The ‘Bashers’

[CW2]

The 2nd one of these (Y-P card) is like an equivalent of 'tax avoidance' - an unintended consequence of a rule being exploited by those with the knowledge to do so - not really anything wrong in that - the overall promotion described probably boosted revenue significantly (didn't they do these things in really off peak months - I seem to recall using it in a cold period so probably feb or early march) - and without the internet the numbers of people who could know how to exploit it to the extent of the Penzance Wick example was probably negligible in revenue terms.

You have reminded me that I'm pretty sure I used that offer to go from Sussex to Edinburgh out via the Cumbrian Coast and Carlisle Newcastle line and back by some other interesting route, with stops / overnights in Edinburgh and Newcastle sleeping on floors of friends. There flats were freezing hence my thinking it was off peak time of year! Good times.

I was working in a booking office at the time of the Young Persons railcard promotion, and I recall the demand for railcards was quite overwhelming - probably a 4 or 5-fold increase over a normal year. Some bashers bought multiple railcards in order to get the best use of their free travel. As an exercise in generating extra revenue at marginal cost it was a great success.

 

[ABB125]

I wish they would have promotions like that nowadays...

 

[xotGD]

Even taking account of various, shall we say, 'cost saving measures', I'm sure that bashers have put a heck of a lot of cash into the pockets of the railway over the years.

 

[nedchester]

Not at all. I also arrested several bashers for stealing bags of tickets being returned for audit at Derby. They would sort through them for unmarked tickets which provided them with a good source of tickets with which to pursue their hobby!

Well it was a great way of saving only and getting around on the railway in the 80s for those who weren’t priv.......excellent stuff!

 

[xotGD]

Of course, English Electric bashers are, on the whole, a decent bunch.

As for Peak bashers - No comment!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Uh-oh...

 

[86247]

we always used to call peak bashers wagon bashers

 

[cambsy]

I was on the train in the YouTube video about Bashers, it was the Tiberius Kirk, 2x37 from Northampton to FortWilliam and Oban and back again, was a mega 2 day tour, was brilliant trip, though very long and unfortunately had Tonsilitis while on the trip, but didnt let it stop me, I knew a lot of the characters back then on that trip, I was Basher at the time, and can say sometimes it get rather too rowdy, and after while it got too much, so would just move somewhere different on trains where quieter, could take it for short periods and wouldn’t follow the crowd to local pubs, do my own thing, the behaviour was down to heavy drinking and getting totally hammered, which was not my thing at all, and i didnt drink back then and dont now either,

i would flail arms out of windows which looking back not best thing, but never damaged anything, and not join in the most rowdy behaviour, or any vandalism etc, my main bashing was the end of the 37’s on the north Wales coast regional railways services, and railtours, I think some of the bashers took things way too far and dont condone any of it, but it was just the hardcore element, and of course now there isn’t anything really to bash anymore, so its. Dead breed now., I do look back on those days with fondness and definitely miss the interest back then, was a fun and good time in life.

 

[furnessvale]

I was on the train in the YouTube video about Bashers, it was the Tiberius Kirk, 2x37 from Northampton to FortWilliam and Oban and back again, was a mega 2 day tour, was brilliant trip, though very long and unfortunately had Tonsilitis while on the trip, but didnt let it stop me, I knew a lot of the characters back then on that trip, I was Basher at the time, and can say sometimes it get rather too rowdy, and after while it got too much, so would just move somewhere different on trains where quieter, could take it for short periods and wouldn’t follow the crowd to local pubs, do my own thing, the behaviour was down to heavy drinking and getting totally hammered, which was not my thing at all, and i didnt drink back then and dont now either,

i would flail arms out of windows which looking back not best thing, but never damaged anything, and not join in the most rowdy behaviour, or any vandalism etc, my main bashing was the end of the 37’s on the north Wales coast regional railways services, and railtours, I think some of the bashers took things way too far and dont condone any of it, but it was just the hardcore element, and of course now there isn’t anything really to bash anymore, so its. Dead breed now., I do look back on those days with fondness and definitely miss the interest back then, was a fun and good time in life.

Thank you for confirmation of the activities of SOME bashers. Sadly, some people appear to be in denial.

 

[Trackman]

As for Peak bashers - No comment!

A railway magazine called them once ‘The Milwall fans of Rail enthusiasts’ !!

 

[Stuwhu]

Was there a king of Bashers? A top dog?

 

[Cowley]

Was there a king of Bashers? A top dog?

You tended to find that bashers were often into just the one class (although some were into English Electric or Sulzer engines, so a 50 Basher might be partial to the odd class 37 etc).
The term for someone who had huge mileages racked up behind certain classes was ‘Main Man’.

These Main Men were revered by their lesser bashing minions and were provided with thrones made out of the drivers seat from a withdrawn Deltic and the lesser bashers would kneel before him and give the ‘bashers flail’ salute while pledging allegiance to English Electric etc.
The practice died out in the late 1990s unfortunately, but you still see re-enactments at diesel galas sometimes.

(I think I may have got some of that mixed up with something else actually)

 

[NorthWestRover]

Phil Durrell for 40s?

 

[Inversnecky]

You tended to find that bashers were often into just the one class (although some were into English Electric or Sulzer engines, so a 50 Basher might be partial to the odd class 37 etc).
The term for someone who had huge mileages racked up behind certain classes was ‘Main Man’.

These Main Men were revered by their lesser bashing minions and were provided with thrones made out of the drivers seat from a withdrawn Deltic and the lesser bashers would kneel before him and give the ‘bashers flail’ salute while pledging allegiance to English Electric etc.
The practice died out in the late 1990s unfortunately, but you still see re-enactments at diesel galas sometimes.

(I think I may have got some of that mixed up with something else actually)

Wow, would never have known any of this was real, coming from a small town in the north of Scotland.

Have visions of gangs of Peak and Whistler Bashers coming to blows on a station concourse somewhere, the hardest of hard men!

 

[NorthWestRover]

I don't think we'd ever have come to blows any more between groups of bashers than within groups. Most of it was good humoured banter. Peak bashers and 40 Bashers didn't cross paths that often as mostly they were in different places.

 

[Trackman]

I don't think we'd ever have come to blows any more between groups of bashers than within groups. Most of it was good humoured banter. Peak bashers and 40 Bashers didn't cross paths that often as mostly they were in different places.

I've seen heated arguments with 40/EE people with the Peak bashers at Man Vic.
Never came to blows.
Lots of stats being shouted out by the Peak lot.
EE men would 'wind up the loco' ready for departure and point out a class 45/46 loco is not a 'Peak'.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Yeah, I guess Man Vic would have had the crossover when Peaks were doing the TP services. Forgot about that. I still think of Peaks doing MML and Cross Country in and out of Brum.

 

[Cowley]

It was 47 bashers v 50 bashers down my way. The most violent incident I ever saw involved a yoghurt pot and some jeering.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Just watched that video. Unless I'm very much mistaken Granddad was known in 40 bashing days as Gloucester Bloke. He went with his son who was known as Gloucester Bloke's Son (naturally). Part of the Frodsham Crew.

 

[Mag_seven]

I wish they would have promotions like that nowadays...

Sadly for you that was back in the day of "one railway".

Was there a king of Bashers? A top dog?

AC electric loco bashers could easily clock up 1000 miles in one day.

 

[xotGD]

Easier for the folks with Priv to clock up serious mileage.

It could be an expensive business. Hence the money saving tactics some would employ.

 

[Cowley]

Easier for the folks with Priv to clock up serious mileage.

It could be an expensive business. Hence the money saving tactics some would employ.

A lot of the main men always seemed to be on Privs. It was astonishing how much mileage they had on some locos.

 

[Crewe Exile]

On the whole most bashers were decent guys. As with anything though there were 1 or 2 loons - booze seemed a real problem on Peak hauled trains in their final years and Saturday 37 workings on the Cambrian.
Some bashers were completely eccentric and would do anything for the hobby. To the point of incredulous behaviour - I remember a few bashers who openly admit losing jobs and having relationships fail because of their obsession.

 

[86247]

I remember being at New st once and all 3 of us never had haulage off a 50,so we took the opportunity to have 50050 to Lemington spa , so off we went all of us with half of our bodies out of the window when we got to Lemington the main 50 men all started booing and calling out part timers as most of them were going to Paddington.

 

[NorthWestRover]

My first Deltic haulage was St Helens Junction to Lime St. That was real ned behaviour.

 

[theblackwatch]

I remember being at New st once and all 3 of us never had haulage off a 50,so we took the opportunity to have 50050 to Lemington spa , so off we went all of us with half of our bodies out of the window when we got to Lemington the main 50 men all started booing and calling out part timers as most of them were going to Paddington.

That was a fair distance compared to some of my 'ned' moves! Manchester Piccadilly-Oxford Road (0.54), Exeter St Davids-Exeter Central (0.75, even more desperate the opposite direction), Edinburgh Waverley-Haymarket (1.24) spring to mind.

 

[86247]

I've done plenty of low mileage moves like Piccadilly- Stockport and back, lime Street - Runcorn or Wigan- Warrington.

 

[43096]

That was a fair distance compared to some of my 'ned' moves! Manchester Piccadilly-Oxford Road (0.54), Exeter St Davids-Exeter Central (0.75, even more desperate the opposite direction), Edinburgh Waverley-Haymarket (1.24) spring to mind.

You sound like Brussels tunnels moves would be right up your street!

 

[theblackwatch]

You sound like Brussels tunnels moves would be right up your street!

I'd forgotten about them! Certainly needed a reasonable level of fitness....

 

[Mag_seven]

I always used to find it slightly irritating when doing a Euston to Glasgow proper mileage move to have the front coach invaded at Preston by urchins just doing Preston to Lancaster moves.