September 86 ramblings

[CW2]

Some more of my ramblings from days gone by.

Friday 05/09/86

After taking my new-born son to visit one set of Grandparents in Plymouth, I had to drop wife and son off at Abergavenny to visit the other set, while I carried on north, to work late shift on Saturday in Glasgow Control. So:

43014 + 43166 08:33 Plymouth – Bristol Parkway (- York)

43002 + 43033 11:16 Bristol Parkway – Newport (09:50 Paddington – Swansea)

33015 12:15 Newport – Crewe (12:00 Cardiff Central – Llandudno)

86249 15:04 Crewe – Liverpool (10:45 Dover Western Docks – Liverpool)

31417 15:45 Liverpool – Doncaster (- Hull) via Warrington Central, Stockport, Hazel Grove, Sheffield, Rotherham Masborough

43048 + 43086 18:39 Doncaster – Berwick upon Tweed

This somewhat desperate move was to stay overnight at Berwick to cover the 07:44 Berwick to Haymarket, which had been producing class 26s. With a friend on the relevant traction desk in Glasgow Control, we had high hopes for a biggie…

Saturday 06/09/86

26001 07:44 Berwick Upon Tweed – Haymarket. They really don’t come any bigger.

47705 09:15 Haymarket – Edinburgh Waverley (0 8:30 ex Glasgow QS)

26010 09:35 Edinburgh – Kirkcaldy

26046 10:31 Kirkcaldy – Haymarket

The Haymarket DMU fleet was undergoing one of its periodic spasms of nervous breakdown, so the Edinburgh – Kirkcaldy stopping service was being run with random class 26s on rakes of four coaches. I’d have loved to hang around for more, but work beckoned.

26038 11:26 Haymarket – Falkirk Grahamston (11:23 Edinburgh – Perth)

DMU Falkirk Grahamston – Polmont.

47712 12:20 Polmont – Glasgow QS (12:00 Edinburgh – Glasgow QS)

There was a little after-work bonus. I saw that 37068 had worked to Stranraer, and was coming back in on the 21:30 Stranraer – Glasgow Central, so I headed for Kilwinning to intercept it before going home for some well-earned rest:

47530 21:57 Glasgow Central – Kilwinning (- Stranraer)

37068 23:32 Kilwinning – Paisley Gilmour St (21:30 Stranraer – Glasgow Central)

Sunday 07/09/86

The 15:05 Glasgow Central – Carlisle via Dumfries was retimed to depart 14:45 and run via Shields Jn., reversing there. For good measure it was allocated 37088. However when I arrived at Glasgow Central the 37 was dead with flat batteries, and had been uncoupled from the rear of the train.

It was pot luck what we would get from Shields Jn.

47357 14:45 Glasgow Central – Shields Jn (- Carlisle)

27056 1455 Shields Jn – Carlisle (14:45 ex Glasgow Central) via Muirhouse Jn.

86223 17:23 Carlisle – Glasgow Central via Holytown, Motherwell, and Hamilton Circle. A nice little diversion, rather spoiled by the window next to me being shattered by a stone thrown outside Motherwell.

Monday 08/09/86

The same loco controller who had fixed 26001 to work on Saturday morning was on duty again today. 37001 was on hand Inverness off a freight, so he decided to allocate it to the 14:30 Inverness – Edinburgh. That train often got a pilot loco as far as Perth. He cast his eyes around and found 27001, hence the 14:30 ex Inverness was 27001 piloting 37001! I was at work, so I couldn’t get very far north, but I could get far enough to get the required 37.

47586 16:25 Glasgow Queen Street – Dunblane (07:35 Taunton – Inverness). For this timetable there was a through train from Taunton to Inverness which ran via Glasgow Queen Street. Bizarre!

37001 17:37 Dunblane – Edinburgh Waverley (14:30 ex Inverness).

As expected, the 27 pilot came off at Perth. The 26s were still performing in Fife:

26010 18:45 Edinburgh Waverley – Dalmeny (18:45 Edinburgh – Cowdenbeath)

26001 19:18 Dalmeny – Haymarket (18:40 Cardenden – Edinburgh Waverley)

47710 19:33 Haymarket – Glasgow QS (19:30 Edinburgh Waverley – Glasgow QS).

So on the same day in Scotland, 26001 27001 and 37001 all worked on passenger. Amazing!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Fantastic day!

 

[Cowley]

Wow. Loved reading that.

Edit - @NorthWestRover, @xotGD and you often manage to put a little bit of extra detail into explaining why certain locos ended up on certain services, which for me - who only started bashing from 1987/88 is really interesting, as the variety was just that bit better a few years before.
Tantalisingly close, but very interesting to hear about.

 

[DarloRich]

very interesting - not quite the same at Gilmour Street now!

 

[xotGD]

You've described some days that coincided with my 1986 Freedom of Scotland, and once again we coincided on the same train a few times.

While you were doing an HST on the 5th we had 37014 Inverness to Glasgow and 37050 back north.

On the 6th we had the gen about 26001 being on the Berwick - Haymarket and so after arriving into Waverley on the overnight from Inverness took a DMU to Dunbar to intercept the 26. However, as I've previously mentioned on the other thread, 37041 rolled in on the front of a failed Duff on the 1S77 sleeper, and we were able to do it in the BG. After a quick hop to Haymarket with 26046 we were back at Waverley for 26001. Phot of it at Haymarket on the other thread.

While you took a Shove back in to Waverley we had 26011, then joined you behind 26010. We bailed at North Queensferry, and after picking up 27025 and 27049 we were already aboard 26038 when you joined at Haymarket. While you were at work we had 37050 Perth to Queen Street followed by 37087 Central to Barrhead for 47322 back, and then 37050 again up to Perth. Your gen on 37068 had not reached us, so we missed out there. I never had 068.

On the 8th, your gen regarding 37001 was a bit out. We had it Waverley to Cowdenbeath first thing that morning, and after it returned to Edinburgh it then went up to Inverness. My mates took it while I played about with the 26s on the locals (10/28/31/46). 37198 also worked out of Edinburgh that morning. Later in the day, when you were bailing from 26001 at Haymarket we were waiting to board - doubling our milage!

What a great time it was.

 

[CW2]

Wow, so 37001 did Edinburgh - Cowdenbeath - Edinburgh - Inverness - Edinburgh. Impressive.
37050 is one that evaded me on several occasions. I think it was an East Anglian boilered loco for a long time, so it should have been dead easy, but somehow I managed to miss it. I never had it as 37717 when converted either, and it has since been cut up.
Happy days - with plenty of variety to go for.

 

[Mag_seven]

Great memories there @CW2 thanks for sharing. Somehow today a similar report would read something like 390 this for 158 that or whatever. Doesn't quite have the same ring about it does it.

 

[MDB1images]

Cracking read.

 

[Crewe Exile]

Time machine!!!. Loved doing the Cromptons out of Crewe, especially the brief operations they had along the coast. Then there was the works trials where some overhauled 37 would top the coastal working to Bangor. Great days.