Paddington - Crewe 1989

[03_179]

Evening all,

So looking through my Haulage notes again and discovered an unrecorded mileage.

47556 did this on May 7th 1989.

I cannot locate the route this would have taken from Oxford.

This is the routing on Rail Mileage engine (yes I know it is in reverse) .

Crewe, Crewe South Jn, Crewe Basford Hall Jn, Betley Road Sb, Madeley (Staffs), Whitmore, Norton Bridge, Little Bridgeford Jn, Stafford Doxey Junction, Stafford North Jn, Stafford, Stafford South Jn, Stafford Trent Valley Jn, Rickerscote, Penkridge, Four Ashes Loop, Bushbury Jn, Wolverhampton North Jn, Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton Crane Street, Monmore Green, Coseley, Tipton, Watery Lane, Dudley Port, Albion G.F., Sandwell & Dudley, Smethwick Galton Bridge, Galton Jn, Smethwick Jn, Smethwick Galton Bridge, The Hawthorns, Handsworth Cement Sdgs, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street, Bordesley, Small Heath, Small Heath South Jn, Tyseley Up & Dwn Thro Sdgs, Tyseley L.M.D., Tyseley South Junction, Acocks Green, Olton, Solihull, Widney Manor, Bentley Heath Crossing, Dorridge, Lapworth, Hatton North Jn, Hatton, Warwick Parkway, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Fenny Compton, Fenny Compton South Jn, Reservoir Junction, Banbury North Junction, Banbury, Banbury Depot Jn, Kings Sutton, Aynho Jn, Heyford, Tackley, Wolvercote Jn, Oxford North Jn., Oxford

I don't remember doing this route, What other route could it have taken?

Thanks in advance

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Possibility it might have been routed via Coventry, Stechford, Aston, Bescot and NOT Wolverhampton.

 

[jfollows]

I don't remember doing this route, What other route could it have taken?

Thanks in advance

Through Birmingham New Street for sure. The route you describe through Snow Hill was not open in 1989 (and is not open today for the routing you describe either). Probably also via Coventry rather than Solihull.

 

[03_179]

So Oxford - Banbury - Leamington Spa - Kenilworth (not open but that line) - Coventry - Birmingham International - Via Bescot - Crewe ?

 

[jfollows]

So Oxford - Banbury - Leamington Spa - Kenilworth (not open but that line) - Coventry - Birmingham International - Via Bescot - Crewe ?

Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton, not Bescot. It was a regular scheduled service, so it went via Birmingham rather than avoiding it. If you have more information such as its departure time from London I may be able to fill in some timing gaps and calls, from some of the timetables I have.

 

[03_179]

Thanks

 

[Harvester]

Through Birmingham New Street for sure. The route you describe through Snow Hill was not open in 1989 (and is not open today for the routing you describe either). Probably also via Coventry rather than Solihull.

In 1989 the Paddington to New Street trains (usually 50 hauled) went via Oxford-Leamington-Coventry-B’ham International.

 

[03_179]

In 1989 the Paddington to New Street trains (usually 50 hauled) went via Oxford-Leamington-Coventry-B’ham International.

Then New Street - Wolverhampton - Crewe.

 

[jfollows]

Then New Street - Wolverhampton - Crewe.

Yes

 

[03_179]

Forgot to ask if anyone had the headcode for it Leaving PAD about 08:00

 

[Siemens Staines]

On Sunday 07/05/89 I travelled behind 47450 from Reading to Birmingham New St which was routed via Solihull between Leamington Spa and New St. Then from New St to Crewe I travelled behind 47423 which was routed via Soho, Walsall, Cannock, Rugeley and Stafford. It is possible that your trip behind 47556 on the same day took the same routing as 47450 & 47423? It may depend upon the time of day of your train, because engineering work diversions often only applied until 1600, but that was far from universally being the case.

 

[Gloster]

Digging deep into the recesses of my brain, I have a recollection that a train started from Paddington early in the morning and then from Reading took up the Cross-country South Coast to North-East or North-West paths. 06.50 may have been the starting time a few years earlier, but with a destination of Hull (or Leeds and Hull), but that is definitely a very uncertain memory.

 

[03_179]

Yes

Thanks

On Sunday 07/05/89 I travelled behind 47450 from Reading to Birmingham New St which was routed via Solihull between Leamington Spa and New St. Then from New St to Crewe I travelled behind 47423 which was routed via Soho, Walsall, Cannock, Rugeley and Stafford. It is possible that your trip behind 47556 on the same day took the same routing as 47450 & 47423? It may depend upon the time of day of your train, because engineering work diversions often only applied until 1600, but that was far from universally being the case.

Excellent thanks.

I'd have been out of Paddington in the morning (probably about 8am / 9am)

 

[jfollows]

Forgot to ask if anyone had the headcode for it Leaving PAD about 08:00

Possibly 1M00 D280 08:10 Paddington-Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe (dep. 13:12). Being a Sunday this train could have been diverted via Bescot. I note this from the timetable that started 15/5/89 (a week after your trip) so not definitive.

 

[Siemens Staines]

Thanks

Excellent thanks.

I'd have been out of Paddington in the morning (probably about 8am / 9am)

That is interesting, because my trip behind 47450 was on 1M48 0840 Paddington - Wolverhampton. The only other regular cross-country departure from Paddington that day should have been 1M21 1102 Paddington - Manchester Piccadilly. But, the class 47 blogspot has 47556 working

Class 47 Archives

class47archives.blogspot.com

Sun 07/05/89 : 47556 : 1A52 1355 Paignton-Paddington.

which conflicts with 1M21. The blogspot could be wrong, but are you sure that you have the correct date for 47556?

 

[03_179]

Going to recheck

 

[Bevan Price]

Evening all,

So looking through my Haulage notes again and discovered an unrecorded mileage.

47556 did this on May 7th 1989.

I cannot locate the route this would have taken from Oxford.

This is the routing on Rail Mileage engine (yes I know it is in reverse) .


I don't remember doing this route, What other route could it have taken?

Thanks in advance

That suggested route would have required two reversals at Smethwick (Galton Bridge Low Level - Galton Jn (reverse) - Smethwick Jn (reverse) - Galton Bridge High Level), so even if it had been available, I am not sure if the track layout / signalling would have permitted such a move.

 

[03_179]

That is interesting, because my trip behind 47450 was on 1M48 0840 Paddington - Wolverhampton. The only other regular cross-country departure from Paddington that day should have been 1M21 1102 Paddington - Manchester Piccadilly. But, the class 47 blogspot has 47556 working

Class 47 Archives

class47archives.blogspot.com

Sun 07/05/89 : 47556 : 1A52 1355 Paignton-Paddington.

which conflicts with 1M21. The blogspot could be wrong, but are you sure that you have the correct date for 47556?

Morning,

I've managed to locate the old note book and despite it's worn and stained pages I can see it defo was about the 08:00 time. Therefore I think I've written down 47556 incorrectly which puts the time of 08:40 and 47450 very much correct as it is on the page as well.

Thanks for clearing that up.
Looks like we must have been on the same train. This page has gotten rather messy and a bit water (well beer) stained from the days of old.

EDIT:
I've looked at a New St. page. - No haul out of there but there is a page with Wolves on the top which now leads me to believe I changed at WVH.
Jeez my hand writing and my notes were a mess ... Probably out with the ex that day.

What on earth worked between WVH and Crewe then ?

 

[Siemens Staines]

Wolverhampton to Stafford was closed due to engineering work that day, or at least until the afternoon, which is why 1S71 1305 Birmingham New St - Glasgow Central was diverted via Cannock. If you went directly from Wolverhampton via Stafford, then it would have been a bus from Wolverhampton to Stafford, unless you went to the pub and waited until the line re-opened? Alternatively, could you have gone via Shrewsbury to Crewe? Normally there would have been 1J32 0940 Euston - Shrewsbury, but that is assuming the line North of Wolverhampton to Oxley was open and it may not have been if there was engineering work. I notice from the class 47 blogspot that on the previous Sunday (30/04/89) that the 47 worked 1J32 from Bushbury Jct presumably via the Oxley chord. I assume that on that day the electric loco had worked 1J32 via Bescot to Bushberry Jct, which suggests that there was no access to the North of Wolverhampton station, so possibly it could have been the same on the day in question and Wolverhampton to Telford would also have been a bus?

I have never travelled over the Oxley chord, so if I could have done so that day, I would have done. That also requires knowing about the diversion in advance, which I probably didn't and I may only be learning about it 33 years after the event!

 

[Gloster]

If it was a Sunday would the pub have been open beyond 14.00? I can’t remember when licensing rules were eased.

 

[Statto]

If it was a Sunday would the pub have been open beyond 14.00? I can’t remember when licensing rules were eased.

Pubs would still have been the old 12pm to 2pm, on a Sunday, pub licencing regulations which allowed all day opening didn't come in until think 1994 or 95

 

[Harvester]

Pubs would still have been the old 12pm to 2pm, on a Sunday, pub licencing regulations which allowed all day opening didn't come in until think 1994 or 95

All day opening (11:00-23:00 hrs) came in 1988 (Monday to Saturday). Sunday opening hours were 12:00-1500 hrs and 19:00-10:30 hrs in 1988 (until 1995).

 

[nw1]

All day opening (11:00-23:00 hrs) came in 1988 (Monday to Saturday). Sunday opening hours were 12:00-1500 hrs and 19:00-10:30 hrs in 1988 (until 1995).

Ah yes, the 2230 pub closing on Sunday. Is that still the law or did they change it? (been a while since I've been in a pub late on a Sunday, though I have a vague recollection of being in one until 2300 some years back).


== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 24 Aug 2022 ==

Digging deep into the recesses of my brain, I have a recollection that a train started from Paddington early in the morning and then from Reading took up the Cross-country South Coast to North-East or North-West paths. 06.50 may have been the starting time a few years earlier, but with a destination of Hull (or Leeds and Hull), but that is definitely a very uncertain memory.

This would have been the Paddington-Glasgow/Edinburgh from 1983/4 (and before that, I think) or the Paddington-Hull from 1984/5, departing Reading 0730 (so 0650 would fit).

There was also the 0630 from Reading to either Manchester or Liverpool (depending on the year) from the same era, possibly 0550 from Paddington.

I'm not sure how long they lasted though; I have a bit of an XC blank spot from around 1987 to 1995. I think they were still there for the 1986/7 timetable. By 1997 there were two early services from Poole, the first of which (the Scotland via Manchester) left Poole shortly before 0600, IIRC, and so would have presumably called at Reading a little after 0730.