swansea - Clarbeston Rd
2C53 07.30 Milford Haven - Swansea 33016 xe EH Clarbeston Rd - Swansea
1??? 09.35 Swansea - London Paddington HST (I didn't usually record the power car moves in protest, but these were 43003/004) Swansea - Cardiff
2O58 12.14 Bristol TM - Portsmouth H 33022 xe EH Bristol TM - Trowbridge
1V25 11.10 Portsmouth H - Bristol TM 33021 xe EH Trowbridge - Bath Spa
1O79 Cardiff C - Portsmouth H 33113 xem EH Bath Spa - Southampton
2??? 15.10 Salisbury - London W 47239 xos BR Basingstoke - London W
2U19 17.20 London Bridge - Uckfield 33209 xe HG London Bridge - E Croydon
1U21 17.34 London Bridge - E Grinstead 33038 xe HG E Croydon - Oxted
2U23 17.50 London Bridge - E Grinstead 33202 xe HG Oxted - E Grinstead

Folks of a certain vintage will know these classic London Bridge 33 moves well!

 

[D1511]

A rather less exotic day around home......Monday 2nd July 1984

2O08 07.40 Edinburgh - Glasgow QS 47194 xbs CD Haymarket - Glasgow QS
1M56 17.30 Glasgow C - Carlisle 26040 xbh IS Glasgow C - Auchinleck
1S88 17.40 Carlisle - Glasgow C 27066 xo ED Auchinleck - Glasgow C
1O73 22.00 Glasgow QS - Edinburgh 47711 xeh HA Glasgow QS - Haymarket

 

[Falcon1200]

Folks of a certain vintage will know these classic London Bridge 33 moves well!

Indeed - Back in Those Days that was how we got the 33/2s! I had 10, missing out on 33203 and 33212. It was even better for the short time when two London Bridge/Brighton peak services were hauled by Class 73, also not the easiest to get otherwise.

 

[SW Rover]

Thursday 2nd July 1987
33201 1V58 1110 Portsmouth H - Cardiff (Cosham to Trowbridge)
DMU to Swindon

Another 33/2 for the journey home. They were more common then and I just missed out on 210.

 

[xotGD]

Were you still at the cider stage then?!?

McEwans Best Scotch was my usual tipple back then.

 

[xotGD]

The more adventurous went to the Diggers (Athletic Arms) for the best McEwans 80-/-

I've had many a pint of 80/- in the Diggers. To get served, you just raised the number of fingers corresponding to the number of pints of 80/- you wanted. This system broke down if somebody wanted a different drink!

 

[D1511]

I've had many a pint of 80/- in the Diggers. To get served, you just raised the number of fingers corresponding to the number of pints of 80/- you wanted. This system broke down if somebody wanted a different drink!

If you want something else to drink, you don't go there!
Looks like there's a chance we may have been in the same pub at the same time, as well as on the same train!

 

[D1511]

Indeed - Back in Those Days that was how we got the 33/2s! I had 10, missing out on 33203 and 33212. It was even better for the short time when two London Bridge/Brighton peak services were hauled by Class 73, also not the easiest to get otherwise.

I didn't manage to get them all either......although it looks like they were out and about much more often after I'd started my long hiatus.....once the tunnel got fixed!
73s.....I never really got those....funny little things that were neither fish nor fowl! I got a handful for haulage on those Brighton trains, and a few on late night services, and the Caley sleeper ones obviously, but not many overall
On that final point, if I had turned up at the Fishwives Causeway bridge over the ECML at Craigentinny (which was one of our spotting locations) back in 1978 and confidently announced there'd be 73s stabled there one day, I'd have been ridiculed something rotten.....!

 

[D1511]

Saturday 3rd July 1982

1L00 01.10 London KX - Leeds 31183 vb MR London KX - Leeds
1M04 07.26 Sheffield - London St P 45133 xe TO Sheffield - Nottingham
1E85 09.22 Derby - Skegness 20151 xo TO/20183 xo TO Nottingham - Boston
1L11 11.22 London KX - Scarborough 47424 xe ED Grantham - York
1E?? 10.00 Cardiff C - Newcastle 45139 xe TO York - Newcastle
1S15 15.53 Carlisle - Edinburgh 47357 xos CD Newcastle - Edinburgh


Tuesday 3rd July 1984

2O08 07.40 Edinburgh - Glasgow QS 47234 xos CF Haymarket - Glasgow QS
2O49 17.15 Glasgow QS - Edinburgh 47040 xb HA Glasgow QS - Haymarket


Edit: apologies, I thought it was 3rd today already!

 

[D1537]

McEwans Best Scotch was my usual tipple back then.

I think the Hexham pub may have been Newcastle Exhibition "pint of Ex" at the time...

 

[D1537]

Friday 1 July 1988
Normally I would have been taking 1V66 further south for an overnight leading into the Summer Saturday, but on this weekend I had an event on Saturday morning that I couldn't get out of, which would scupper the day completely. Or so I thought....

Saturday 2 July 1988

So ... having escaped from said event, I got changed and headed to Newcastle station. I needed to be back in the Midlands the next day anyway, so arrived for either the 1420 Liverpool or the 1418 Carlisle (if it was vice-dmu). The stock for the Liverpool was not in the station, which was unusual. Talking to a local spotter, apparently the northbound Liverpool had been cancelled at York due to a stock defect. OK, let's see what happens next. (Context: as per post #6763, I only needed a handful of 47s at the time.)

At around 1415 a 47 appeared from Heaton with a rake of MkIs. Guessing this would be the Carlisle, I moved across to see what it was, but it headed into the platform for the Liverpool instead. Approaching, I saw that it was a BR blue non-ETH 47 - bonus! As it got a bit closer, I noted that it was very grimy and also slow speed fitted. Blimey, this could be something big ... as it approached, I remember thinking "wouldn't it be hilarious if it was 47276 after what happened a couple of weeks ago?"

Oh my word.

47276 1M76 Newcastle-Manchester Vic
86404 1G65 Manchester Picc-Birmingham NS
47591 1V99 Birmingham NS-Coventry

 

[D1511]

Saturday 2 July 1988

Oh my word.

47276 1M76 Newcastle-Manchester Vic

It was great when random stuff like that happened with no prior gen whatsoever! However, I also wonder how all our bashing moves would have been improved if we'd had access to the realtime gen available now. Even a mobile phone would have transformed gen transmission!

How many 47s did you have left at this time, after 276?

(I didn't get near clearing them, and had about 20 to go before my retirement.)

Edit: I found my books from 1985, and I actually got 501 of them......surprised I didn't remember that 500 duff milestone

 

[D1537]

How many 47s did you have left at this time, after 276?

I'd have to check (not at home at the moment) but I think it was four.

 

[SuspectUsual]

It was great when random stuff like that happened with no prior gen whatsoever! However, I also wonder how all our bashing moves would have been improved if we'd had access to the realtime gen available now. Even a mobile phone would have transformed gen transmission!

Yes it would’ve been totally different, but you’d lose the random element you’ve just described, and all of the thrill of the chase, so to speak