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Old and new bashing trips by Cowley

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D841 Roebuck

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I don't think so AFAIK the ones there were 03084, 03158, 03189 and 03112. I have a record of 03197 on Crown Point Shed on 21.4.87, and at Crown Point Open day in May 87. By the way another ex NC 03 that survives is 03180, It's at Peak Rail and still has an NR shed sticker
A few years earlier they were more widespread than Norwich, with 189 at Barrow Hill, then Birkenhead, whilst 112 was one of Hull Botanic Gardens' trio.
 

Cowley

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Scenic Railcar Weekend at the East Lancs 4/11/2017

How exciting. My first ever trip on the East Lancs - a railway that I’ve wanted to visit for years.
A certain Mr Ash Bridge suggested quite a few months ago that I should head north and savour the delights of the ELR with himself through the front windows of various 1st generation DMUs.
It sounded like a good plan so I found myself being dropped off at Exeter Airport at 5:40am by the lovely and very understanding Mrs C. Unfortunately my SIM card had packed up the day before although the phone was still taking pictures, I had to borrow a friends brick phone to make calls and texts on. Not easy stepping back in time.
I’d deliberately not drunk coffee before leaving home so that I’d sleep on the flight. No chance. Far too excited.
In the end I chatted to a nice older lady next to me and she told me that her cousin was in involved with LMS 6201 ‘Princess Elizebeth’.
Somewhere over the Brecon Beacons I was chatting to the lady and drinking my coffee when I realised that the clouds had risen up to our level and the plane was starting to wobble. I was too late getting the lid back onto the cup as the plane took an almighty lurch and I threw my coffee up the back of the seat and onto my trousers.
I have a bit of a thing anyway with planes where I’m staring at the lift up table in front of me and thinking - if we crash at 200mph what sort of head protection can I expect from a hard plastic table when all I’ve got on is a lap belt?

Dash thingy plane thingy - I’ll go for ‘or rail’ thanks.
A02D4845-4E2A-4756-BF75-F7F4E19D3F90.jpeg

Upon landing at a very soggy Manchester Airport I hot footed it to the station and took 185135 (which was making a strange transmission whining sound) to Manchester Piccadilly before meeting Mr Bridge on the concourse. Bacon rolls were sourced (and sauced) and we headed down to catch the tram out to Bury.

Trams are great. They’re a bit like buses but on rails.
92BC3D4D-89CF-4EFC-BBB0-FCD237D09179.jpeg

The line out to Bury was new track for me and to be honest it’s so long since I’ve been in Manchester that it all seemed pretty new. Piccadilly is very smart these days...

The East Lancs.
What a railway! Bury Bolton Street has a proper mainline feel to it and after purchasing tickets we headed down to the platforms to be confronted with this wonderful scene...

109,121,110 line up.
F604231A-815D-47C8-A056-62E8DC0DB50F.jpeg

A couple of days before I’d mentioned to my stepbrother that I was going to a DMU gala for the day and he was still laughing at me an hour later “DMUs! Bog carts hahaha” etc. Hmm.
Well I didn’t care because this was heaven.
Anyway it was planned that 40135 was going to drag the 104 unit later in the day and he loves 40s so I was going to send him a photo to shut him up (I must admit I was looking forward to the 40 drag). ;)

We took the 121 Bubble Car (towing a CCT van) to Ramsbottom and I was full of memories of travelling on them in my youth. The smell, the noise, lovely.

Bubble interior

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At Ramsbottom we watched the beautifully restored Cravens 105 pass by as we waited for the Calder Valley 110 to take us on up to Rawtenstall.

The Cravens in the olden days...

CCF8E01C-FD2A-40E0-90CF-BEAD87F07CCB.jpeg

Unfortunately at Rawtenstall the 110 developed a problem meaning that it had to be driven from the rear cab with the driver looking backwards out of the rear cab. Not a big problem but it did slow the timetable down a bit.
We opted to take the 110 down to Ramsbottom and then pick up the Wickham 109 back to Rawtenstall (I got tooted and shouted at for going towards the foot crossing at Ramsbottom despite being told to do so by a different member of staff. Most embarrassing).

The 109 was a thing of beauty and totally unlike anything else I’d been on - all Art Deco and stylish. Smooth too with a lovely sprung ride. We took this back to Bury for a burger lunch and a couple of pints in the pub on the platform ready for the main event which was to be the 104 up to Heywood and hopefully front seats on the return before they attached 40135 to the front.

104 at Bury...

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I needed the toilet and asked the guard if I had time to go but he said we were leaving and I could use the toilet at Heywood (I wrongly assumed that the toilet on the unit didn’t work).
The 104 made easy work of the ‘Ski Jump’ on the Heywood section and we’d managed to find ourselves the best seats in the house right at the back ready for a full window view of the 40 when it attached.
Mr Bridge went to the toilet first while I kept the seats, then I went and was in mid flow as the guard blew his whistle and the driver honked the horn before I felt the toilet shaking as the train went! o_O
I don’t know if any of you have tried to rearrange yourself, escape a toilet and answer an unfamiliar phone to a frantic friend who’s disappearing into the distance at a great rate of knots? Well it wasn’t what I was expecting to happen!

Hello? There’s nobody here.
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I found two chaps in the office and whined at them about what had just happened and one of them said it was his fault that he didn’t check everyone was on board.
“You’re not running Clapham Junction you know!” Said I.
“I’m really sorry” he replied, “all I can do is offer you a coffee.”

So I drank coffee and mooched around in the cold before being rescued by the 109 about 40 minutes later.
Ah well.

After meeting up with Mr Bridge back at Bury we did a quick trip up to Heywood and back on the Cravens 105 which again was fabulous and we also had the pleasure of The Black Watch for company which was nice.

So it was then time to get home via two different trams to Piccadilly and 390155 to Euston. First time on a Pendo and I thought it was pretty good tilting away and watching the fireworks out of the window. Nice tilting beer too, mmm.

What kind of stupid a*se name is that?
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I tubed it to Paddington and was pleased to be on some 1972 stock on the Bakerloo (a year older than me!)

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From Paddington it was the 20:06 to Plymouth with 43163 on the front and 187 at the back.

Paddington 43 lineup

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It was a great journey back and I stood by the open droplight a few times savouring the experience. The beer may have helped with the enjoyment too...

All in all a fantastic day out with great company and despite the disappointment with missing the 40 it was probably the best gala I’d been to in a few years.

Thanks for reading.
 
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fishquinn

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A big shame that you ended up missing the 40 - that must have been gutting. At least the staff were very friendly by the sound of it.
 

Dhassell

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Sounds like a great time at the East Lancs! Another heritage railway I want to visit in the near future!
 

Cowley

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A big shame that you ended up missing the 40 - that must have been gutting. At least the staff were very friendly by the sound of it.

I was gutted fq but I’m sooo over it now. Mr Bridge showed solidarity by not getting it in the end either. Although I wouldn’t have cried if he had ;).
 

Cowley

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Sounds like a great time at the East Lancs! Another heritage railway I want to visit in the near future!

I thoroughly recommend it. It’s all ex double line with tunnels, the Ski Jump, at least three or four disused station that you pass through, big bridges across rivers... Very interesting, can’t wait to go again sometime.
 

Techniquest

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Interesting that you flew up but train all the way back!

Ouch to missing the 40, which I need too as it was being repaired when I was up there
 

Ash Bridge

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I was gutted fq but I’m sooo over it now. Mr Bridge showed solidarity by not getting it in the end either. Although I wouldn’t have cried if he had ;).

I could never have done that to you Mr Cowley ;) (needed the loo again badly by the the time the 104 arrived back at Bury where the class 40 was attached so just had to get off!)

Another great read from you Mr C :smile:
 

Cowley

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Interesting that you flew up but train all the way back!

Ouch to missing the 40, which I need too as it was being repaired when I was up there

Yeah it was the cheapest way to do it really that gave me a proper day up there. Basically it was £40 on the plane, £22 on Virgin plus £18 on GWR which was all pretty reasonable, especially as I payed for it a while before.
Part of me wanted to go on a ferry when I got back just to say that I’d been on all forms of transport in a day...
 

Cowley

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I could never have done that to you Mr Cowley ;) (needed the loo again badly by the the time the 104 arrived back at Bury where the class 40 was attached so just had to get off!)

Another great read from you Mr C :smile:

Thanks for that and for the lunch!
I made another mistake this evening when I drove me and the boys fifteen miles to a friends house to watch the Northern Ireland game and when we got there he said it had been on at 5, not 7:45.
Ridiculous.
 

Ash Bridge

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Thanks for that and for the lunch!
I made another mistake this evening when I drove me and the boys fifteen miles to a friends house to watch the Northern Ireland game and when we got there he said it had been on at 5, not 7:45.
Ridiculous.

Your most welcome! I'm seriously getting a bit worried about you though with all these mishaps, I see you haven't yet mentioned the other one that occurred to the passenger sat near you on your plane up to Manchester?
 

Cowley

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Your most welcome! I'm seriously getting a bit worried about you though with all these mishaps, I see you haven't yet mentioned the other one that occurred to the passenger sat near you on your plane up to Manchester?

Oops I’d forgotten about that!
I think I’ll have to edit that in now.
 

fowler9

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Brilliant read that Mr C. I really should get to the East Lancs more often. A cracking line. I had an understanding ex who was happy to visit to which made it more fun.
 

47403

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Sounded like a canny day, I had little time for them DMU's until the 143s and 142s arrived in the North East and replaced the 101's. God I still hanker to have them back, they seemed a damn sight more comfortable. Especially when they died and loco's dragged them over the Tyne Valley, I recently found a pic of my first ever 25 for haulage, in may 1983, 25051, its not my pic but Gary Smith's, I bumped into my Dad's friend and he told me about it and I told my mates, sending those of us there, scrambling to Blaydon for it.
25051.jpg
Sorry you missed the 40, I'd have just pee'd myself.
 

Ash Bridge

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That's a nice shot with the train spotlighted by that shaft of sunlight through the roof of Central Station. I would have personally preferred a small loco like a 25 on that East Lancs drag, using the 40 equaled using a 'sledgehammer to crack the nut' for me, I have to admit though 40135 looked and sounded awesome.

(What a damn shame Mr Cowley was stranded 4.25 miles away in Heywood) ;)
 

Cowley

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That is a lovely picture. A 25 on a DMU drag would be awesome. You can imagine the driver giving it some welly to try and catch up the timetable.
What about this photo I found on the net?
04F54A38-BEC5-41BE-9190-DA4480DF897D.jpeg (Mr Bridge has seen it already) 2700 hp (if on both engines) on the Falmouth line...
 

Iskra

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Very good report Cowley. Agreed the ELR is an amazing line. The toilet story is pretty funny tbh, but I sympathise as there is absolutely nothing to do at Heywood. I'm also quite surprised that this was your first trip on a pendo- glad you enjoyed it and it is great viewing everyone else's fireworks when travelling- they look so much more dramatic at 125mph.
 

Cowley

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Shred - Not done an internal fight in the UK? You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a multitude of orange ladies in Exeter Airport at 6 in the morning... :lol:

Iskra - Thanks for that. Yes 390s are a bit thin on the ground at Cowley Bridge unfortunately.
I noticed something a bit strange with it though - when we were braking going around corners at high speed all the window blinds started vibrating. Is this normal I wondered..?
I’d gorged myself on a rubbery cheese and tomato panini and a couple of beers by then though so I just observed it all with a bit of a chuckle.
 
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