British Rail Decree

[ScottyStitch]

The following entry is in a book that I have:

70010 Owen Glendower (Britannia) departs Leeds on the 10.25 to Glasgow, with 70034 Thomas Hardy (Britannia) taking over at Carlisle, in contravention of BR’s decree (3rd)


Anyone know what the (3rd) BR Decree is/was?

Both the same class of engine, so I'm not sure what it could be getting at......

 

[eastwestdivide]

Wouldn't take "contravention of decree" as too literal - sounds more like the author is referring in a roundabout way to ignoring some regulation/working practice or other.
Don't know about the (3rd), and without dates and other context, it's hard to see what it might mean - a date? a missing word after the "3rd"?

Only speculating - not enough evidence so far.

 

[ScottyStitch]

Wouldn't take "contravention of decree" as too literal - sounds more like the author is referring in a roundabout way to ignoring some regulation/working practice or other.
Don't know about the (3rd), and without dates and other context, it's hard to see what it might mean - a date? a missing word after the "3rd"?

Only speculating - not enough evidence so far.

Ah, okay, I see what you are saying. I agree, he's used decree, rather thean rule

Date is September 29th 1966

The book in question is 'The Unusual and Unexpected on British Railways - A Chronology of Unlikely Events 1948-1968' by David Peel.

'in contravention of BR's decree (3rd).' is as written. There is no more.

 

[eastwestdivide]

Who knows.
Seems like the author was making a big assumption about the reader's knowledge.
Wild guess - the 3rd of September was the end of steam on the Scottish Region (or at least that bit of it stretching to Carlisle), so the other Brit taking over at Carlisle would be highly unusual.
Needs someone who wasn't (like me) knee high to a grasshopper at the time! Or someone with a better knowledge of rail history around that date/place.

 

[oldman]

Wild guess - the 3rd of September was the end of steam on the Scottish Region (or at least that bit of it stretching to Carlisle), so the other Brit taking over at Carlisle would be highly unusual.

I travelled behind a Britannia on the line over Beattock in summer 1967 (a 47 had failed). Perhaps steam and/or Britannias were banned on the GSW by then.