Right place. Right time!

[Cowley]

I was thinking recently about times that I'd been in the right place at the right time and the Gods of haulage had looked down and bestowed upon me a moment that I was pretty damned lucky to have experienced .
This was basically inspired by, for example 55013s story about being in the right place to get a steaming 25080 one evening, also some of the stories Keith, LSG and others have told.

I thought of a few of mine and here they are in no particular order, sorry if this has been done before but it's always nice to have a bit of nostalgia.

So in no particular order:

45113, 16/08/88 the last Peak on a passenger service in Devon (pretty sure it was anyway). Word had got round that it was on it's way and platform 4 at St Davids was packed by the time it arrived. I bagged a droplight in the second mk3 coach back and enjoyed my final Peak mainline journey looking at the cliffs (all the sea side windows were taken). Photo at the bottom (not mine obviously).

50149 + 50042, 28/05/88. I only did these along the sea wall as there were NB 47s out that day. Basically 50042 on a Paignton working suffered a broken windscreen and luckily I was in the right place to get them. The only 50/1 and my favourite 50. Again absolutely rammed with bashers. There's a photo down the bottom taken by Colin Marsden.

33 and 50 double header up the bank to Exeter Central. I know it's only three quarters of a mile and I can't even remember which ones they were apart from that the 50 was in original NSE. I think it was 1987.
What sticks in the mind though was the two drivers chuckling away to each other, discussing each others respective steeds (one of them was known locally as being quite a lively driver), before the green signal came on and they sauntered over to their respective cabs. The magic 'RA' came on and what followed was the fastest and most noisiest ascent of the 1in37 that I've ever experienced. We ripped into the platform at Central at some speed, screeched to a halt and then our friend in the 33 did the flailing hand signal to the other driver . That was so cool.

There's others, but I know all of mine and I'd love to hear everyone else's. Do it how you want. Top 3, top 5, doesn't matter
This is more about lasts or firsts or maybe unusual things that you've experienced.
(Photos are only in black and white because I couldn't find any colour ones)

 

[cockneyviking]

I was thinking recently about times that I'd been in the right place at the right time and the Gods of haulage had looked down and bestowed upon me a moment that I was pretty damned lucky to have experienced .
This was basically inspired by, for example 55013s story about being in the right place to get a steaming 25080 one evening, also some of the stories Keith, LSG and others have told.

I thought of a few of mine and here they are in no particular order, sorry if this has been done before but it's always nice to have a bit of nostalgia.

So in no particular order:

45113, 16/08/88 the last Peak on a passenger service in Devon (pretty sure it was anyway). Word had got round that it was on it's way and platform 4 at St Davids was packed by the time it arrived. I bagged a droplight in the second mk3 coach back and enjoyed my final Peak mainline journey looking at the cliffs (all the sea side windows were taken). Photo at the bottom (not mine obviously).

50149 + 50042, 28/05/88. I only did these along the sea wall as there were NB 47s out that day. Basically 50042 on a Paignton working suffered a broken windscreen and luckily I was in the right place to get them. The only 50/1 and my favourite 50. Again absolutely rammed with bashers. There's a photo down the bottom taken by Colin Marsden.

33 and 50 double header up the bank to Exeter Central. I know it's only three quarters of a mile and I can't even remember which ones they were apart from that the 50 was in original NSE. I think it was 1987.
What sticks in the mind though was the two drivers chuckling away to each other, discussing each others respective steeds (one of them was known locally as being quite a lively driver), before the green signal came on and they sauntered over to their respective cabs. The magic 'RA' came on and what followed was the fastest and most noisiest ascent of the 1in37 that I've ever experienced. We ripped into the platform at Central at some speed, screeched to a halt and then our friend in the 33 did the flailing hand signal to the other driver . That was so cool.

There's others, but I know all of mine and I'd love to hear everyone else's. Do it how you want. Top 3, top 5, doesn't matter
This is more about lasts or firsts or maybe unusual things that you've experienced.
(Photos are only in black and white because I couldn't find any colour ones)

Not sure which year but either 1985 or 1986 did 47239 Reading to Worcester Shrub Hill, then went to the pub near the station. After got a dmu to Birmingham which suddenly fell to pieces at Stourbridge Junction. 25078 was summoned to assist, amazing that a chap who worked in control was on their train and was seen in discussion with the driver lol

 

[AJM580]

In the days before the internet when gen was hard to come by, I still managed to stumble on the odd outrageous move. 4/8/90 - into Yarmouth on 31186 next one out was 37797!! Then a fortnight or so later I was in the car with the family and a sound of whistling EE engines could be heard on the Matlock line Turned the car round and on getting to Matlock had 20058/20087 to Derby and back. Also in 1988 stumbled onto 58028 BNS Nuneaton and a pair of choppers out of Shrewsbury

 

[Cowley]

The above two posts were exactly the kind of thing I was hoping for. Excellent .

 

[Iskra]

The best I've had was earlier this year, when I just happened to be booked on the Caledonian sleeper from Inverness, I was expecting the usual 67 as the 73's weren't producing often at this point.

Instead I was treated to double headed 67 and 73 (leading), then additionally a FL class 90 diverted down the ECML to Kings Cross due to the Lamington Viaduct closure, all in one move

 

[Railsigns]

Deleted

 

[55013]

Oooh, I'm going to have to do a bit of thinking about this.
A few that spring to mind immediately:

One that I mentioned recently, when a mate and I did a move to Crewe in 1989 and got ten 20s in two days on Derby turns vice 150s.

Being at Stockport in July 1988 when a failed DMU was dragged from the bay on a Buxton service.
The locos were returning to Buxton after working the Summer Saturday Aberystwyth turn.
37380 and 37680 were duly captured.

I saw in a magazine (I think it may have been "Traction") a 50 basher saying that he had what he thought was the last ever 50 on the up Night Riveria, however a mate and I had one on a later date than the one he quoted (that I can't now remember!).
It was the night of the 13th/14th of April 1989 and we were expecting the usual 47 from Plymouth but it was 50040.
What a beast. We did it for over two hundred miles to Reading but were unaware, until I saw that article, just how rare they were by that time.

I'm sure there's more, I'll give it due consideration

 

[Segedunum]

A German one, but in May I managed to stumble into one of the last BR420 operated EMU workings in Cologne. Very much like a Class 303 in terms of layout, and even on that short hop from the Hauptbahnhof to Messe/Deutz, I felt rather accomplished.

 

[Cowley]

A German one, but in May I managed to stumble into one of the last BR420 operated EMU workings in Cologne. Very much like a Class 303 in terms of layout, and even on that short hop from the Hauptbahnhof to Messe/Deutz, I felt rather accomplished.

You just reminded me of a foreign moment.
I was in Portugal for the summer of 1999 doing a bit of touring in a motorhome and while parked up in a river valley one night I heard the unmistakable sound of an English Electric loco travelling along the other side of the valley. The next morning in daylight I heard the noise again and saw a little 1400 class (also known as a Portuguese 20) trundling along.
A couple of weeks later I took a trip out from Lisbon on the train behind a mightily impressive sounding 1930 class (can't remember where I went now without looking it up), on the way though we passed a looped freight waiting for us and it had an 1800 class (Portuguese 50) at the front. The only time I ever saw one...

After reading about 55013 last 50 on the sleepers I remembered something from when I was heading up to the Mid Hants for a week and it was this:

6/12/91, 50029 on the 1422 Exeter to Waterloo, the plan was to take this train to Salisbury for what I expected to be a unit to Romsey (a 155?), where I would get picked up by a friend. I had expected a 47/7 at this time and from what I remember 50s were getting less and less work by then. What was extra unusual though was that it came off at Salisbury and then formed the 1655 relief to Southampton, I remember it happening, I wrote down the details and still have them, but unfortunately I didn't write down what took the 1422 on to Waterloo or why this happened!
Anyway I'm glad it happened because it was the very last time I had a 50 on a service train and it wasn't even meant to be there

Last one, but I had to mention this too.

15/06/91. Spent the day bashing 47s on summer Saturday trains, starting in the middle of the night with 47802 on the up midnight to Bristol, I think it was only meant to stop for a crew change but a friend who worked on the railway sorted it for us to get off unofficially. We then got the overnight Manchester holiday train back down (1V27) and spent the day bashing, picking up 47525, 47535, 47845, 47842 and 47827. In the middle of the day though someone ran out of passenger locos and sent 47060 down on the 0605 Derby to Paignton which was most unusual in 1991. We took it to Paignton whereupon it failed in Goodrington sidings! The nearest thing to hand was 47270 at Newton Abbot (which the other day I thought I hadn't had for some reason ), we had this back to Exeter on the 1200 Paignton to Manchester where we got off. We later heard that it had been replaced at Bristol due to low fuel by another 47/0 (47004 or 47016 can't remember which), three 47/0s on one return service in 1991!

 

[55013]

I've come up with another one.
45135 and myself were on an all-line rover, it was the 10th of June 1998 and we were in Cardiff.
Imagine our surprise when we saw preserved 50031 run light engine through the station.
A fellow crank informed us that it had been hired in to work the Rhymney commuter turns and had just come down from the SVR.
It went through the station, into Canton, coupled up to the stock and was in the platform a short while later to make its debut.
I believe (though am happy to be corrected) that this was the first 50 hauled service train since 50050 had dragged a failed HST in 1994.

 

[Cowley]

I've come up with another one.
45135 and myself were on an all-line rover, it was the 10th of June 1998 and we were in Cardiff.
Imagine our surprise when we saw preserved 50031 run light engine through the station.
A fellow crank informed us that it had been hired in to work the Rhymney commuter turns and had just come down from the SVR.
It went through the station, into Canton, coupled up to the stock and was in the platform a short while later to make its debut.
I believe (though am happy to be corrected) that this was the first 50 hauled service train since 50050 had dragged a failed HST in 1994.

Superb (or 50002 in 50 rhyming slang ), that's a time in my life when I didn't really do much railway stuff.
That Rhymney service threw all kinds of locos up back then.
That

 

[37078xotTE]

I think mine has to be the 21st of August 1982 with 73108 and 73134 at Birmingham New Street!!

Talk about right place, right time.

Having just graduated from "spotter" to naïve basher I was stood on the platform taking a breather from my New Street to International short hop bashes when the two 73's arrived on a service from Pompey. Much time was then spent running around trying to work out what service (if any!!) they would work back.

All other moves that day were abandoned, these were to big to forego, until they were finally put into the book, albeit only to International, (how now I wish I had stayed on further!!) on their return south back on another Pompey train.

Like others have said in the days before mobiles and the internet for Gen, you just never knew what was going to show up.

 

[87015]

Advanced piece Manchester-Milton Keynes. Happy enough with 87029 but called it a day outside Stoke. The rather massive 56016 kicked off Cockshute to the rescue. Biggest loco I've ever had to Stafford where some can was found to go forward.

 

[Cowley]

Both excellent moments but I actually said "blimey" out loud when I read about the 73s.

 

[Trainfan344]

Was with the family driving across towards Hawes, past Garsdale Head, and all of a sudden a steam locomotive appears hauling a charter!