The ‘Bashers’

[Trackman]

Correct. Those Wayfarer tickets were great value and I used to do Man Vic to Stalybridge and back all day long on a Saturday for the Peaks with the odd Generator (4740-47420) thrown in.

Railtours clearly count as in you've had the haulage. But is it an achievement? Hardly.

But sometimes you don't know what is booked as in the number of the class.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Just my view, railtours are a bit artifical, that's all. I did some back in the day and count the haulage of course. Each of us plays to our own "rules".

 

[theblackwatch]

Railtours clearly count as in you've had the haulage. But is it an achievement? Hardly.

I would consider having had all 135 56s or all 100 60s quite an achievement, even if 90% of them were on railtours.

(And no, I haven't myself, but I know people who have - somee of the locos only worked the once, so you were either there, or you missed out!)

 

[NorthWestRover]

Yes, that's a fair point in one respect. But it was still put on a plate for you...

 

[cakefiend]

I'll just add that bashing has broadened its horizons thanks to lo-cost airlines and a lack of suitable motive power in Britain. It feels like there's a whole industry of tour organizers running trips to Europe (Romania, Hungary and Czech Republic spring to mind) for 'expat' UK locos or foreign ones that have been declared suitably hellfire. I suppose the cheap beer helps as well.

 

[theblackwatch]

Yes, that's a fair point in one respect. But it was still put on a plate for you...

You could argue a pair of 20s were put on a plate for you when they went to Skegness every weekend too...

 

[NorthWestRover]

One could argue that. Anything diagrammed is, but the service trains just seem more real to me. As I say, there's no right or wrong in this, just what you feel.

 

[theblackwatch]

One could argue that. Anything diagrammed is, but the service trains just seem more real to me. As I say, there's no right or wrong in this, just what you feel.

It was always good to get something out of the ordinary, but the chances of that nowadays (and I mean pre-Covid!) is pretty slim. I must admit, I'm quite pleased to have had 3 Romanian 56s on service trains (or 4 if you count one on the S&C trips BR arranged).

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Did you get round Crewe Diesel?

Multiple times. First time was August 1970


Then there are the surprises. April 21st 1987. I was on Carlisle and i think there was a problem with the wires. 31162 was attached and dragged the train to Preston via the Settle and Carlisle. Required too. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

 

[CW2]

Did you get round Crewe Diesel?

I was once in a group of about 10 class 40 bashers who secreted themselves on a 40-hauled ECS train from Holyhead to Crewe Carriage Sidings. We hoped the train would stop at Crewe station where we could quietly alight, but it ran straight through the station and into the carriage shed. The easiest way out was to cross the WCML then walk straight through the depot. The depot security guard was very miffed and utterly baffled to find us walking out of the depot, as he couldn't work out how we'd got in! We didn't enlighten him ...

 

[WessexEclectic]

Those 01s had to be ticked off too!

Were they ever bagged fer 'aulage?

 

[APT618S]

Were they ever bagged fer 'aulage?

Whilst I don't know about 01001/2 I have had class 01 D2953 for haulage (breakvan ride) at the Shunters Heritage Trust for a calculated 1.12 miles. I presume the other preserved 01 will have also worked (D2956) so I guess there will be people who have had 2x01, neither of which were 01001/2.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

These were the people who had been on Holyhead breakwater.

Those 01s had to be ticked off too!

Were they ever bagged fer 'aulage?

Whilst I don't know about 01001/2 I have had class 01 D2953 for haulage (breakvan ride) at the Shunters Heritage Trust for a calculated 1.12 miles. I presume the other preserved 01 will have also worked (D2956) so I guess there will be people who have had 2x01, neither of which were 01001/2.

I don't think that I would have described myself as a "Basher" during my locospotting days (c1975 - c1985).

However, I did take All Line Rovers on quite a few occasions, and did try to cover as much ground as I could. On two trips, this did include the Holyhead Breakwater - in 1979 and 1980, I think - because I did want to see the two Class 01s. It too me two trips because when I went there first, they were locked up in the shed, so I had to go back the following year, when I saw them properly.

I did also try to tailor my trips to see classes that I hadn't seen before or in an attempt to clear a class ... so maybe I was a "Basher" after all!!

 

[xotGD]

For some people, getting as many lines in the book as possible is the objective - getting haulage from anything and everything.

For others, it is maximising mileage from a favourite class or individual loco.

And then there is a middle way - for example maximising 37 mileage but wanting to have as many in the book as possible.

As long as you enjoy it, you are doing it right!

 

[SuspectUsual]

You could argue a pair of 20s were put on a plate for you when they went to Skegness every weekend too...

Yes, but (a) there’s was no guarantee they’d produce and (b) you’d not know which ones would be turned out

Some of the railtours requested (and got) specific locos didn’t they?

 

[theblackwatch]

Yes, but (a) there’s was no guarantee they’d produce and (b) you’d not know which ones would be turned out

Some of the railtours requested (and got) specific locos didn’t they?

Yes, some did, but in other cases on railtours, (a) and (b) have occurred more than once! Examples I can think of are a 57/3 when a 66 was advertised, and an occasion where the 66 which everyone on board was dragged for 50+ miles on the back of the train and then taken off...

There have also been occasions when service trains have got specific locos (eg D9000).

 

[xotGD]

Yes, but (a) there’s was no guarantee they’d produce and (b) you’d not know which ones would be turned out

Some of the railtours requested (and got) specific locos didn’t they?

Indeed. The one time I went to Skeg was on a Bank Holiday Monday, and I ended up with a pair of 31s. Withered.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Indeed. The one time I went to Skeg was on a Bank Holiday Monday, and I ended up with a pair of 31s. Withered.

Ouch

As if skegvegas wasn’t bad enough already

 

[D1537]

Ouch

As if skegvegas wasn’t bad enough already

In 1988 when 47373 was the booked loco for the Nuneaton-Skegness (it did it 42 times), 373 went for a D-exam near the end of the summer season and was replaced by 47295 and then 47374 for a number of days. I went to Skegness four times that week. By the third time I was getting a unit back to spend the day in Boston because at least it has decent pubs.

 

[Cowley]

In 1988 when 47373 was the booked loco for the Nuneaton-Skegness (it did it 42 times), 373 went for a D-exam near the end of the summer season and was replaced by 47295 and then 47374 for a number of days. I went to Skegness four times that week. By the third time I was getting a unit back to spend the day in Boston because at least it has decent pubs.

Only did Skegness once (in 1991) and it was 20058 and 20087 out which were common locos on those trains at the time so I had a compartment to myself in a BSK right behind the locos which was lovely.
Turned around and headed straight out again behind a very red 47476.

Are you saying I didn’t miss much by not going into the town?

 

[Crewe Exile]

I was never a fan of the Skegness route - been there many times catching pairs of 20s. There was a Derby - Skegness turn in 1990 and 1991 that ran during part of the summer through the week - pretty much guaranteed 20s but it was designed for a day out in Skegness - which made for a bit of an empty day. Much preferred the Derby - Llandudno which would drop 20s regularly (certainly in 1991 if memory serves me right)
Digressing a wee bit but does anyone remember the top and tail class 20 workings to Matlock from Derby? - happened a few times during 1990.
i always view the 1989/1990/91 period as one where there were some real gem workings, but sprinterisation was really taking effect, I packed up in 1993 as there just wasent the haulage about as per 1980s.

 

[WessexEclectic]

Whilst I don't know about 01001/2 I have had class 01 D2953 for haulage (breakvan ride) at the Shunters Heritage Trust for a calculated 1.12 miles. I presume the other preserved 01 will have also worked (D2956) so I guess there will be people who have had 2x01, neither of which were 01001/2.

So no examples of a rail tour making it onto the breakwater at Holyhead?

 

[D1537]

Only did Skegness once (in 1991) and it was 20058 and 20087 out which were common locos on those trains at the time so I had a compartment to myself in a BSK right behind the locos which was lovely.
Turned around and headed straight out again behind a very red 47476.

Are you saying I didn’t miss much by not going into the town?

I think "much" may be overstating it!

 

[EbbwJunction1]

So no examples of a rail tour making it onto the breakwater at Holyhead?

No, I had to walk from the station on my two visits. I remember it being quite a way, but it see from Google Maps that it's between 1.5 and 2 miles each way.

 

[47296lastduff]

The reason for no tours getting as far as the Holyhead breakwater is simply because it was physically isolated from the national network by quite a distance.
As for getting withered at Skeg, I once caught a lunchtime dmu from Beeston to Skeg on spec, and was delighted to find 2 required 20s at the head of the evening Leicester stock. I went into town for food and drink, and a lie down on the beach in the sun. I made my way back in plenty of time for the 18xx Leicester, and find it in platform with nothing at the head. It turned out that the 47/3 on the Sheffield had failed , so that had already departed 17xx with our 20s. We were then told that Lincoln were arranging replacement power. This arrived well over an hour late, as 2 dud 31s. So I was bowled, and back home mega late. Luckily I had gone to Beeston by car.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

The reason for no tours getting as far as the Holyhead breakwater is simply because it was physically isolated from the national network by quite a distance.

You are, of course, quite correct.

 

[WessexEclectic]

The reason for no tours getting as far as the Holyhead breakwater is simply because it was physically isolated from the national network by quite a distance.

Fair point. Obviously, a simple internet search should have been undertaken before putting fingers to keyboard...

 

[86247]

I had always thought that the 2 preserved 01s were those from holyhead breakwater only found out a couple of weeks ago that they were broken up on site

 

[NorthWestRover]

I love how a thread on "bashers" has ended up discussing the only 2 locos no one will have ridden behind other than for work purposes.

 

[xotGD]

I love how a thread on "bashers" has ended up discussing the only 2 locos no one will have ridden behind other than for work purposes.

Presumably there are (or were) other locos that nobody has had for haulage. Plenty of shunters? What about mainline locos - some of the early diesel classes that didn't hang around for long or early casualties? Some of the 76s? Oh, and the 70 that got dropped on arrival!