Crewe-Derby 1989

[Crewe Exile]

Hi, I'm new to this site so many apologies if this has been posted before. I'm having a trip down memory lane, does anybody remember the remarkable 2 weeks in August 1989 when the Crewe-Derby route was turned over to pairs of 20s?. At the time I was well into loco haulage and could not believe it. It was obviously before the time of the net or mobile phones so loads of wonderful rumours were doing the rounds about what was going on etc etc. Good summer for class 20 haulage that as there was also the potters specials to Blackpool and Llandudno that were chopper hauled. 27 years ago now. Magic times. I appreciate the railway is a lot more professionally run now but I'm having a dwell on the past!

 

[RichmondCommu]

Hi, I'm new to this site so many apologies if this has been posted before. I'm having a trip down memory lane, does anybody remember the remarkable 2 weeks in August 1989 when the Crewe-Derby route was turned over to pairs of 20s?. At the time I was well into loco haulage and could not believe it. It was obviously before the time of the net or mobile phones so loads of wonderful rumours were doing the rounds about what was going on etc etc. Good summer for class 20 haulage that as there was also the potters specials to Blackpool and Llandudno that were chopper hauled. 27 years ago now. Magic times. I appreciate the railway is a lot more professionally run now but I'm having a dwell on the past!

A few years a later (around 1992 I think) the same thing was happening on the Matlock branch. I know this because my wife and traveled up from London to see my Mum for the weekend and instead of the usual class 150 a pair of class 20's and three mk2c coaches awaited. By this time I had long since ceased to show any real interest in railways so this came as a surprise. On the way up the branch the guard told me that originally the class 20's had run round their train at Matlock but because they had been losing so much time the loco's were now running top 'n' tail. Which is exactly what they did that Friday evening. Memories!

 

[caliwag]

Yeah, I worked for BR architects in York around then. We had a project in Stoke and I decided to travel via Derby and was surprised to find a departmental 47 and a rake of coaches substituting for the rostered 158 on the Nottingham/Crewe...a spirited run too. Seems the 158s had door problems.
Good days.