Back in the day...

[CW2]

I never struck lucky with loco vice DMU around the Newcastle area. Can't be everywhere, I suppose.

Meanwhile ..
Sunday 14/05/78
46037 2025 York – Leeds
DMU Leeds – Selby
47416 2131 Selby – York
No, I can’t work it out either! I suspect beer may have been involved.

Monday 14/05/79
47552 1047 York – Leeds
43092 + 43093 1141 Leeds – Harrogate
DMU Harrogate – Leeds
40106 1807 Leeds – Settle
40013 1956 Settle – Leeds
47430 Leeds – York
First day of the new timetable, including an hourly Liverpool – York loco-hauled service. Also the (not) first run of an HST to Harrogate, with an entire FO reserved for Press. I was filmed alighting from the train at Harrogate by the local TV News team. After college I couldn’t resist green 40106 on the 1605 Nottingham to Carlisle, which I took to Settle. We reached Settle 30 minutes late due to slow running searching for buckled rails in the searing heat, and a severe PW slack over the newly relaid Settle Junction (the site of an almighty derailment involving explosives wagons). At Settle there was still time for a swift pint in the Golden Lion, and back with 40013, which was also 30’ late due to fluctuating amps on the loco. The unlovely 47430 took me back home to York.

Wednesday 14/05/80
40111 1712 Kings Cross – Peterborough
55009 2006 Peterborough – Kings Cross

Monday 14/05/84
This was the first weekday of the new timetable, with 31/4s and stock taking over all the former Trans Pennine DMU diagrams – and a bit more besides.
31411 1432 York – Hull via Hambleton, Selby.
31401 1601 Hull – Sheffield via Goole, Doncaster, Rotherham Masborough
47600 1801 Sheffield – Leeds via Moorthorpe
47401 1910 Leeds – Selby (Through service from Carlisle to Hull).
DMU Selby – Leeds – and onto a night shift!

Wednesday 14/05/86
37413 1820 Glasgow QS – Arrochar & Tarbet
37410 1945 Arrochar & Tarbet – Glasgow QS
37410 was required, which explains this move. I’ve had it quite a few times since then …

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 14th May 1983

A year before @CW2 did his 31/4s on the Transpennine routes (and lots more of me on that in due course), these little beasts still ruled the roost between Birmingham NS and Norwich. I always liked 31s, underpowered and ugly though they were... This set of moves is from my class listings and so I do not know the 86/87 that got me from Warrington to Birmingham, then...

31421 Birmingham NS to Leicester
31409 Leicester to Birmingham NS
31246 Birmingham NS to Leicester
31419 Leicester to Nuneaton
31409 Nuneaton to Melton Mowbray
31414 Melton Mowbray to Nuneaton
31279 Nuneaton to Leicester
31421 Leicester to Birmingham NS
85032 Birmingham NS to Crewe
86/87 back to WBQ

I'd done a similar day on 19th March 83 when 31125 put in an appearance amongst all the 31/4s and on 12th February 1983 when 31321 had also popped up. That latter day also saw 37038 taken from Leicester to Melton Mowbray.

 

[CW2]

Although I always preferred English Electric traction to any large Sulzers, with the smaller locos it was the other way round for me. I enjoyed the various Type 2 and Type 3 Sulzers much more than I ever did with 31s, which were horrifically overweight and under-powered. To me they were the black sheep of the EE family (so you visited them sometimes, and hoped they were in a good mood, but didn't stick around too long). I admire your perseverance with bashing them on the Birmingham - Norwiches - I'd never have done that. I'd more likely have spent my day on the WCML bashing Roarers.

 

[NorthWestRover]

You wait until you see what I did once they came onto the Cheshire Lines route via Warrington Central!

 

[NorthWestRover]

I liked all type 2s and 3s really. Cute little things. It was just the Sulzer/Brush type 4s I wasn't too keen on. Mainly cos they spent all their time turning up on diagrams that should have had 40s.

 

[xotGD]

14th May 1986

81009 New St - Cov 1A54
87017 Cov - New St 1G34

I'm not sure if I was heading to Coventry for footy and got lucky with the Roarer, or went because of the 81. Either way, nice.

14th May 1994

47829 Derby - Cardiff

Yawn.

I definitely couldn't have spent a day chasing 31s. But better than a Duff.

 

[jacobmartin]

Yeah, I also have the same nostalgia.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 15th May 1982

25080 Warrington BQ to Rhyl
25080 Rhyl to Warrington BQ

Found this in my class listings. The Class 25 Passenger Working site shows this was on The Bangor. My guess is from looking at later summer Saturdays in my 1982 moves books I took this from Warrington to pick up a 40 on the 09.00 Llandudno to York back to Warrington where I would have picked up a 40 on the 10.45 Man Vic to Holyhead, again as far as Rhyl where I picked up the Rat to position for another 40 move, I'm sure. Unfortunately the Motherlist doesn't help on this date.

Tuesday 15th May 1990

212 344-6 Blieskastel Stadt to Homburg
212 344-6 Homburg to Bierbach
218 387-9 Bierbach to St Ingbert
141 115-6 St Ingbert to Homburg
212 344-6 Homburg to Bierbach
628 270-1 Bierbach to Zweibrucken
628 286-7 Zweibrucken to Blieskastel Lautzkirchen

Friday 15th May 1992

HST Oxford to Paddington (06. 05 ex Hereford)
HST Padd to Oxford (17.10 to Hereford)

I was living and working in Oxford then. Given the times of the trains I think I had a training course in London. Unfortunately it was HSTs, 165s and Duffs by then. Hoovers gone.

 

[CW2]

Monday 15/05/78
47430 1620 Harrogate – Leeds
47005 1707 Leeds – York

Tuesday 15/05/79
The second day of the hourly Liverpool – York services, and still no 40s to be seen …
45013 1147 York – Dewsbury
47458 1239 Dewsbury – Leeds
45110 1321 Leeds – Huddersfield
46006 1428 Huddersfield – York
47172 1647 York – Leeds
45013 1759 Leeds – York

Tuesday 15/05/84
...but spool forward 5 years and 40122 was out to play ...
45125 0742 Leeds – Manchester Victoria
40122 0852 Manchester Victoria – Newcastle
40122 1420 Newcastle – York
45048 2023 York – Leeds (and back onto night shift)

Wednesday 15/05/85
Another attempt at covering the 0927 Liverpool – Edinburgh portion from Carstairs, this time with a greater degree of success:
86209 1115 Glasgow Central – Carstairs
37065 1302 Carstairs – Edinburgh
27050 1415 Edinburgh – Markinch
27046 1508 Markinch – Edinburgh
37065 1610 Edinburgh – Carstairs
47701 1653 Carstairs – Edinburgh
37132 1810 Edinburgh – Carstairs
86210 1850 Carstairs – Lockerbie
87005 2004 Lockerbie – Glasgow Central
After scoring 37065 I did a fill-in on 27s to Markinch and back (scoring both locos) prior to 37065’s return working to Carstairs. Doubling back with 47701 I then took 37132 back to Carstairs, staying with the train through to Lockerbie, for 87005 through to Glasgow Central.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Ah, 40122...

 

[xotGD]

A late entry from yesterday - 14th May 1983:

45121 Newcastle - Leeds 1M75
40012 Leeds - Carlisle 1M26

We had some gen (for a change) and decided that a 40 over the S&C would be a nice afternoon out.


15th May 1982 - no Rats or 40s for me:

31270 Sunderland - Newcastle 1N04
8 hours spotting at the Central then
47405 Newcastle - Manors 1S15

I did see several 40s that day: 27/49/167/177/183

15th May 1987:
Late running unit meant we missed a Hoover and had to catch a tram to Cheltenham for the beers, then:
47609 Cheltenham - New Street
37162 + 37128 Lickey Bankers

15th May 1993:
47848 New St - Cardiff

 

[NorthWestRover]

We started this most recent On This Day series on 25th April. As I'm adding my Roarers to Trainlogger, I've just done 22nd April 1978 when I had 85021 from Warrington Bank Quay to Carstairs and back. I was obviously not having a day out in Carstairs but en route to Edinburgh. I have no record of the diesel which brought us back to Carstairs but the outward journey was 55021 - my first Deltic haulage.

 

[xotGD]

We started this most recent On This Day series on 25th April. As I'm adding my Roarers to Trainlogger, I've just done 22nd April 1978 when I had 85021 from Warrington Bank Quay to Carstairs and back. I was obviously not having a day out in Carstairs but en route to Edinburgh. I have no record of the diesel which brought us back to Carstairs but the outward journey was 55021 - my first Deltic haulage.

Deltic on a Carstairs portion - dreadful!

 

[NorthWestRover]

I'm assuming it was an ADEX of some sort with the same roarer there and back and the Deltic. Nothing on Six Bells though. The return Edinburgh to Carstairs was either a 47/4 or a 40 as otherwise it would be in my class listings.

 

[xotGD]

I'm assuming it was an ADEX of some sort with the same roarer there and back and the Deltic. Nothing on Six Bells though. The return Edinburgh to Carstairs was either a 47/4 or a 40 as otherwise it would be in my class listings.

The Chronicles of Napier has the following:

18.04.78
Restricted to one power unit the locomotive performed the following moves from 18/04 (possibly from 14/04) until 24/04: 0V92 05:40 Haymarket - Perth, 5V92 07:48 Perth - Edinburgh (via Ladybank & Bridge of Earn) and 1E83 17:10 Edinburgh - Berwick. After which it was shopped for repairs at Doncaster Works.

Sadly no gen about your trip, but might explain why it was working a local turn out and back from Haymarket.

 

[NorthWestRover]

I only had 7 Deltics for haulage, although it was their final days that moved me on from spotting to bashing really. The excitement of doing a run behind Tulyar across the Pennines on 27th December 1981 was great. I went to see the Farewell Tour at York on 2nd January 1982. I seem to remember the platforms being totally wedged.

 

[xotGD]

I only had 7 Deltics for haulage, although it was their final days that moved me on from spotting to bashing really. The excitement of doing a run behind Tulyar across the Pennines on 27th December 1981 was great. I went to see the Farewell Tour at York on 2nd January 1982. I seem to remember the platforms being totally wedged.

It was the same at Newcastle. And then getting home to see the final arrival into Kings Cross featured on the BBC news.

 

[NorthWestRover]

16th May - nowt for today.

 

[CW2]

Tuesday 16/05/78
47507 1834 York – Selby
47411 1852 Selby – York
A “Deltic” bash with no Deltics!

Wednesday 16/05/79
47415 1047 York – Leeds
43058 + 43118 1141 Leeds – Harrogate
43080 + 43081 1710 Harrogate – Leeds
46039 1807 Leeds – Keighley
45020 2025 Keighley – Leeds
DMU Leeds – Garforth
45061 2142 Garforth – Leeds
40071 2250 Leeds – Stockport
Another trip to college in Harrogate, this time with different HSTs there and back. An evening trip to Keighley (perhaps to sample the local ales), with Peaks both ways, then a DMU out to Garforth to intercept the 2039 Hull – Leeds, which could produce anything from a 25 to a Deltic. In this instance 45061 was the power. I was about to head off home to York when the 2150 York – Shrewsbury arrived behind 40071, so I set off on an overnight to Stockport instead …

Friday 16/05/80
I had to go from London to Reading to visit my opticians, then across to Euston for an interview as a Train Trolley Caterer. I chose my trains well:
50040 0850 Paddington – Reading
50040 1511 Reading – Paddington
On arrival at Paddington I dashed straight over to Euston for my interview. I could have caught the 1550 Paddington – Birmingham New Street with some ease, but I ignored it. It happened to be 40185, the first time a 40 had worked out of Paddington on a service train for 5 years! After my interview at Euston:
82002 1723 Euston – Bletchley
86256 1806 Bletchley – Euston
82007 2050 Euston – Crewe
Before Milton Keynes Central was built, some WCML main line services called at Bletchley, so this was a pleasant little evening bash. The 86 touched 112 mph on the southbound trip (at a time when they were limited to 100 mph) and regained 7 minutes. 82007 shut down completely 4 times en route to Crewe, and ran most of the way on 3 traction motors, and still managed to reach Crewe 5 minutes ahead of schedule.

Saturday 16/05/81
This was the period of the so-called “false summer”, when the timetable change date had passed but there were all manner of short term variations in place. I can’t remember the precise reason now – possibly some form of industrial action. Its effect on my day was severe:
86259 0050 Euston – Stafford
86321 0300 Stafford – Manchester Piccadilly
A group of us breakfasted together, then wandered across to Victoria. The 0747 to Bangor was 40120, but we weren’t valid that early, so waited for one of the later North Wales Summer Saturday services:
0940 to Llandudno “allocated” 40169 produced 2 x 2-car DMU
1105 to Holyhead “allocated” 40163 produced 47182
1240 to Llandudno “allocated” 40174 produced 2 x 2 car DMU
The only thing for it was to drink considerable amounts of beer to drown our sorrows, and to wait for 40120 to produce on the afternoon Bangor…
40120 1540 Manchester Victoria – Llandudno Jn
40024 1803 Llandudno Junction – Bangor
40024 1935 Bangor – Manchester Victoria
47182 2238 Manchester Victoria – Holyhead
40120 swapped for 40024 at Llandudno Junction for no apparent reason. The station area was littered with freightliner containers, after 40143 had recently derailed on a Holyhead to Crewe freightliner service - one of the sand boxes had broken loose and derailed the loco on pointwork at speed, scattering flat wagons and containers all around. I didn’t fully appreciate what was going on because my eyes and brain were no longer functioning correctly (due to the lengthy stay in the pub). A reviving round of tea and toast was had from the buffet in Bangor. I think I was wearing a wig at the time.
From Holyhead we went on a Group Excursion, which goes discreetly off-thread …
(Maybe I’ll tell the full tale one day, but not just yet. Let’s just say it involves a CIE class 071 locomotive working a passenger service, with a lot of enthusiasts in both cabs and along the running boards of the loco, taking it in turns to drive.)

Sunday 16/05/82
The final day of through express services from Nottingham to Glasgow via the S&C.
86242 0855 Euston – Watford Jn
86227 1006 Watford Jn – Crewe
86230 1354 Crewe – Carlisle
47463 1707 Carlisle – Skipton (The last Up Scotch Express)
45005 1917 Skipton – Carlisle (The last Down Scotch Express)
82005 2107 Carlisle – Glasgow Central
86010 2355 Glasgow Central – Birmingham NS
(Mon 17/05/82)
86210 0618 Birmingham NS - Euston
Loco -wise, only 82005 was worth having. The rest was junk.

Wednesday 16/05/84
31218 0705 Leeds – Brough
31411 0844 Brough – York via Selby, Hambleton
45146 2023 York – Leeds
From / to a night shift in Leeds. A trip to Brough because I needed 31218 (vice 31/4).

Thursday 16/05/85
Covering the 0927 Liverpool – Edinburgh once more …
86209 1115 Glasgow Central – Carstairs
37096 1302 Carstairs – Haymarket
47707 1333 Haymarket – Glasgow QS
47469 2330 Glasgow QS – Perth

Saturday 16/05/92
RfD class 90s had started appearing on ECML services to Edinburgh vice 91s. I had no idea whether this would be a short-lived arrangement, but decided to sample it if I could:
DMU 0442 Reading – Paddington
91012 0600 Kings Cross – Stevenage
EMU Stevenage – Kings Cross
90023 0800 Kings Cross – Edinburgh
EMU Edinburgh – North Berwick and return
90023 1430 Edinburgh – Darlington (fail)
91019 1739 Darlington – Doncaster
91014 1921 Doncaster – Leeds
91003 2020 Leeds – Kings Cross
43035 + 43127 2320 Paddington – Reading
The first train to cover out of Kings Cross, the 0600, produced a 91, so I did a fill-in move to Stevenage and return. The 0800 produced 90023 – excellent! I took it all the way to Edinburgh. A fill-in move by EMU to North Berwick and return, then I returned south with 90023. Unfortunately it all went wrong at Darlington. It seems that the driver who took over at Newcastle wasn’t informed there was a 90 on the back instead of the usual 91, and as such it went (ahem) a bit faster than it should, and the overspeed tripped. We coasted into Darlington station, where the (surprised and aggrieved) driver refused to run the loco round the train and drive from the 90, so the train was terminated. The use of class 90s was pretty much restricted to Kings Cross – Leeds / York semi-fast services not long afterwards. I never had another one on a daytime service train to Edinburgh via the ECML. I finished the day with a few more 91s.

 

[NorthWestRover]

1981 seems have been an adventure

 

[CW2]

1981 seems have been an adventure

Ah yes ...They do things differently in Ireland. That was my first visit. I've not been back for over 30 years now.
The day out in North Wales was bad enough. I'm not a heavy drinker, but that day I imbibed rather too many rather too quickly, and consequently the rest of the day (and night) was a bit blurred.
I think the Travellers Fare staff at Bangor took pity on me, and fed me tea and toast free of charge to sober me up. I'm not sure where the very-fetching feminine curly wig came from. It appeared in the pub at some stage. Thankfully the number of occasions when I've got that drunk is very few.

 

[xotGD]

16th May 1987 - a wander round the wider West Midlands area after rejecting the Cambrian Coast, which paid dividends. Missing bits are units:

85022 New St - Wolves 1P02
47441 Wolves - Shrewsbury 1J20
37427/430 backed onto the train, so I decided not to bother, and headed back south
85020 Wolves - New St
37252 + 86403 (Dead) New St - Nuneaton 1A50
I don't think that drags were planned that day, but I wasn't complaining. Here we are after arriving in Nuneaton:



Looking at class37.co.uk 252 worked all day, but only in one direction, hence I didn't have it back to Brum.

86424 New St - Wolves 1G34
86215 Wolves - New St 1A68
86435 New St - Stafford 1M45
31438 + 31408 Nuneaton - New St 1M77

16th May 1988:
85002 New St - Stockport 1M10
47608 Stalybridge - Newcastle 1E57

A better way to get back to the north east than a tram throughout.

16th May 1994:
47813 Bristol TM - New St
Returning from the trip to Cardiff - are you actually valid via Bristol?

 

[NorthWestRover]

16th May 1987
31438 + 31408 Nuneaton - New St 1M77

Excellent move

 

[xotGD]

Excellent move

I thought you might approve of that!

The train must have been at least Load 4, hence the need for a pair!

 

[CW2]

I thought you might approve of that!

The train must have been at least Load 4, hence the need for a pair!

I must admit that raised a smile!

I only ever had one 37 on the Nuneaton drags, and that was a 37/4, so I tip my hat to you in getting 37252.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Still slogging my way through adding Goyle moves from class listings to Trainlogger. I did those Brum to Leicester moves a lot! And that was before I moved to Wolverhampton!! Weird, but it looks like 408 was one of only four of the 31/4s I didn't have (including with previous numbers).

 

[CW2]

I once had 31408 on the 0300 Leeds - Hull, as far as Selby. The remarkable thing was the loco had worked the 2300 Kings Cross - Bradford as far as Leeds, arriving 30 minutes late at 0307, and was immediately attached to the 0300 to Hull, which was 14 minutes late start as a result. (There are plenty of other 31/4s which I never had).

 

[NorthWestRover]

I'd have liked a Goyle up the Southern part of the ECML.

 

[CW2]

I'd have liked a Goyle up the Southern part of the ECML.

I had a few in or out of Kings Cross, mostly on overnights.
Back in 1983 I had to come up to London just before Christmas to pick up my passport and visa from the Polish Consulate. I did an HST to Kings Cross straight off night shift at Leeds, picked up the passport, then headed back to Kings Cross to go home to York. As it was just before Christmas some reliefs were running, including a 1230 relief to Edinburgh, load 10 Mk 1s, which had 31168 on the business end. We were 15 minutes late into York, which wasn't bad going I suppose.

Back in October 1979 I was travelling with a friend from York to London, both of us going on the same course at City University. I persuaded him that we should ignore the HST services in favour of the 1215 York - Kings Cross stopper, which was a pretty solid Deltic turn at the time. Around the corner from Clifton Carriage Sidings came 31410. I warned my mate that this would all go horribly wrong. We departed 10' late, waiting loco + stock, and lost 25 minutes more to Peterborough, where 31410 boiled itself to a steaming standstill. Eventually 47200 came off the fuelling point to haul us to Kings Cross, 75' late. (No delay repay in those days).

A goyle on the southern part of the ECML was usually an indication of power shortages and inevitable time loss.

 

[NorthWestRover]

17th May 1986

On the equivalent Saturday 12 months later, @xotGD declined the pair of STH 37s on the Cambrian Coast in pursuit of something more interesting. However, on this day in 1986 I did just that move, funnily enough with remarkably similar locos to those he would refuse.

DMU Wolverhampton to Telford
to pick up the 07.30 Euston to Pwllheli

47468 Telford to Shrewsbury

37427/37429 Shrewsbury to Pwllheli

The loco and stock then formed the 15.30 to Porthmadog

37429/37427 Pwllheli to Porthmadog

Before working back on the 17.08 to Euston

37429/37427 Porthmadog to Shrewsbury

37430 Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton

Good 37/4 mileage.