Class 33 night working from Crewe

[Crewe Exile]

Bit of an odd one this, and I'm not sure if anyone would remember (or even care for that matter!), however can anyone confirm that a crompton used to operate an ungodly hour parcels working to Stoke on Trent for a few years in the 80s?. There (not at all surprisingly) doesn't seem any photographic proof of this!. The working got raised again over a few beers amongst fellow ex enthusiasts at the weekend - can anyone shred anyone shred any light?.

 

[Ash Bridge]

Bit of an odd one this, and I'm not sure if anyone would remember (or even care for that matter!), however can anyone confirm that a crompton used to operate an ungodly hour parcels working to Stoke on Trent for a few years in the 80s?. There (not at all surprisingly) doesn't seem any photographic proof of this!. The working got raised again over a few beers amongst fellow ex enthusiasts at the weekend - can anyone shred anyone shred any light?.

I've just seen a reference to this on the derbysulzers website, didn't read in detail but possibly commenced from summer 1981 at the time of the 33s taking over from 25s on Cardiff-Crewe diagrams, they were still based at Eastleigh at the time but on three day cyclic diagrams which included a Crewe-Stoke parcels working, sorry but unable to provide a link.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

as per http://www.derbysulzers.com/class33b.html

With the arrival of the summer timetable the Crewe - Cardiff passenger services transitioned from Class 25 to Class 33 haulage between May 31st & June 4th. A strike on the Southern Region and the continued van traffic caused the gradual changeover. The Class 33's would later be diagrammed for passenger services to Manchester and over the North Wales main line to Llandudno, Bangor & occasionally Holyhead. Although these new duties led to the Class 33's running many miles over Western or London Midland metals, they remained allocated to Southern Region depots. In addition the expected take over of the Portsmouth - Bristol - Cardiff trains was not quite complete. These workings involved three-day Eastleigh-based cyclical diagrams which included workings to/from Weymouth, Stoke on Trent (parcels from Crewe), Gloucester (parcels from Cardiff). One turn involved a Hither Green locomotive which worked into the area on the 08.20 Brighton - Cardiff.

This referred to 1981 and although there are no firm details it clearly mentions the suspected working.

 

[PHILIPE]

I'm sure it was 1K00 0355 Crewe to Stoke.