[47403]

....... those highly anticipated, Summer saturdays, when no ETH loco's hauled passenger trains from such places as Yarmouth, Easbourne, Paignton, Skegness etc, resulting in Class 20's, 31's, 37's, 40's and 47's as well the usual ETH 45's and 47's, that knocked around Newcastle at the time,
Also the time before the net and mobile phones and a trip to Gateshead shed or Tyne Yard at 6 in the morning to try and get a TOPS report, so you could workout your moves with the timetable, armed with your rail riders vouchers and money burning a hole in your pocket for a weekend nortumbrian ranger or in the 6wks holidays a weeks ranger, with your pocket money/paper round wages, so you could get to sheffield, up to dumfries from Carlisle for the 26/27's up the Sou Western or down the S&C, on whatever, or over the shap down to Penrith leccy bashing.
Nowadays to get any loco or of any interest, you have to do a rail tour or a preserved line, one thing for sure, you avoided HST's(or trams as we used to call them) like the plague unless it was entirely neccessary to make a move.
I took them days for granted, how I hanker for them days back, most weekends I'd go missing from the house with me mates from 6am and not get in till 10pm, totally shattered, big smile on me face, stinking of diesel fuel, ah happy days

[4SRKT]

I miss them too. A filthy NB 37 off Thornaby on the Scarborough > Newcastle was my personal regular favourite.

[47403]

my favourite move was always the paignton to newcastle, I loved the 37's full stop and for haulage but this move was always booked for a pair of 31's and a good guage that it was a pair of 31's, if you didnt have the gen was only take a few glances at the arrivals board, to see it get later and later, you knew you were onto a winner, my only gripe going for it though was having to take the 16,20 ncle to liverpool lime st train to darlo or further to York depending on how late they were running, unfortunately the 16.20 was booked SOLID for a peak, like most duff crazy folk like me, i hated them and had more arguements with my good mate about it, he always turned to me and said, well fine, get on a f'in tram(HST)then, i usually relented but on the very odd occasion waiting for his beloved peak, a 47 rolled round the corner from Heaton, he'd scream I can't believe this, me grinning like a cheshire cat, I'd say well, you can always get a tram

[4SRKT]

My best local (York) based day ever was sometime in 1986 starting on the Scarborough > Newcastle 37 from York to Darlo. Then back behind 47/3 on the Glasgow > Scarborough. Next out to Scarborough on one of the York shorts, with a 31/1 it being summer. Back behind a 45/0 on the Liverpool. Next a pair of 20s whistled off the shed and backed onto a rake of mk Is substituting for a DMU on a Sheffield via Pontefract local. I only took this to Church Fenton before getting a unit back (a plus one: most cranks had bailed at Ulleskelf, so at least being a Man of Steel meant I got a seat ). Back at York 50047 had turned up to work a relief to Bristol, and I caught this to Sheffield in a declassified first class compo in the CK directly behind the Hoover. A deadly dull 45/1 back to York completed the day.

[flymo]

I was going to quote a post but what the heck I'll just quote

the whole thread until now....

That first post almost brought a tear to my eye. I started bashing around the late 70's early 80's and never really took a huge amount of numbers unfortunately but I loved the whole smell, sound and experience of the railways back then, a living breathing entity.
Being from Newcastle there was a plentiful supply of summer Saturday specials where everything and anything could turn up but I think the things I miss most are the Friday night overnight services down to the south west. Usually I'd take the east coast route but occasionally head over to Carlisle for an electric as far as Birmingham then head out onto the platform at deary me O'clock to see the loco replacement and what else was passing through at that time of the night morning with a cuppa from the buffet upstairs. Simple pleasures

Marvellous

I still like the whole railway world but find it difficult to summon up the enthusiasm these days like I used to.

[LE Greys]

You're lucky you can remember all of this. I used to hear about it, but was far too young to travel on my own back then, despite occasional glimpses of loco-hauled trains at Cambridge when going shopping or on the WCML when visiting relatives. The only one I remember was on the Settle-Carlisle, Skipton to Appleby and back behind a 31 with lots of old MkIs in blue and grey in 1987. I only just remember it, but it was fun. Two years later, I did the full line to Carlisle, but I'm not quite sure what was on that, might even have been a Sprinter.

[4SRKT]

Originally Posted by LE Greys

You're lucky you can remember all of this. I used to hear about it, but was far too young to travel on my own back then, despite occasional glimpses of loco-hauled trains at Cambridge when going shopping or on the WCML when visiting relatives. The only one I remember was on the Settle-Carlisle, Skipton to Appleby and back behind a 31 with lots of old MkIs in blue and grey in 1987. I only just remember it, but it was fun. Two years later, I did the full line to Carlisle, but I'm not quite sure what was on that, might even have been a Sprinter.

Probably a 156 by then.

[47403]

Originally Posted by flymo

I was going to quote a post but what the heck I'll just quote



That first post almost brought a tear to my eye..

Glad I evoked some memories to both you and 4SKRT

One move me and my mates did, went a bit pearshaped on us, we'd been told 37305 was on the yarmouth to newcastle, so being a bit greedy, we'd already decided the week before, we'd to get out early for the Glasgow Scarborough and on hearing it was 37040, we thought we'd been vindicated, berwick to durham, some decent mileage with a 37, we jumped a tram(it was a needed move) to Berwick, when we got there the platform was heaving and were promptly told it's, 40 mins down, ****e we're down to a plus 15, then rumours we're flying the syphon had failed, just over an hour down, when the tannoy said the next train is the late running service to Scarboro, I swear I nearly ****, when 26038 and 37040 came into view, it was jam packed with bashers, onto newcastle and an old fella told me, you's are in luck, as im told the yarmouth is 55+ down, so we had a chance to make durham after all, quick loco change, off came the 26 and 37 and on went 47056, great we thought, 3 loco's one train, we got 10mins out of newcastle before 47056 failed at Ouston junction, 31190 was sent from Tyne Yard to push us into Durham, the plus 25 or whatever connection to durham ever dwindling, we got looped outside durham station, talk about frustration, as 47239 was attached to the front and the 31 detached at the back, 37305 pulled into Durham and as we got moving it pulled out of Durham and those of us hanging out the window got unmerciless stick, wasnt till we got back into Newcastle on bloody 45139, that the story unfolded.

[87015]

Can still get the excitement levels abroad - it might be different numbers but its the same game.

In the last couple of years I've only scratched the surface and have had massive drop ons, cart vice loco bowl outs, NB freight locos kicked out (don't let it being a "/4" confuse you!) and km after km of loco-hauled action from load 1 to load lots!

BDZ 06018 was a highlight - they have no booked passenger work and it was an unknown diagram swap and a class we wanted to sample - that will always mean more to me than 37xxx I never had, 37xxx I did have as a kid and don't really remember and certainly a lot more than 478xx or 90xxx I have had lots of times!

[TukayAway]

Anyone with a fondness for haulage bashing needs to play Hellfire.

http://www.railrover.co.uk/

[LE Greys]

Originally Posted by 4SRKT

Probably a 156 by then.

I'm not sure whether my memory (I was four or five years old at the time) is conflating the two journeys. I think it was a MkI, but I'm not sure. Were there still 31s and MkIs on the S&C in 1989?

[47403]

Originally Posted by LE Greys

I'm not sure whether my memory (I was four or five years old at the time) is conflating the two journeys. I think it was a MkI, but I'm not sure. Were there still 31s and MkIs on the S&C in 1989?

I cant be sure if the 156's had monopolised the S&C then, although not totally sure, Im more than sure I was going up and down the S&C with the odd weeks North Eastern Ranger round that time, chasing 47's for haulage and stumbled on the odd 31/4. maybe there was just a couple of loco hauled moves a day, while they were phasing the 156's in. Its a great line for bashing, well it used to be. had a multitude different classes over it, especially in the summer,I think Kingmoor just threw on, whatever loco was nearest the foreman's office.

[scarby]

47403: yes, that's the story of my youth as well.

Coming from Scarborough, summer Saturdays was an array of loco classes - mainly 31s, 40s, 45s, 46s and 47s.

On top of that, even DMUs were far from generic: Metro-Cammells were the most common, but you'd get Cravens, Birmingham RCW and on summer Saturdays the odd Cross-Country unit. Also in summer, DMUs used to come down from Newcastle with bars fitted to the door windows. I think it was the stock that operated on what is now the Metro.

Resident 08 station pilot and two in the summer, sometimes an 03.

Now there's just nothing worth seeing. Shame.

As you said, getting a rover, up and down the ECML behind the Deltics. Heading off to places like Wath armed with the Locoshed book, asking if you could look around the depot and sometimes they just said "OK".

Cabbing locos at Scarborough and York.

I remember when me and my mate first saw an HST at Derby and we hissed at it. We knew it would be the death of the Deltics.

Railways are still by far my favourite from of transport, but in the UK that's all it amounts to, a reasonable way to get from A to B. I only get the old excitement back when travelling in Germany, mostly on sleepers, but also the remaining loco-hauleds.

[47403]

Originally Posted by scarby

47403: yes, that's the story of my youth as well.

Coming from Scarborough, summer Saturdays was an array of loco classes - mainly 31s, 40s, 45s, 46s and 47s.

On top of that, even DMUs were far from generic: Metro-Cammells were the most common, but you'd get Cravens, Birmingham RCW and on summer Saturdays the odd Cross-Country unit. Also in summer, DMUs used to come down from Newcastle with bars fitted to the door windows. I think it was the stock that operated on what is now the Metro.

Resident 08 station pilot and two in the summer, sometimes an 03.

Now there's just nothing worth seeing. Shame.

As you said, getting a rover, up and down the ECML behind the Deltics. Heading off to places like Wath armed with the Locoshed book, asking if you could look around the depot and sometimes they just said "OK".

Cabbing locos at Scarborough and York.

I remember when me and my mate first saw an HST at Derby and we hissed at it. We knew it would be the death of the Deltics.

Railways are still by far my favourite from of transport, but in the UK that's all it amounts to, a reasonable way to get from A to B. I only get the old excitement back when travelling in Germany, mostly on sleepers, but also the remaining loco-hauleds.

trams they are, now theyve re-engined them too, theyre even duller, in fairness though theyve served their purpose and have been, still are a real workhorse, still hate em though.

[50047]

Just read through this thread and I don't know where to begin. I have just completed putting my loco hauled moves into excel and now finally have a total loco hauled mileage, 1.15 million............ This doesn't include rancid trams and never has. I will now work out my mileage on real DMUs. Have got at least 250k on slam door DC EMUs and approx 50k on AC (mainly 310) to add also. The DEMUs must be 50k so must be looking at approx 1.75million when its all added. Doing this brought back so many memories. I was shocked at the number of overnights....... In 1986-1989 I did over 300 overnights just behind 50s. The newspaper trains must be the most missed of overnights, I almost lived on 1V01 out of Waterloo. Happy days indeed........

The earliest memories are always the best........

22/07/76 25250+25266 to Skegness on a Merrymaker coming from St.Pancras
29/07/80 The disappointment of finding 47509 on a Mystex that ended up in Lowestoft
25/04/81 83007 failing at Bletchley. 25302 to the rescue

Many a Saturday in 1982-4 when a half return from Ely to Audley End would rake in up to 12 locos........
06/08/82 37118-37041-47011-47162-37099-37038-47150-37016-37050-47156-37080-37114 (Not an ETH box site!)

23/08/82 25181 on a 10 coach commuter to Bedford
02/02/83 26032+26046 with steam all over, on a Kyle to Inverness
23/06/84 Romping across the Fens with 37008 on the Yarmouth-Manchester
17/08/84 'Boss eyed' 40143 on a relief from Reading
20/08/84 Oversleeping Leicester on 1M10 with 45013 and waking up at St.Pancras. The blind panic of it!
The following day having 40194 on a south Pennine service from Hull to Sheffield and then a few hours later walking into 50026 on a Reading-York relief.

I could go on and on but I'd likely be barred