Back in the day...

[xotGD]

I suppose after the demise of the steam heat 40s because of the end of steam heat Mk1s ?.

Services were formed of pressure ventilated Mark 2 stock, so you would get non-ETH locos producing in the summer still, with the occasional 40 right through to the end.

 

[QJ]

It seems I may have been a tad remiss in not sharing my first visit to Scotland (a national trainspotters club arrangement including visits to depots and track bashing using a Scottish Region Railrover) as a young teenager. The dates of the trip were between 01/08/1975 and 12/08/1975 but I'll have to wait to next year to share the first eight days).

Saturday 09 August 1975
Visit to Haymarket Depot
27202+27104 1O07 .... Glasgow Queen Street - Edinburgh Waverley (Haymarket to Edinburgh Waverley)
1*101 (3) DMU 2J02 1010 Edinburgh Waverley - North Berwick (Edinburgh Waverley to North Berwick)
1*101 (3) DMU 2G45 1055 North Berwick - Edinburgh Waverley (North Berwick to Edinburgh Waverley)
27104+27202 1O28 .... Edinburgh Waverley - Glasgow Queen Street (Edinburgh Waverley to Glasgow Queen Street)
1*303 EMU Glasgow Queen Street Low Level to Springburn
Visit to Eastfield Depot, Glasgow Works and Polmadie Depot
1*303 EMU Rutherglen to Motherwell
Visit to Motherwell Depot
1*303 EMU Motherwell to Hamilton West
Visit to Hamilton Depot
1*303+1*311 EMU Hamilton West to Glasgow Central
1*116 DMU Glasgow Central to Haymarket via Shotts

Haulage wise not the best use of a Scottish Region Railrover day in hindsight. But I was going around with a group into loco spotting. Thankfully, I quickly grew out of that phase of my enthusiasm.

 

[Falcon1200]

Saturday 09 August 1975
Visit to Haymarket Depot

Our family holiday in 1975 was to Scotland (by car), and I visited Haymarket 3 days later, on Tuesday 12th August! My only haulage in Scotland was the short trip between Waverley and Haymarket. I was able to persuade my parents to visit Knottingley, en route to Scotland on that same Saturday 9th, and Millerhill, probably on Wednesday 13th.

 

[Magdalia]

I suppose after the demise of the steam heat 40s because of the end of steam heat Mk1s ?.

By 1985 steam heat had been almost completely eliminated, except in Scotland. Most loco hauled passenger trains were booked to only have a driver in the cab, with nobody to operate a steam heat boiler, so most passenger trains would be booked for ETH traction, with nearly all of the remainder not booked to have heating at all.

That was achieved partly by cascade following introduction of HSTs, the class 45/1s on Trans Pennine were cascaded from the Midland Main Line when HSTs were introduced there. But there was also a programme to fit more locos with ETH, including 47586-649, to speed up the elimination of steam heat.

 

[Harpo]

Services were formed of pressure ventilated Mark 2 stock, so you would get non-ETH locos producing in the summer still, with the occasional 40 right through to the end.

Despite being rakes of coffins, if you had an EH loco in dragging days you were pretty unlucky. Unless of course it was something rateable like a 50.

 

[xotGD]

Despite being rakes of coffins, if you had an EH loco in dragging days you were pretty unlucky. Unless of course it was something rateable like a 50.

Did a 50 ever produce on the Nuneaton drags?

Presumably they did some dragging further north before they all migrated to the Western Region?

 

[Harpo]

Did a 50 ever produce on the Nuneaton drags?

Presumably they did some dragging further north before they all migrated to the Western Region?

Yes. Saltley often had a spare 50. One of my best 50 days was a Sunday that went:
50xxx Paddington - Bristol
50xxx Bristol - New Street
(Diverted via Avonmouth & Stourbridge)
50xxx New St - Shrewsbury - Wolves

The last one didn’t drag but had replaced the AC at Rugby and ran via Nuneaton. Another AC re-engined at Wolves on the way back.

 

[xotGD]

Yes. Saltley often had a spare 50. One of my best 50 days was a Sunday that went:
50xxx Paddington - Bristol
50xxx Bristol - New Street
(Diverted via Avonmouth & Stourbridge)
50xxx New St - Shrewsbury - Wolves

The last one didn’t drag but had replaced the AC at Rugby and ran via Nuneaton. Another AC re-engined at Wolves on the way back.

What year was that?

Just wondering whether I was in Brum at the time.

 

[D1511]

I think I'd have been rather disappointed if a loco with any sort of train heating at all turned up on a drag back in those days.......

 

[Peter Sarf]

I think I'd have been rather disappointed if a loco with any sort of train heating at all turned up on a drag back in those days.......

Most of my bigger day trips away from Birmingham involved going the AC route North. My heart used to sink if I found out a duff was on the front as it meant a slow amble beyond Walsall to Rugely. Time to Manchester would easily be doubled and would destroy my plans for the rest of the day !. The haulage made a change but often just another duff and the time it took to get to Rugeley was agony !. I would be hanging out the window willing it onwards as we left Walsall and did not accelerate.

Must do it in a 730 for old times sake !.

 

[QJ]

Following on from post https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/back-in-the-day.183327/post-7895778 the last day of my Scottish Region Railrover began at Haymarket on Sunday 10 August 1975 with Tinsley allocated 47313 hauling 1A31 1000 Edinburgh to Aberdeen which I took to Dundee. Before jumping aboard 1A31 at Haymarket 27201 and 55020 were noted neither of which I managed to get for haulage. My tally of class 27 haulages ended at 58 and class 55 at 20. You can guess what the other Deltic was that I missed. 27020 appeared at Dundee on 1A32 (1010 Glasgow to Aberdeen) which I took to Arbroath for Gateshead's 47416 back to Edinburgh on 1E25 1220 Aberdeen to Kings Cross. I stayed on 1E25 in a moment of madness as far as Berwick behind Crewe based 47515. I presume I was hoping for a Deltic. I was certainly not into class 47s. If I had stayed in Edinburgh I may have caught up with 27201 and my tally may have been 59. But Sundays were always quiet in Scotland haulage wise as I found out when I got a bit older, left school, got a job and misspent my weekends chasing baby Sulzers and class 40s north of the border.

I retraced my journey from Berwick back as far as Edinburgh on 1S29 1155 from Kings Cross behind Gateshead allocated 47431. If I had hoped for a Deltic it was certainly not to be. A last fling on the push pull class 27 service with 27114 and 27111 top and tailing 1O62 1900 to Queen Street. A walk to Central and 50041 (one of a few class 50s still allocated to Crewe) was waiting to leave on 1M10 2230 Glasgow to London sleeper via G&SW to start my journey home to the West Country. I recall thinking a class 50 in Glasgow in 1975 was a surprise given the transfer of the class to the Western Region. Only recently did I discover that there was a diagram that still took a class 50 to Carlisle on a freight which was then booked to work to and from Glasgow overnight on the passenger turn via Kilmarnock. I was happy enough I got a class 50 out of Glasgow on a service train. Only time I did so not that I remember much about it. 82002 was waiting at Carlisle to replace the EE type 4 so the day (and the railrover) ended on a good note.

 

[QJ]

Monday 11 August 1975 and shut eye on 1M10 was interrupted by Bescot allocated 47488 backing on to the train. The train was about to be dragged via Bolton, Manchester Victoria and Reddish South to Stockport (not that I had a clue that was about to happen and not a haulage I would have chosen if I had been more clued up). There must have been a class 40 or three about surely? The class 47 was removed at Stockport for 82002 to carry on south but I bailed at Crewe for a few hours spotting. That was until 50006 dropped onto the front of 1F16 1050 London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street. It was off to Lime Street with the EE type 4 dragging 86031 via the Chester triangle and Halton curve. A session spotting 503s was finished by returning to Crewe aboard 1A77 1704 Liverpool to London headed by Immingham based 47041 dragging 86231 for another spin via Chester and a glimpse of a couple of class 24s; exotic locomotives for a West County lad. Heading home couldn't be postponed any longer so 87020 was taken on 1M24 1030 Inverness - London to Birmingham for Gateshead allocated 46038 on 1V98 1631 Newcastle to Bristol. One leg of the journey back from Scotland remained in order to get me from Bristol to Plymouth; 1B83 2345 Paddington to Penzance hauled by D1027 Western Lancer. But that's for another day. Some long sessions of train spotting I had forgotten I had endured. Thankfully I grew out of that aspect of the hobby.

 

[xotGD]

I look forward to reading about the first part of the trip in just under a year's time!

 

[Harpo]

What year was that?

Just wondering whether I was in Brum at the time.

1984.

I’ve almost been able to date it from page 122 of Janes Railway Year - Fourth Year Of Issue.

Page 122 has a photo of 50032 at Sea Mills on the 1105 Plymouth - Manchester. It’s undated but was related to Filton ‘dequadrifying’ work early that year.

I’ve a suspicion 50038 was the loco to Shrewsbury and found a photo of it at Nuneaton and heading for Rugby on the 1200 Wolves to Euston on 19/2/84 which fits.

Link to image described above

Class 50: All Images - theironroad

50038 'Formidable' stands at Nuneaton whilst working the diverted 1200 Wolverhampton-London Euston on 19/02/1984. The loco would work to Rugby where it was replaced by an electric locomotive.

www.theironroad.net

 

[D1511]

Monday 11 August 1975 and shut eye on 1M10 was interrupted by Bescot allocated 47488 backing on to the train. The train was about to be dragged via Bolton, Manchester Victoria and Reddish South to Stockport (not that I had a clue that was about to happen and not a haulage I would have chosen if I had been more clued up). There must have been a class 40 or three about surely? The class 47 was removed at Stockport for 82002 to carry on south but I bailed at Crewe for a few hours spotting. That was until 50006 dropped onto the front of 1F16 1050 London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street. It was off to Lime Street with the EE type 4 dragging 86031 via the Chester triangle and Halton curve. A session spotting 503s was finished by returning to Crewe aboard 1A77 1704 Liverpool to London headed by Immingham based 47041 dragging 86231 for another spin via Chester and a glimpse of a couple of class 24s; exotic locomotives for a West County lad. Heading home couldn't be postponed any longer so 87020 was taken on 1M24 1030 Inverness - London to Birmingham for Gateshead allocated 46038 on 1V98 1631 Newcastle to Bristol. One leg of the journey back from Scotland remained in order to get me from Bristol to Plymouth; 1B83 2345 Paddington to Penzance hauled by D1027 Western Lancer. But that's for another day. Some long sessions of train spotting I had forgotten I had endured. Thankfully I grew out of that aspect of the hobby.

Thank you, I have enjoyed these. It's always good to see things from the perspective of an enthusiast from the opposite end of the country to me!

 

[xotGD]

1984

The year before I first went to Birmingham. Although in my first year at Uni I didn't do much bashing, as other stuff got in the way.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I think I'd have been rather disappointed if a loco with any sort of train heating at all turned up on a drag back in those days.......

I remember a lot of Class 58 bashers making special trips to get those drags.

 

[D1511]

I remember a lot of Class 58 bashers making special trips to get those drags.

It was 56s in my day, although pairs of 25s made occasional welcome appearances.

 

[Harpo]

It was 56s in my day

And memorably a 56 dragging a roarer out on an adex formed of vacuum-only mark 1s.

 

[AndrewE]

Most of my bigger day trips away from Birmingham involved going the AC route North. My heart used to sink if I found out a duff was on the front as it meant a slow amble beyond Walsall to Rugeley. Time to Manchester would easily be doubled and would destroy my plans for the rest of the day !. The haulage made a change but often just another duff and the time it took to get to Rugeley was agony !. I would be hanging out the window willing it onwards as we left Walsall and did not accelerate.

Must do it in a 730 for old times sake !.

my memory from back then was bashing the Walsall to Rugeley line after deliberately going for the planned diversion, probably in the dark early one Sunday morning, and being quite shocked at the amount of foliage and branches scraping along the side of the train. No way would I have stuck my head out...

 

[D1511]

And memorably a 56 dragging a roarer out on an adex formed of vacuum-only mark 1s.

How did the braking for that work??

 

[Harpo]

How did the braking for that work??

With the DB roarer acting as the translator between the AB pilot engine that controls the train brake and the VB stock - plus praying that the batteries hold out to Nuneaton. (They did!)

 

[Forty29]

Apologies a few late entries all observed at Twyford:

9/8/74 : 25077(BR) unidentified freight heading towards London at 13 15.
46021 at exactly the same time heading the 0955 Paignton to Paddington. Returned on the
1B83 Paddington to Penzance. The working resulted because of the failure of a '52' at Newton Abbot.
11/8/75 45019(HO) 1M12 1105 Padd- BNS.

12/8/75 31105(IM) 31138(TE) 31284(IM) all noted but working's not known.

 

[Harvester]

Saturday 12th August 1978. Some lineside observations at Beeston station over a period of about an hour. The football specials were for the Charity Shield at Wembley, where Nottingham Forest were playing Ipswich.

47323 09:20 Football Special Nottingham - St Pancras
25320+25310 Empty stock into Nottingham
45113 09:35 Nottingham - St Pancras
20158+20141 09:51 Beeston - Skegness (ex Derby)
45068 09:45 Nottingham - Paignton
45101 10:00. Nottingham - St Pancras
47492 Football Special to St Pancras
45122 St Pancras - Nottingham
25211 Parcels
20192+20142 Coal train
25268 Parcels
25310+25320 10 30 Football Special to St Pancras

Those were the days……and Forest won 5-0

 

[Forty29]

Wow what a selection!

I left out another interesting working at Twyford.

8/8/75
31127(IM) 8E40 0905 STJ to Temple Mills.
This summer as you can see from post #7463 countrywide variant of class 31's the Western Region main line.

 

[xotGD]

47323 09:20 Football Special Nottingham - St Pancras

47492 Football Special to St Pancras

25310+25320 10 30 Football Special to St Pancras

Some Forest fans were luckier than others!

 

[47403]

The year before I first went to Birmingham. Although in my first year at Uni I didn't do much bashing, as other stuff got in the way.

Im guessing by other stuff, you meant the trappings of every young male, being away from home, Women, Beer and Gigs, however order you choose to put them in is entirely at your discretion.
Sorry if i've hijacked the thread, In the words of Vic n Bob, I couldnt let it lie.

 

[Zerothebrake!]

..but you could have let it lie.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Apologies a few late entries all observed at Twyford:

9/8/74 : 25077(BR) unidentified freight heading towards London at 13 15.
46021 at exactly the same time heading the 0955 Paignton to Paddington. Returned on the
1B83 Paddington to Penzance. The working resulted because of the failure of a '52' at Newton Abbot.
11/8/75 45019(HO) 1M12 1105 Padd- BNS.

12/8/75 31105(IM) 31138(TE) 31284(IM) all noted but working's not known.

I think the 31s took over from Hymeks ?. I remember circa 1975 seeing the last of the class lined up at Old Oak Common. Cleared the class as they appeared in my Ian Allen book in one go (ignoring the 85% or so already long withdrawn)

 

[47403]

..but you could have let it lie.