BR Merrymakers

Masboroughlad · 17 Apr 2014

Anybody got stories from the days of BR Merrymakers to share?

I did loads with my Dad out of Sheffield divisional manager in the late 70s and early 80s.

First one was Rotherham to Torquay in August 1976. £9 for Dad, me and my brother. 45039 with load 14/15/16? Seemed a huge train at 6 years old! Many more after that.... Happy days

RailUK Forums

306024 · 18 Apr 2014

Mystery trips from Euston, for a 50p child fare. Always went Northampton - Market Harborough to throw you off the scent, but then usually found their way over the S&C to Carlisle. On another occasion we ended up in Cardiff, so went to watch the Welsh rugby union cup final at The Arms Park. What chance of keeping a mystery destination secret today?

Also returning overnight Saturday from a Blackpool Illuminations special, with a no heat class 47, after a day of pouring rain. Thoroughly cold and miserable although that was the only bad experience. On the whole they were great value.

Xenophon PCDGS · 18 Apr 2014

Our family enjoyed the 1980-1984 British Rail run "Manchester Rail Travel Club" than had a properly co-ordinated excursion programme of weekly trains, with regular newsletters to keep us all informed and a membership card that you stuck the annual validation label on. We went from the Manchester area stations to exotic places such as Paignton, Folkestone and Brighton for what would now seem to be very little cost.

The "mystery trips" were always one to look out for and one in particular that said "to a seaside destination" took us to Largs, where my very young sons were horrified there was no sandy beach to use their buckets and spades. No-one knew (until we were passing through Daisy Hill station) where we were going, so the secret was well kept. We all received commemorative key rings when the club was closed.

D841 Roebuck · 18 Apr 2014

I also travelled on several of the Manchester area ADEXes in the late 70s and early 80s. Destinations included Edinburgh, Yarmouth, Southend, Margate, Ramsgate, Portsmouth (twice), Salisbury, Exeter, Dawlish, Torquay, Devonport (navy day) and Barry Island (twice).

I remember the Yarmouth trip was out via Acle and back via Reedham - to the delight of the trackbashers aboard.

One MYSTEX was sampled - destination Herne Bay (presumably as no-one in their right mind would go there deliberately! )

LowLevel · 18 Apr 2014

306024 said:
Mystery trips from Euston, for a 50p child fare. Always went Northampton - Market Harborough to throw you off the scent, but then usually found their way over the S&C to Carlisle. On another occasion we ended up in Cardiff, so went to watch the Welsh rugby union cup final at The Arms Park. What chance of keeping a mystery destination secret today?

Also returning overnight Saturday from a Blackpool Illuminations special, with a no heat class 47, after a day of pouring rain. Thoroughly cold and miserable although that was the only bad experience. On the whole they were great value.

Depending on the tour you can keep it quiet - I once ending up doing passenger assist and dispatch on a Northern Belle charter (they were the only operator I ever remember paying my TOC for it's staff to provide a station wheelchair on top of the mandatory train dispatch ) and that was a mystery lunch tour to Lincoln - none of them had any idea where it was going, this was only last year or the year before! We had it up on the boards as somewhere else entirely, Derby I think.Crank tours probably not though.

alanf · 18 Apr 2014

i remember on one return trip to Darlington in the late 70s early 80s we had a ex works peak 45/46 put on at York and we clocked it at over a 100 on York straights. I know mile posts and second hands on watches are a bit primitive but we were all amazed at the speed and acceleration bearing in mind we were used to Deltics and 47s it definately earned its keep that day.I wonder if anyone on here was on board as they were always full of spotters.

eastwestdivide · 19 Apr 2014

See also:
http://railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=83389&highlight=merrymaker
http://railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=64695&highlight=merrymaker

9K43 · 19 Apr 2014

Before I was on the Railway, my wife and her parents wentt by Merry Maker, down to the Navy Open Day.We went from Mirfield .
My father in law was a yorkshire Miner, who served in the RN during the war.
On the first night in the Navy a leading hand called him a silly Yorkshire B......d.
My Father in law was a proud young man so he dropped the leading hand right away.
He then told the leading Hand, Where I cum frum ol lad that feiting talk.

D6975 · 22 Apr 2014

I did one to Brighton that was supposed to stop at Haywards Heath to let people get a bus to the Bluebell. We went through at about 90. A stop at a subsequent shack let people return on a stopper.

Another one heading to somewhere in the North East (poss Scarborough), we were checked at Five Ways at 08 : xx. Quite few commuters got on thinking they'd get to New St a bit early...
They ended up doing a return trip to Tamworth. They were lucky that we had a crew change at Saltley, so that the stop could be arranged, otherwise they'd have had a much longer trip. Next stop was in Toton Yard IIRC for another crew change, first booked station stop wasn't till York.

1018509 · 22 Apr 2014

Did loads of these as a young teenager from my local station (West Drayton) class 117 DMU's normally 4 units coupled up into a 12 car train. Devon, North Wales and Manchester are three places I remember.

Would like similar now.

overtonchris · 22 Apr 2014

I've got a very fond memory of taking one of these from Reading (no idea where it started out) to Kingswear in Devon - including steam haulage portion from Paignton to Kingswear. This would have been (I think mid-late 70s...I've got no records).

I do however remember my Dad saying what a total bargain the whole trip was and the only down side was we had to get to Reading at "Silly-O'clock in the morning from Basingstoke and the train was 30 late!!) Haulage? Deffo a 47.

steamybrian · 22 Apr 2014

I did several including one "mystex" in the early 1970s when working for BR I had found out its destination in advance.
East Croydon to Weston-Super-Mare and back with a ...2 X6 car "Hastings" DMU.(class 201/202/203)
I still remember the noise of it thundering along the GW mainline at top speed.
All for the princely cost of.... £3.50p return.
Those were the days.....

MidnightFlyer · 22 Apr 2014

I'll always remember a tale I once overheard on a railtour - back in the 70s one of them was on a station waiting for another train when an announcement came on the PA saying 'Platform 2 for the Mystery Excursion to Blackpool... oh sh*t!' :lol:

30907 · 24 Apr 2014

I recall a trip from Euston to Aberystwyth in 1971 at a silly price (1 child per adult went free, so the school railway society took full advantage...). The VoR opened up specially so we all ended up at Devil's Bridge.

Just found the brochure - the trips were branded "Look and Book" (for your summer hols...) at £1 10s or £1.50 and it was at the end of March.
Can't find any notes about timings or traction, but it was obviously early start/late finish and IIRC we were routed via the Grand Junction and the Abbey Foregate Curve - was it 2x24 or 1x40 on the Cambrian, and did we change engines at Wolves?

Next to the brochure was a return ticket Porthmadog-Dduallt for 1972 with my note saying "in conjunction with Merrymaker to Porthmadog" - I'd completely forgotten about that trip.

Masboroughlad · 25 Apr 2014

Did a mytery trip to Clacton once.

Do/can locos even get to Clacton now?!

ilkestonian · 25 Apr 2014

Masboroughlad said:
Did a mytery trip to Clacton once.

Me too.

From Stafford.

Also from Stafford, I remember mystery trips to Windsor and to Margate.

Also my first trip to London was only a few bob on the recently electrified line to Euston, then years later, a cheapo trip to Edinburgh (about 1976 IIRC) following the completion of the northward electrification.

Happy days!

ChiefPlanner · 25 Apr 2014

Swansea to Edinburgh in a MK2 aircon for £8 in 1976 ....a 36 hour day. Bargain.

eastwestdivide · 26 Apr 2014

Merrymaker to York in SR Mk1 compartments in about 1977ish. Picked it up at Lewisham, 33-hauled (it had come up from I think Ashford/Ramsgate) as far as the Midland by Cricklewood, then a 45 the rest of the way via Toton and the old Midland route via Cudworth.
And a mystery trip from the Medway towns in about 1985, 2x33s via Dartford, S London, Basingstoke to Exeter.

Genocide · 26 Apr 2014

Plenty of these on sixbells:-

http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/

but probably lots missing because they weren't well regarded by the bashing community - the simple reason being that you had to buy the ticket in advance and therefore might have committed your hard earned to a day behind a CD 47/4.

It's probably fair to say, though, that these were the nucleus of Railtours in their present incarnation. I think it was a young BR employee called Peter Watts who reasoned that if there was spare stock and resources to take your granny to Skegness, that stock and resource might possibly be used to cater for an enthusiast market.

There were tours before F&W went to Phwelli, but primarily run at the whim of those who had the money to charter them and wanted to cater for their own agenda.

eastwestdivide · 26 Apr 2014

Merrymakers were the highlight of the weekend for us Kentish spotters late 70s/early 80s - hang around Sat/Sun mornings in the summer from about 10 till midday and hope for a 47 or two heading to Margate/Ramsgate. The WR would often turn out their 47/0 namers (City of Truro, North Star etc), and the ER would usually send 47/0s, while anything from the LMR usually changed to a local Hither Green 33 - from an electric at Willesden or from a Peak at Cricklewood (Brent).
The latter I experienced on a mystery trip when I lived in Leicester for a while - Peak to Cricklewood, 33 onwards, through Dartford and my old stomping ground to Ramsgate. Not much of a mystery in the end.

motorman · 26 Apr 2014

I have fond memories of Merrymakers which originated from the London end of the LM region. Tenby was the first excursion we travelled on and then being a teenager, the heavy industry of South Wales was an eye opener to be followed by the wondeful coast at Ferryside and the numerous mud inlets around Carmarthen. That first excursion was our train hauled into Tenby by a Cl 52 'Western'
Paignton was also visited as well as York.
Trips to Llandudno allowed time to travel to Blaunau Ffestiniog and Aberystwyth the VOR.
A mystery excursion from West Ruislip to Carlisle via Brmingham and the WCML nearly did not make it, the wrong road being set at Weaver Junction. After briefly taking the Liverpool Line we then set back to regain the correct route.
They were excellent days out and tremendous value for money. I only wish something similar exosted today.

Jonny · 27 Apr 2014

306024 said:
Mystery trips from Euston, for a 50p child fare. Always went Northampton - Market Harborough to throw you off the scent, but then usually found their way over the S&C to Carlisle. On another occasion we ended up in Cardiff, so went to watch the Welsh rugby union cup final at The Arms Park. What chance of keeping a mystery destination secret today?

It would probably appear on sites such as realtime trains so probably not much chance of that happening - although they could possibly 'hide' a train or add multiple paths.

Ash Bridge · 27 Apr 2014

The first BR Mystery excursion I did was on the 17th April 1971. It originated from Stalybridge, picking up at all stations to Alderley Edge (if my memory serves me correct) We boarded at Reddish South and the train was formed of Class 47 D1966 in two tone green & a rake of Mk1 (mainly)compartment stock. It ran via Crewe, Shrewsbury, Hereford then via the Severn tunnel to Bristol TM. I remember the weather in Bristol was very sunny & warm, perfect for photographing the the many Westerns, Warships, Hymeks plus NBL 22's & Blue Pullman which I had never seen before, very happy memories.

Greenback · 27 Apr 2014

I remember three Merrymaker Mystery trips from Swansea in my youth. The first was to the Isle of Wight, via Reading and Guildford to portsmouth Harbour, where we had an included ferry crossing to Ryde and a free ride down the pier to the town. We then chose to take a bus tour of the island, even though I would have preferred to take the train to Shanklin! (Not to worry, I insisted we went back for a holdiay the following year!).

The second one ended up in Hastings, but I don't remember much about the route. I think we went via the coast, at least on the way back, but I could be wrong.

Finally, our destination was Ramsgate or Margate. Again I can't remember the exact route! All the trips were in mark 1 carriages, which seemed very spacious and comfortable to an eleven year old.

My grandmothers used to tell me about a brilliant trip they took with a destination they weren't really expecting - Liverpool! They thought they would be taken to a seaside resort! But they had an excellent time and I never tired of hearing about the train journey, the Cavern, the Liver Building, the cathedrals and the food that they had that day. I was very young and hearing about their day out may have helped sow the seeds for my love of travel and railways!

ChiefPlanner · 27 Apr 2014

Amazing to think that places like Treherbet had 47 hauled "MYSTEX" trains to such places as Ramsgate or Weymouth in todays climate. I believe the Cardiff Division was quite good at organising other "extras" - such as Swansea - Bristol Zoo (Clifton Down) - using "spare" class 37 locomotives during the 2 week coal shutdown period.

Greenback · 28 Apr 2014

ChiefPlanner said:
Amazing to think that places like Treherbet had 47 hauled "MYSTEX" trains to such places as Ramsgate or Weymouth in todays climate. I believe the Cardiff Division was quite good at organising other "extras" - such as Swansea - Bristol Zoo (Clifton Down) - using "spare" class 37 locomotives during the 2 week coal shutdown period.

Although it's a long time ago now, my recollections are that a lot of Merrymaker trains ran in South Wales during the late 1970's. It seemed that there was an advert in the Evening Post almost every day for one trip or another!

All the ones that we went on as a family were full up, so the advertising must have worked!

Bill EWS · 28 Apr 2014

I remember doing Didcot to Carlisle and then a bus around the lake district, back to Carlisle and then back home. The Merrymakers were great value.

steamybrian · 28 Apr 2014

In the early 1970s when I was working for BR I had access to information knowing where the mystery excursions to/from the South East were going. An enthusiast friend of mine was interested in going on a trip from his home in the South East and wanted me to find out a train that would take him to see plenty of steam locomotives so he could scratch them off his list.. maybe a heritage railway??
A few months later I told him to book on a particular train from the South East (cost only a few pounds) but adamantly would not reveal his destination but assured him he would be able to see plenty of "kettles".
Afterwards he thanked me because as booked the train took him to Barry where he was able to "cop" a long list of withdrawn locos....

:

Masboroughlad · 29 Apr 2014

Rotherham to Ardrossan for Isle of Arran. Class 40 all the way.

overtonchris · 1 May 2014

I remember a great trip in 1978ish from Reading to Chester with my late brother and parents. 47 Reading to Brum. Swapped for an 86 to Crewe and then joy of joys for a Southern lad, a pair of 25s to Chester!!!. Spotted my first 24s in Chester and then as parents went to do the sights in Chester, self and brother took a trip to Liverpool. DMU to Rock Ferry -change - LMS-style electrics into Liverpool.

On the reverse the 25s had a problem outside Crewe delaying us for what seemed ages......eventually got back to Reading just in time to see our last train to Basingstoke (where we'd started from) leaving the station!!! A night in a rather posh (for us!) hotel ensued. A treat for us, but I don't think Dad was too impressed with the bill

!! Sweet memories.

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