Back in the day...

[xotGD]

I often post current moves, especially when there are photos to go with it, so, anything goes on this thread.

 

[47403]

On this day, well does it include today? In this case I think it's allowed - some photos that Mr xot GD and others will like as well from the NYMR diesel gala.

On arriving at Grosmont I decided to have a quick trip to Whitby to hit the Co-op, plus the loco (37688) was a winner as well once I'd looked up its previous identity (37205). This was quite an entertaining run, with a driver who only understood two power handle positions, "off" and "bloody hell". A lady at Sleights on the return journey looked very concerned. I added another 35.8 miles to 47077 (which was over 3,000 already) and I sort of assumed that the violently orange 20166 was the sort of Toton 20 that I'd almost certainly had somewhere between Derby and Nottingham in the early 80s, but it was actually a winner as well.

Cracking pics there. Sounds like a very enjoyable day.

Tuesday 8th June 1982

1xxx 12.17 Edinburgh - Dundee 27032 xb ED Haymarket - Kirkcaldy
1xxx 12.21 Dundee - Edinburgh 40058 xi GD Kirkcaldy - Edinburgh
1xxx 14.17 Edinburgh - Dundee 27022 vb ED Edinburgh - Inverkeithing
1C93 11.50 Aberdeen - Nottingham 47433 xe BS Inverkeithing - Edinburgh
1C93 11.50 Aberdeen - Nottingham 47482 xe LA Edinburgh - Carstairs
1G43 16.05 Carstairs - Edinburgh 47482 xe LA Carstairs - Edinburgh
2C20 17.33 Edinburgh - Cardenden 45050 xb CW Edinburgh - Rosyth Halt.
(DMU - Inverkeithing)
1E26 16.30 Aberdeen - York 47409 xd GD Inverkeithing - Edinburgh

Here's 45050 at Rosyth Halt!
View attachment 205596

A wagon going beyond Edinburgh on a service in Scotland. Other than on a Rail Tour surely that's the furthest one ever got in Scotland. Though I think someone might prove me wrong and say 1 got to Aberdeen on a sleeper or something daft like a pipe train into Inverness.

 

[Ant1966]

The final instalment...

Saturday 8th June 1985
Chesterfield
dep 23:25 Haulage 33046
passed depots (TO?, LR, SY etc.) but slept through them. Best haulage of the week and slept though most of it... (although we dont appear to have had ANY sleep in the previous 96 hours or so!)

Birmingham New St arr 01:45
08919/920
47069
50025
dep 06:10 Haulage 304020

Duddeston arr 06:15
walk to
Saltley
31427/423/465
45016/013
47612/522/002/621/597
58024/025/029
walk to
Duddeston
dep 06:45 Haulage 312203

Bescot arr 07:01
08631/266/304/249/616
20092/139/107/150/142/164
25303/324
31178/187
40063
47478/540/310/358/349/098
58009/010/026
81020
85004/026
86205/426
dep 08:18 Haulage 312203

Birmingham New St arr 08:39
08920
20045/071
31453/458/125/418/429
43165/166/185/186
45143
47472/571/598/151/885
50021/048/032
85040/028
dep 11:15 Haulage Cl 120 DMU

passing Nuneaton 11:50
20157
25064
47299

Leicester arr 12:22
08474/536/382/021/677/465/908
20040/096
25278/209/283/089
31407/107
43154/102/047/161/097/080/122/157
47093
45145
56064/080/029/060/069

dep 13:32 Haulage 43122/157

Nottingham arr 14:07
08597/858
20029/075/032/143/182/159/163/170
31162
47234/187/198
dep 14:44 Haulage 20163/170

Derby arr 15:17
08696/842/681/899/625/289
20058/087/129/153/065
31429/450
45062/077/121
47230/620/189
97801
dep 16:08 Haulage 31450

passing Saltley
47557
50012/032

Birmigham New St arr 16:50
33046
47617/313/522/534/318/068/575
50032
85035
dep 17:53 Haulage 50032

passing Gloucester
08479/836
45059
47538/094/239/229
97654

passing Severn Tunnel Jn
08951/668/760/354/848
31131/294
37150/255/182/303/208/176
33064
43012/044
45022/044/069/074
47052/279/285

Newport arr 19:37
08444
37241/306/308
43025/125/184/177/014/126
47532/477
dep 20:52 Haulage 43025/184

Bristol Parkway arr 21:12
45142
47306
dep 21:26

Bristol TM arr 21:38
25176
33018/007/027/052
45125
50037

dep 22:15 Bus back to home!

Thats all folks!

Will do some summary stats later, including costs of tickets (which are quite something to reflect on!)
hope thats been of some interest to a some of you. Bringing back memories for 60+ year olds, and showing the younger members what they missed!!

 

[xotGD]

Bringing back memories for 60+ year olds

Memories aplenty, but I'm not 60 until next year!

Thanks again for sharing.

 

[Ant1966]

Memories aplenty, but I'm not 60 until next year!

Thanks again for sharing.

You're more than welcome - glad you enjoyed it! One year younger than me then.

 

[Ant1966]

June 1985			No advances
	Cost in 1985	Adj for inflation now	Equivalent ticket now	Increase (allowing for inflation)
Bristol to Glasgow 'Saver return' 1/3 off Student RC	£ 23.10	£ 73.46	£ 230.40	214%​
Bristol to Cardiff Single 1/3 off Student RC	£ 2.30	£ 7.31	£ 14.55	99%​
Warrington to Manchester CDR 1/3 off Student RC	£ 1.10	£ 3.50	£ 8.35	139%​
Glasgow Queen St to Springburn Day rtn	£ 0.80	£ 2.54	£ 2.60	2%​
Glasgow to Partick Rtn	£ 0.90	£ 2.86	£ 2.60	-9%​
Bus Springburn Rd to Buchanon St	£ 0.30	£ 0.95	£ 2.45	158%​
Bus Grangmouth to Falkirk Bus station	£ 0.30	£ 0.95	£ 2.00	111%​
West Yorkshire PTE Day Rover	£ 2.00	£ 6.36	£ 9.90	56%​
South Yorkshire PTE Out and About	£ 0.75	£ 2.39	£ 12.20	410%​
Middlesborough to Thornaby Single	£ 0.45	£ 1.43	£ 3.60	152%​
Worksop to Kiveton Park Single 1/3 off Student RC	£ 0.25	£ 0.80	£ 3.50	338%​
Birmingham to Nottingham Special day Ret 1/3 off Student RC	£ 1.85	£ 5.88	£ 17.30	194%​
	£ 34.10	£ 108.43	£ 309.45	185%​

 

[Ant1966]

Please see above the tickets used. £34.10 in total (with a little bit of questionable routing, but not too much!) Would be £108.43 in todays money.
Same tickets (as best I can match them) would be £309.45, almost 3 times as much.
Obviously you could do it cheaper with advances, but not anything like the trip that we did. (even if you could spend the night at the 5 stations)
God knows how we managed with basically zero sleep for 5 days, but we did, as did many others in teh 70s and 80s. Glad to have been aroudn to have seen it, and experienced it!
Ive not recorded what we looked (or smelled!) like after all that, which may be just as well.

Some of the increases are interesting, the peoples republic of South Yorkshire really did believe in PUBLIC transport didn't they! Socialism... (remember that?)
By contrast the only tickets that cost even close to the same as they did in 1985 (within a few pence) are in Glasgow. Open to suggestions on that one...
reflections and stats on locos seen to follow...

 

[Johnnie2Sheds]

But more than half the challenge would have gone - and with it the triumph when things actually came good!

From memory, I think I had most class fifties and 47054 became a personal friend. The problem was, I was after Westerns! Still, I managed forty of em for haulage, so yer know, not all bad.

 

[Ant1966]

June 1985 trip, Total locos recordrd (will double count the same loco at different locations)

Class 03:	5​
Class 08:	132​
Class 20:	67​
Class 25:	33​
Class 26:	10​
Class 27:	30​
Class 31:	74​
Class 33:	14​
Class 37:	106​
Class 40:	3​
Class 45:	35​
Class 47:	233​
Class 50:	9​
Class 56:	72​
Class 58:	6​
Class 81:	10​
Class 85:	11​
Class 86:	33​
Class 87:	22​
Total	905​

 

[Forty29]

Friday 13/6/1975
Evening at Ruscombe :

31245(IM) 1A98 1833 Padd to Didcot (stopper at Twyford on the main line at 1906). This takes my tally of Class 31's to 195, my mates 193!

31256 on unidentified cartic's working.

20161/20075 6Z40 on a special working of farmyard machinery running in path of the Acton- St Erth milks which ran later.

47005(SF) 4E85 followed by 47093(BR)4E78 Southampton Maritime to Ripple Lane Freightliner's.

Also this evening a fire on the embankment between Twyford and Ruscombe Milley Bridge resulted in closure of the mainline everything on the relief lines. Put out by Sonning fire brigade. Hot weather for at least a week.

 

[D1537]

Saturday 13 June 1986

47447 1O01 Coventry-Banbury
47603 1M10 Banbury-B'ham NS
47432 1V53 B'ham NS-Bristol TM
47337 1E56 Bristol TM-Derby

Waiting here for 47363 on 1E65, which promptly collapsed just south of the station and was dragged in by the local 08 (according to RailGen, 08622). Its replacement had spurious wheels, but the continuing SW-NE procession came to our rescue.

47278 1E32 Derby-Sheffield



47521 1M12 Sheffield-Stockport
47344 1M23 Stockport-Man Picc
86434 1A80 Man Picc-Rugby

 

[xotGD]

Saturday 13 June 1986

47447 1O01 Coventry-Banbury
47603 1M10 Banbury-B'ham NS
47432 1V53 B'ham NS-Bristol TM
47337 1E56 Bristol TM-Derby

Waiting here for 47363 on 1E65, which promptly collapsed just south of the station and was dragged in by the local 08 (according to RailGen, 08622). Its replacement had spurious wheels, but the continuing SW-NE procession came to our rescue.

47278 1E32 Derby-Sheffield

View attachment 205890

47521 1M12 Sheffield-Stockport
47344 1M23 Stockport-Man Picc
86434 1A80 Man Picc-Rugby

So if you'd baled off 337 at New St, you could have had 363 plus a bonus Gronk!

 

[D1537]

So if you'd baled off 337 at New St, you could have had 363 plus a bonus Gronk!

If I remember correctly either 1E56 or 1E65 (or both) avoided New Street and went via Camp Hill.

 

[xotGD]

If I remember correctly either 1E56 or 1E65 (or both) avoided New Street and went via Camp Hill.

Ah, yes. New St being too congested to handle all the cross-country summer Saturday traffic.

 

[Harpo]

A wagon going beyond Edinburgh on a service in Scotland. Other than on a Rail Tour surely that's the furthest one ever got in Scotland. Though I think someone might prove me wrong and say 1 got to Aberdeen on a sleeper or something daft like a pipe train into Inverness.

As ever, the wonderful Leighton’s List (see link) has an eclectic collection of McWagoneering including sorties to Falkirk, Ayr, Largs, Weymss Bay, Aberdeen, Perth etc..

Class 44,45,46 Peaks in Scotland

Scotland class 44/45/46 “Peaks” Thanks to Dave Spencer and Scott Currie for their invaluable help with the gen Tops order: 44003 (as D3) – 1740 Inverness – Euston (ex Perth)…

leightonlists.com

 

[Harpo]

47054 became a personal friend. The problem was, I was after Westerns!

47054 was notoriously weaponised by certain naughty persons in Paddington control to bowl a thousand basher known as ‘The Rev’.

 

[D1537]

Tuesday 14 June 1988
This week, 47373 was having its day off from the Nuneaton-Skegness on a Tuesday. Though it wasn't to be long before it had two weeks off in the sun at Immingham for a big exam, so that everyone could have their 20s.

47535 1M63 Newcastle-Leeds
47424 1E57 Leeds-Newcastle
47417 1M32 Newcastle-York
43008+43183 York-Derby
150xxx Derby-Nottingham
47332 1M22 Nottingham-Nuneaton

 

[SuspectUsual]

47054 was notoriously weaponised by certain naughty persons in Paddington control to bowl a thousand basher known as ‘The Rev’.

This sounds like the sort of story I'd like to read more about - can you elaborate please?

 

[D1537]

This sounds like the sort of story I'd like to read more about - can you elaborate please?

See post #2206 in this thread

 

[SuspectUsual]

See post #2206 in this thread

Thank you, that's brilliant

 

[Harpo]

See post #2206 in this thread

I believe the late John Harvey may have been the author of the songsheet? A couple of bits I remember:

(To ‘A Green Hill Far Away’)
There is a green duff far away,
without an air brake pipe,
And we believe they’re saving it,
to work the up midnight.

We do not know, we cannot tell,
what duffs he had in store,
But we believe, twas for the Rev,
They turned out 054.

(To ‘Please Answer Me’)
You promised me Ambassador but it was 054,
Please answer me, Landore.

 

[CW2]

I believe the late John Harvey may have been the author of the songsheet? A couple of bits I remember:

(To ‘A Green Hill Far Away’)
There is a green duff far away,
without an air brake pipe,
And we believe they’re saving it,
to work the up midnight.

We do not know, we cannot tell,
what duffs he had in store,
But we believe, twas for the Rev,
They turned out 054.

(To ‘Please Answer Me’)
You promised me Ambassador but it was 054,
Please answer me, Landore.

I think you may well be right regarding John Harvey being the author/collator of the song sheet.

Does anyone still have a copy?

 

[Ant1966]

Final reflections on our 1985 June trip...
stating the obvious, but almost every major location had a shunter or two present.
900 odd locos. Is that more than even exist today?
24 hour railway, all but disappeared, certainly from a station / passenger viewpoint.
Freight! Didnt record the workings, but based on loco classes I reckon that, for example, 7 hours overnight at Cardiff probably saw 30 or even 40 freights. 6 hours overnight at Donny, maybe 20-25. How many would you see now?
Classes, in my hazy memory the 40s and 25 disappeared around the same time. Clearly not, 40s had bascially gone but still plenty of 25s around.
Hadn't realised how many 31/4s there were and how wide ranging their workings were. 31s in general, more in the NW than I remembered. They never seemed to have much love compared to most other classic diesel classes.
Fares, 3x the cost now for any flexibility; shame.
Lastly, as noted above, so glad I was around to be able to see and experience all this. And how little sleep a pair of 19 year olds seem to need! Hope you have enjoyed this trip back in time; thanks to everyone who has commented and replied.

 

[QJ]

Saturday 14 June 1980
A trip to the West Country to meet relatives and avoiding HSTs in the process.
50001 LA 1V08 0910 London Waterloo - Exeter Saint Davids (London Waterloo to Salisbury)
33210 HG 1V25 1015 Portsmouth Harbour - Bristol TM (Salisbury to Bristol TM)
50011 LA 1V76 0840 Liverpool LS - Penzance (Bristol TM to Exeter Saint Davids)
50006 LA 1B02 1425 London Paddington - Plymouth (Exeter Saint Davids to Plymouth)

Tuesday 14 June 1983
When commuting could be fun
33209 HG + 33004 EH 1L07 1410 London Waterloo - Salisbury (London Waterloo to Basingstoke)
33209 believed to be ex EH works on test

Sunday 14 June 1987
When travelling round Great Britain by train got boring (no required track)
67474 SNCF 0405 Dieppe Maritime - Paris St Lazare (Dieppe Maritime to Rouen RD)
16003 SNCF 0405 Dieppe Maritime - Paris St Lazare (Rouen RD to Paris St Lazare)
140C231 AJECTA 0806 Paris St Lazare - St Valery en Caux and return (Paris St Lazare to St Valery en Caux)
required track from Serqueux to St Valery en Caux

 

[Forty29]

A few days late.....

TWYFORD 20/6/75
47001(LA) 1827(FO) Padd to Truro
47061(OC) 1830 Padd to Plymouth
47439(CD) 1M17 1957 Padd to BNS
47366 4E78 Southampton Maritime to Ripple Lane Freightliner.

31258/259 1A92 1803 Padd to Oxford

Westerns seen during the evening:
1025/28/40/48/5665/69

Class 50's:
50009/18/30/38/42/43

 

[CW2]

A few days late.....

TWYFORD 20/6/75

31258/259 1A92 1803 Padd to Oxford

I think 31258+31259 were semi-permanently coupled at that time. They were both ex-works, and (I think) simply did an Oxford - Paddington commuter in the morning, and return in the evening.

I will have a delve in the archive and see if I have a phot of them.

EDIT: There you go: 31258+31259 photographed at "The Roebuck" footbridge, just west of Tilehurst station. On or around 01 July 1975.

Judging by the headcode they are on a Birmingham - Paddington working, so maybe they were booked to do a round trip from Paddington to Birmingham and return in between the commuter turns I saw them on.

(I lived in Tilehurst and got my first summer job in Reading in 1975, so for about 4 weeks I was the proud owner of a weekly season ticket, and this particular pair of locos took me from Tilehurst to Reading most mornings in those 4 weeks. Sadly I have lost my books from that period so the moves are all lost from the records).

 

[CW2]

... and whilst I was in the archives I came across this phot of an unidentified Western at Tilehurst in early July 1976 on a westbound service.

I think it may be 1056 Western Sultan, judging from the ventilation panel below the driver's window. Can any Western expert out there confirm.

 

[Magdalia]

think 31258+31259 were semi-permanently coupled at that time. They were both ex-works, and (I think) simply did an Oxford - Paddington commuter in the morning, and return in the evening.

I will have a delve in the archive and see if I have a phot of them.

EDIT: There you go: 31258+31259 photographed at "The Roebuck" footbridge, just west of Tilehurst station. On or around 01 July 1975.

Judging by the headcode they are on a Birmingham - Paddington working, so maybe they were booked to do a round trip from Paddington to Birmingham and return in between the commuter turns I saw them on.

In summer 1975 31258 and 31259 were the Old Oak Royal Train locos. Preparation for royal duties usually involved them working 0645 Paddington-Birmingham and 1025 return (1M10/1V28) then 1803 Paddington-Oxford and a freight back to Acton.

Here is a picture of 1M10 near Birmingham:

75 01

31259/31258 at Bordesley Junction with 1M10 the 0645 Paddington to Birmingham New Street. No Wizzo today!!!! June 18th 1975

www.flickr.com

Whenever 31258 and 31259 were on those trains it usually meant that a royal working was coming up soon.

 

[CW2]

In summer 1975 31258 and 31259 were the Old Oak Royal Train locos. Preparation for royal duties usually involved them working 0645 Paddington-Birmingham and 1025 return (1M10/1V28) then 1803 Paddington-Oxford and a freight back to Acton.

Here is a picture of 1M10 near Birmingham:

75 01

31259/31258 at Bordesley Junction with 1M10 the 0645 Paddington to Birmingham New Street. No Wizzo today!!!! June 18th 1975

www.flickr.com

Whenever 31258 and 31259 were on those trains it usually meant that a royal working was coming up soon.

Cheers. Thanks for the background info.

 

[Forty29]

I think 31258+31259 were semi-permanently coupled at that time. They were both ex-works, and (I think) simply did an Oxford - Paddington commuter in the morning, and return in the evening.

I will have a delve in the archive and see if I have a phot of them.

EDIT: There you go: 31258+31259 photographed at "The Roebuck" footbridge, just west of Tilehurst station. On or around 01 July 1975.

Judging by the headcode they are on a Birmingham - Paddington working, so maybe they were booked to do a round trip from Paddington to Birmingham and return in between the commuter turns I saw them on.

(I lived in Tilehurst and got my first summer job in Reading in 1975, so for about 4 weeks I was the proud owner of a weekly season ticket, and this particular pair of locos took me from Tilehurst to Reading most mornings in those 4 weeks. Sadly I have lost my books from that period so the moves are all lost from the records).

Wow thanks for the information and especially the photo.
A good friend of mine who updated my records recently was an ex Reading driver and will be thrilled when I show him this. He's old school and not online at home or phone.We used to go to Tilehurst regularly and Reading yard used to spot from the loft of my granddad's with binoculars or down behind the industrial estate off Oxford Road. Many thanks again.