The ‘Bashers’

[APT618S]

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.

However 01001/2 did not spend all their life at Holyhead.
All the 01s 11503-6 (D2953-6) were allocated to Stratford in the 1960s and there are pictures of one of these at Stratford docks on the web.
Whilst unlikely, it is possible either 01001/2 rescued a passenger train or were involved in some coaching stock shunting moves. I have no idea what exactly their duties were when based at Stratford.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Even better, I knew that my statement would be disputed lol.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Presumably there are (or were) other locos that nobody has had for haulage. Plenty of shunters?

Indeed - I bet Class 13Tinsley Master and Slave hump shunters were rare (putting it mildly) for haulage.

 

[xotGD]

Indeed - I bet Class 13Tinsley Master and Slave hump shunters were rare (putting it mildly) for haulage.

I believe at least two of the 13s put in appearances on Nedexes.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Tinsley Open Day too?

 

[GRALISTAIR]

I believe at least two of the 13s put in appearances on Nedexes.

Tinsley Open Day too?

Wow - I am surprised I had not heard about those. Would have loved to have done one of those. Sounds like the sort of thing F&W Railtours who morphed into pathfinders? would have done.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Mine was a question. I don't know if they did.

 

[MP33]

In the thread there was mention of fights breaking out between groups of bashers.

I was a member of a club who used to invite guest speakers on various subjects. One of them was from a Historical Society that studied WW1. The speaker said that the members had their favourite Generals and discussions sometimes got heated and lead to blows.

 

[D1537]

I believe at least two of the 13s put in appearances on Nedexes.

Two that I am aware of. I was on this Class 40 tour which featured 13001 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/840218sr.htm

There were apparently two others in the 1970s (either 13001 and 13003, or 13003 both times). I don't believe 13002 ever worked a passenger train.

[Edit]

Here we go
13003, 7 October 1978 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/781007br.htm
13001, 7 April 1979 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/790407br.htm

The second of those was a re-run of the first, it was obviously popular - both BR organised and featuring 37, 40 and 76 power.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Two that I am aware of. I was on this Class 40 tour which featured 13001 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/840218sr.htm

There were apparently two others in the 1970s (either 13001 and 13003, or 13003 both times). I don't believe 13002 ever worked a passenger train.

[Edit]

Here we go
13003, 7 October 1978 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/781007br.htm
13001, 7 April 1979 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/790407br.htm

The second of those was a re-run of the first, it was obviously popular - both BR organised and featuring 37, 40 and 76 power.

Fantastic

 

[WessexEclectic]

In the thread there was mention of fights breaking out between groups of bashers.

I was a member of a club who used to invite guest speakers on various subjects. One of them was from a Historical Society that studied WW1. The speaker said that the members had their favourite Generals and discussions sometimes got heated and lead to blows.

 

[47296lastduff]

A select few have had one of the breakwater locos (can't remember which, but the other was stored at the back of the shed), by being there at the right time and sweet-talking their way for a ride. And no, I was not one of those few.
I was there for an organised visit in the 1980s, but nothing was out that day.
I did have 13001/3 at Tinsley on crank tours, and we we were lined up for 13002 on a third one. Sadly, late running meant the tour was curtailed, and we did not get to Tinsley. It was something to do with signal boxes having to close at a set time.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

A select few have had one of the breakwater locos (can't remember which, but the other was stored at the back of the shed), by being there at the right time and sweet-talking their way for a ride. And no, I was not one of those few.
I was there for an organised visit in the 1980s, but nothing was out that day.
I did have 13001/3 at Tinsley on crank tours, and we we were lined up for 13002 on a third one. Sadly, late running meant the tour was curtailed, and we did not get to Tinsley. It was something to do with signal boxes having to close at a set time.

I've seen all the members of both classes, but as far as I can remember, they were all stationary (and not actually working) on the days that I saw them.

 

[Bikeman78]

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!

Some of us used to tick off stations on the Rhymney line for 37s. 30 of the ETH locos ran to Rhymney, I managed 10 of them for every station. No doubt others did more. Not every loco ran enough times to get every station.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Some of us used to tick off stations on the Rhymney line for 37s. 30 of the ETH locos ran to Rhymney, I managed 10 of them for every station. No doubt others did more. Not every loco ran enough times to get every station.

Niche!

 

[CW2]

Some of us used to tick off stations on the Rhymney line for 37s. 30 of the ETH locos ran to Rhymney, I managed 10 of them for every station. No doubt others did more. Not every loco ran enough times to get every station.

OK, I'm curious: Which 37/4 never ran to Rhymney, and why?

 

[theblackwatch]

OK, I'm curious: Which 37/4 never ran to Rhymney, and why?

I suspect 404 as it was withdrawn early on. Quite a few people only had 30 of the 37/4s and missed that was. I was rather lucky as I only had it Plockton-Kyle.

 

[CW2]

I suspect 404 as it was withdrawn early on. Quite a few people only had 30 of the 37/4s and missed that was. I was rather lucky as I only had it Plockton-Kyle.

Thanks - I didn't realise 404 went particularly early. To me it was just another common Eastfield loco. I had a few runs with it. Nothing spectacular, and all in Scotland.

 

[xotGD]

Thanks - I didn't realise 404 went particularly early. To me it was just another common Eastfield loco. I had a few runs with it. Nothing spectacular, and all in Scotland.

I had it on my Freedom of Scotland weeks in 86 and 88. Four runs in total.

It last worked a passenger service in 99, which in my mind is 'recent'!

 

[CW2]

I had it on my Freedom of Scotland weeks in 86 and 88. Four runs in total.

It last worked a passenger service in 99, which in my mind is 'recent'!

My runs were all between 1985 (the year of its conversion) and 1993.

 

[Bikeman78]

I suspect 404 as it was withdrawn early on. Quite a few people only had 30 of the 37/4s and missed that was. I was rather lucky as I only had it Plockton-Kyle.

I never had 37404. It was lined up to go to Rhymney. It did the morning Weymouth and the 1130 Bristol to Cardiff but then failed on Canton and never ran again.

 

[CW2]

I do remember when the 37/4 conversion programme was announced, I automatically assumed the locos chosen would be those boilered examples already common (ish) on passenger. The realisation that they were all from the last batch, normally used on coal trains in South Wales (and therefore mega-rare to me) was a huge bonus. In any class there are always some elusive examples. For me it was 37412 of Eastfield, 37415 of Inverness and 37428 of Cardiff.

 

[xotGD]

I never had 37404. It was lined up to go to Rhymney. It did the morning Weymouth and the 1130 Bristol to Cardiff but then failed on Canton and never ran again.

I bet you wish you'd gone to Newport that morning!

 

[Rover]

Two that I am aware of. I was on this Class 40 tour which featured 13001 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/840218sr.htm

There were apparently two others in the 1970s (either 13001 and 13003, or 13003 both times). I don't believe 13002 ever worked a passenger train.

[Edit]

Here we go
13003, 7 October 1978 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/781007br.htm
13001, 7 April 1979 - https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/790407br.htm

The second of those was a re-run of the first, it was obviously popular - both BR organised and featuring 37, 40 and 76 power.

It's not immediately obvious but this is 13003 on its way from Rotherwood to Tinsley Yard

 

[Bikeman78]

I bet you wish you'd gone to Newport that morning!

That's putting it politely but I had no reason to think it would be switched off. I don't remember what the fault was but at the time people didn't seem to think it was serious. Perhaps it had high engine hours and was due overhaul thus not worth the expenditure.

 

[Pinza-C55]

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.

I remember being on a Deltic hauled train and one of "the Usual Suspects" came in from the vestibule waving a chromed piece of metal. "What's that ?" asked one of the bashers and he replied "It's a Beclawat". "A what ?" they said and he replied "I was flailing out of the window and I grabbed this strip too hard and it came away. It says "Beclawat" on it !". Beclawat were a 1950s firm who made the droplight windows for UK rolling stock.

 

[Gloster]

I remember being on a Deltic hauled train and one of "the Usual Suspects" came in from the vestibule waving a chromed piece of metal. "What's that ?" asked one of the bashers and he replied "It's a Beclawat". "A what ?" they said and he replied "I was flailing out of the window and I grabbed this strip too hard and it came away. It says "Beclawat" on it !". Beclawat were a 1950s firm who made the droplight windows for UK rolling stock.

Beckett-Laycock-Watkinson. Having seen the name on BR-built stock so many times, I only found out what it was a few years ago.

 

[xotGD]

While most bashers would have with them a sports bag containing the essentials (all line timetable, bottle of squash, food), I remember one bloke in the Birmingham area who went around with a briefcase. However, when he opened it up it still contained an all line timetable, bottle of squash and some food.

There is another well known crank from Brum back in the 80s who is still out and about doing 68s.

Any other (in)famous characters that people have memories of?

 

[Cowley]

While most bashers would have with them a sports bag containing the essentials (all line timetable, bottle of squash, food), I remember one bloke in the Birmingham area who went around with a briefcase. However, when he opened it up it still contained an all line timetable, bottle of squash and some food.

There is another well known crank from Brum back in the 80s who is still out and about doing 68s.

Any other (in)famous characters that people have memories of?

I can recall various characters around Exeter that were into different traction (and stuck to it religiously!) and the thing that I remember the most is that every single one had a nickname rather than their proper names being used.

 

[Mag_seven]

I remember one bloke in the Birmingham area who went around with a briefcase.

Yes I remember one like that as well - he was from Preston and he carried it because he claimed it kept up his image as an "Inter-City" basher (he used to do 87s) and because he thought he was a cut above the rest who did more mundane "short distance" forms of traction.