Back in the day...

[Peter Sarf]

As someone who has absolutely zero interest in train spotting... I’m finding it extremely enjoyable reading this every day. Not for the trains, but seeing how inventive you were to get your trips in amongst all the other facets of life, and how inventive power controllers were to keep the show on the road. And reading your emotions when a 47 rolls up!

I’m intrigued as to how people knew the timetable so well, to be able to contemplate some of these ‘moves’, and how the knowledge that a certain loco or other was diagrammed / unexpectedly allocated to a service on a given day, in the pre smart phone world.

I too find it amazing how things were worked out. But then I was living in North Kent with no encounters of enthusiasts unless I ventured to London which cost several weeks pocket money. So not much chance of going further afield unless we were visiting my grandparents in Birmingham. That was my springboard, principally for Mancester.

If I had my time again I would have spent more time chasing Westerns.

 

[CW2]

Friday 10/08/73 (2nd All Line Rover Day 3)
A simple day today: 0715 York – Aberdeen, 1623 Aberdeen – York. The only question was what the traction would be.
137 (45014) 0715 York – Edinburgh
271 (40071) 1140 Edinburgh – Aberdeen
My first journey over the Forth and Tay bridges, and I did it in style with a 40. At Aberdeen there was a layover of a couple of hours before the return journey, so I walked out to Ferryhill, and wandered around the shed. 271 was there, and I found it would also be working my journey back south. I was given a lift back to the station in 271 – excellent!
271 (40071) 1623 Aberdeen – Edinburgh
1740 (47147) 1920 Edinburgh - York

Tuesday 10/08/76
50016 0840 Plymouth – Par
DMU 0940 Par – Newquay, 1034 return
47258 1130 Par – Plymouth
47076 1255 Plymouth – Exeter St Davids
45019 1428 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth
1054 155 Plymouth - Exeter St Davids
DMU 1720 Exeter St Davids - Totnes
47048 1819 Totnes - Newton Abbot
50020 1905 Newton Abbot - Exeter St Davids
45073 1920 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth
A good cross-section of the various classes of traction prevalent in the West Country at that time.

Friday 10/08/79
Straight off the early shift in Manchester Victoria station buffet, and on to The Bangor as usual:
40084 1540 Manchester Victoria – Warrington Bank Quay
I alighted at Warrington rather than heading further west as I planned to cover the 1805 Blackpool North – Stranraer, in the hope of getting a class 40 forward from Carlisle. The crucial train was the 1605 Crewe – Preston, the arrival of which in Warrington was quite spectacular. Coming at line speed from the south, the driver misjudged the braking with his light train of Mk 1s (load 4), and hurtled through the station at Warrington still doing 60 mph with the brakes hard on. Coming to an abrupt stop some way north of the station, it took a few minutes to sort it all out, and he was given permission to set back into the platform. We still made the connection at Preston.
85011 1624 Warrington Bank Quay – Preston
DMU Preston – Blackpool North
40163 1805 Blackpool North – Preston
85015 1846 Preston – Carlisle
40175 2010 Carlisle – Stranraer
A group of us made ourselves known to the Ayr traincrew at Girvan as we waited to cross a train there. The result was an invitation to join them in the cab – or indeed to make ourselves at home in the back cab. I opted for the latter, and stood in the open cab doorway leaning out and savouring the full thrash of the class 40 on the climb out of Girvan.

Sunday 10/08/80
I’m out and about with my trolley again:
86257 0855 Euston – Stafford
47035 (+ 86257 dead) 1113 Stafford – Crewe
47450 1149 Crewe – Chester
I alighted at Chester to recharge my urns, and in the hope of some class 40 action:
40035 1314 Chester – Llanfairfechan
40126 1518 Llanfairfechan – Chester
At this point I could have simply picked up my return train through to Euston, but I’d found out that (required NB) 40046 was working the 1935 Bangor – Manchester Victoria, so my journey back to Euston became (ahem) slightly prolonged:
47438 1814 Chester – Llandudno Junction
40046 2000 Llandudno Junction – Manchester Victoria

Monday 10/08/81
37023 1405 Liverpool Street – Elsenham
37115 1516 Elsenham – Liverpool Street

 

[xotGD]

10th August 1982

Day 2 of my Northumbrian Ranger. A similar pattern to the previous day, but without the Class 40:

31102 Sunderland - Newcastle 1N04
45144 Newcastle - York 1O19
47409 York - Darlington 1E79
46033 Darlington - York 1M75
45110 York - Newcastle 1E55
46047 Newcastle - Alnmouth 1S15
47002 Alnmouth - Newcastle 1E21

10th August 1984

Two Syphons on DMU replacement turns, and I managed to fit them in around a dental appointment:

37020 Hexham - Newcastle 2E40
37003 Sunderland - Newcastle 2N??

10th August 1985

Saturday again...

47411 Newcastle - Darlington 1M73
37095 Darlington - Newcastle 1N35
47066 Newcastle - Durham 1M76
45014 Durham - Newcastle 1E33

10th August 1989

I ventured further than Heworth today:

31283 Newcastle - Sunderland
47053 Sunderland - Newcastle

10th August 1991

Out and about in the West Midlands once again, visiting Wolverhampton five times and Coventry twice. Haulage from:

86224, 86209, 87025, 90034, 87016, 90010, 86426, 87029, 87017, 86425

 

[MDB1images]

Monday 10th August 1987
Day 2 of my North West Rover.
87028 10:10 Preston – Carlisle
47427 12:37 Carlisle – Leeds(12:37 Carlisle-Leeds)
47316 18:20 Manchester Victoria – Preston(15:44 Nottingham-Blackpool N 1M26)
47451 19:01 Preston – Bolton(Glasgow Central-Manchester Victoria 1M87)
47110 19:58 Bolton – Preston (13:26 Harwich PQ-Blackpool N 1M12)
47146 21:10 Blackpool N – Preston (Blackpool N – Manchester Victoria)
47488 22:19 Preston – Bolton (Glasgow Central – Manchester Victoria 1M40)

Others noted…..
47146 1J18 07:47 Blackpool N-Manchester Victoria
47146 2P62 19:45 Manchester Victoria–Blackpool N
47648 Workington-Huddersfield TPO

47427 was a winner for the year Haulage wise and I was pleased to pick up for sight 143008 at Carlisle and 144015, 144020, 144022, 144023 and 150136 at Leeds so a profitable day.
I also ticked off one of my weeks objectives which was to do a ride on the S&C, this(then)teenager found it a really slow boring line, didn’t know what all the fuss had been about.
As the validity of the rover didn’t include the Leeds – Manchester via Huddersfield route I went back to Manchester to cover 1M26 via Bradford and the Calder valley on a unit!

 

[The exile]

How was this done pre mobile phones? I have images of a small fleet of pigeons being released from Crewe / York / Swindon most Saturday mornings...

I do remember what was probably the urban myth of the station tannoy somewhere passing on an urgent message to someone to phone Weymouth 37xxx as a relative was dangerously ill. Guess what was on the Cardiff - Weymouth that day!
Shame it almost certainly isn’t true!

The info screens at Temple Meads were used on at least one occasion used to pass on the news of the last- minute cancellation of a rail tour which should have started at Crewe and headed north ( ie nowhere near Bristol). Saved me a wasted journey to Crewe on a Friday night!

 

[D6130]

SATURDAY 10th AUGUST 1974:

A shopping trip to Portsmouth with an interesting, but very short, bit of inter-regional Summer Saturday haulage:

7416/7383/7810 Petersfield-Portsmouth & Southsea
5634 Portsmouth & Southsea-Portsmouth Harbour
47 122 Portsmouth Harbour-Portsmouth & Southsea (to Wolverhampton)
1131 Portsmouth & Southsea-Fratton
7357 Fratton-Havant
7353/7049/7354 Havant-Petersfield

TUESDAY 10th AUGUST 1976:

My father gave me a lift to Darlington, as he had business there, so I did a quick trip to York and back.

47 526 Darlington-York
E50295/56088 York-Darlington
E50606/56190 Darlington-Stockton

I deliberately chose to return to Darlington on the DMU, as I wanted to look at the track layouts and signalling on the ECML.

THURSDAY 10th AUGUST 1978:

Another after work Crompton haulage bash (By this time I was in a position to get the official gen on whether a required 33 was on one of the evening Waterloo-Exeters (or indeed the 16 38FO Waterloo-Yeovil Junction)

7702/7734/7720 Petersfield-Waterloo (06 23 ex-Portsmouth Harbour)
7350/7418 08 08 Waterloo-Wimbledon (to Woking)
7733/7837 16 53 Wimbledon-Woking (16 42 Waterloo-Bournemouth/Alton)
33 020 17 27 Woking-Basingstoke (17 00 Waterloo-Exeter St David's)
3012/420/401 Basingstoke-Woking (17 00 Bournemouth-Waterloo)
7343/7057/7055 Woking-Petersfield (18 20 Waterloo-Portsmouth Harbour)

Note the spare 4-BIG unit substituting for a CIG on the last service....very rare to see two BIGs on the same train (only one, 7057, had the buffet open).

Consist of 17 00 Waterloo-Exeter: W25945 (SK), W16213 (CK), W35044 & W35075 (BSK), W16224 (CK), W1778 (RB), W5029 & W5034 (TSO), W25941 (SK). Load 9, VB/DH.

 

[Tryfan]

I absolutely love it, keep them coming. The only downside for me is that it reinforces the loss of 99% of my (relatively meagre by your standards) moves notes. Damn my parents and their unhealthy obsession with clearing out the loft

Me too and I share your pain.

My records weren’t as comprehensive as many on here, not by a long chalk. I can’t actually remember when I did a Scottish Rail Rover whether it was ‘77 or ‘78 ffs. Or even what time of year.

I never fully got to grips with how so many people seemed to know all of the headcodes off by heart. It was like a foreign language. Sure I understood what they were but I could rarely correlate them to a time. So if I heard “Syphon on V62” for example I knew Cl37 heading to the Western region but I had no clue as to when. Often was a case of following those who seemed more knowledgeable or hanging around patiently waiting for it to show up. It got even more of a dark art when headcode boxes went to two headlights and no code anywhere.

I was always pretty good at remembering stuff and Tables 26, 51,53,56,57 & 116 were very familiar. And yes the All line timetable was in my bag most of the time. So working out different moves was good fun, especially the risky negative connections

In the last few months of Deltic workings, when one rolled up on a Deltic diagram the language could be pretty strong. I seem to recall that this was about the time “Duff” became commonly used.

I couldn’t swear to it but I’m sure that the Duff term for a Cl47 was around when they started to appear more frequently on the Paddington - New St services in place of Westerns.

I didn’t mind them per se and certainly didn’t turn down 47/3’s in the summer if one showed up

By the time the Deltics were being replaced I was halfway through my apprenticeship at BREL and had pretty much stopped bashing. Although I do have to admit to travelling DBY to DON to travel to KGX behind a Deltic when going to stay at my Dad’s on more than one occasion The language around was pretty strong if an ETH Duff showed up on what was supposed to be a Deltic turn for sure.

Ironic how HST’s inspired similar passions 40 years on.

 

[xotGD]

I never fully got to grips with how so many people seemed to know all of the headcodes off by heart.

That's where books like "Loco Hauled Travel" and "1H86" came in handy. Headcodes, booked traction, diagrams, etc.

Ironic how HST’s inspired similar passions 40 years on.

Not for some of us!

 

[CW2]

That's where books like "Loco Hauled Travel" and "1H86" came in handy.

I was a close friend of Ken Howard who was the author of the 1Hxx series of headcode books. He was employed as a signal design engineer at Cardington Street, Euston, and had access to a full national set of Working Timetables, from which he extracted the data.
Ken introduced me to Polish Steam locos, and we went on several winter bashes together, exploring the branch lines of Poland over the Christmas / New Year holiday period (before I had kids).
Ken suffered from some neurological complaint, and was invalided out of his job in his mid 50s, and died in his early 60s. He was survived by his wife Jane who was a driver at Redhill, and who herself died relatively early a few years ago.

 

[Harvester]

The Eclipse Venturer (Crewe to Plymouth Charter)

Wednesday 11th August 1999

66013 Crewe-Plymouth (rake of 13 Mark 1 Opens)

We left Crewe at 21:00 hrs on the Tuesday evening on a ten hour schedule, which included two lengthy stops on a roundabout route.

The route was Crewe-Chester-Shrewsbury-Hereford-Severn Tunnel Junction-Chepstow-Gloucester. The train stood at Gloucester for an hour (01:50 to 02:50) before heading to Bristol where it had more time to kill. We left Bristol at 04:15 hrs and took the direct route to Plymouth.

Another charter hauled by 47798 was held at Exeter as we passed. The class 66 made light work of Dainton Bank, despite its load and Totnes was passed on time. A few signal checks were encountered approaching Plymouth but arrival was on time at 07:10 hrs. The sun was shining as we left the station but that was to change.

The forecast was for heavy cloud, and when we arrived on Plymouth Hoe the sun had been obscured and remained so throughout the eclipse sequence. Did experience the drop in temperature and the switch from day to night in seconds, as the Moon’s shadow hit the Hoe, but it was disappointing not to see the sun in eclipse.

Headed back to the city centre for a pub lunch then back to the station.

66013 16:41 Plymouth-Crewe

We left a few minutes late, as 66013 was delayed running round the stock it had brought in from Laira. Another charter hauled by 47799 was also in the station and 66037 was waiting to enter the station with stock for another returning charter. The route back was more direct Plymouth-Exeter-Bristol-Severn Tunnel-Hereford-Shrewsbury then direct to Crewe. The arrival at Crewe (23:20hrs) was early due to missing out Chester.

This was my first and only Class 66 haulage to date. Was this also the only time that 66013 has hauled a passenger train?

 

[CW2]

Saturday 11/08/73 (2nd All Line Rover Day 4)
Another very simple day, but some top locos involved:
248 (40048) 1121 York – Liverpool Lime Street
84006 1604 Liverpool Lime Street – Euston
The 84s had recently returned to traffic after refurbishment and renumbering, in anticipation of a greater need for electric locos once electrification through to Glasgow was completed (1974). 84006 only lasted until 1978 before being withdrawn, finally this time.
DMU Paddington – Reading

Wednesday 11/08/76
50012 0840 Plymouth – Penzance
47113 1055 Penzance – St Erth
DMU St Erth – St Ives and return
1023 1226 St Erth – Plymouth
1041 1435 Plymouth – Exeter St Davids
The appearance of 1041 at Plymouth to take this train forward was a minor miracle. It had been assigned for an E exam at Laira after failing in traffic the previous week, and it was assumed that it would be withdrawn.
Not a bit of it. Laira did the full exam and released Western Prince back into traffic! Six months later, all the Westerns were withdrawn, but 1041 lives on at the ELR. http://www.westernprince.co.uk/d1041-restoration-latest.php
25227 1600 Exeter St Davids – Barnstaple
25227 1752 Barnstaple - Exeter St Davids
DMU Exeter St Davids – Exmouth and return
46027 2031 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth

Saturday 11/08/79
40175 0120 Stranraer – Carlisle
The Penmanshiel diversions were still in force, so I had a choice of routes at Carlisle. I chose to head for Edinburgh to cover the Glasgow – Scarborough.
47413 0544 Carlisle – Edinburgh
40168 0927 Edinburgh – Carlisle
The Glasgow – Scarborough produced a 40 as expected. Now it was just a question of getting back to Manchester Victoria to work the late shift in the buffet. A slightly surprising loco and a slightly surprising route:
47708 1141 Carlisle – Morecambe
DMU Morecambe – Preston, Preston – Manchester Victoria

Monday 11/08/80
Still with my trolley in tow, (“My trolley is my ticket”) the 0055 Mondays Only Manchester Victoria – York was once again the lucky beneficiary of an unadvertised trolley catering service:
47194 0055 Manchester Victoria – Leeds
This dud NB 47 wasn’t quite what I had in mind. However something much bigger and better was waiting to take over at Leeds:
40146 0218 Leeds – York
I’d managed to get some gen from the TOPS office at Manchester Victoria before departure. My machine 40069 was on the 2230 Edinburgh – Kings Cross, with 40103 hard on its heels on the 1925 ex Aberdeen. I should have missed 40069, but it was still in the platform. There were some brake problems, so 40069 was removed and replaced by 40084. I was tempted, especially as it was load 16, but 40084 was a common York loco, whereas 40103 was an exotic Haymarket beastie, so that’s the one I went for.
40103 0245 York – Kings Cross
On arrival at Kings Cross I noted 40169 was heading failed 47402 on the 2025 Edinburgh – Kings Cross, 40064 was on the following Aberdeen – Kings Cross, and 40006 was stabled at Finsbury Park off an earlier working, so the southbound ECML was practically all 40s that night.
Now all I had to do was to wheel my trolley nonchalantly along the Euston Road from Kings Cross to Euston in broad daylight, and deposit it at Euston station before anybody of importance wondered where I had been for the last 12 hours or so!

Tuesday 11/08/81
47003 1440 Liverpool Street – Harwich Parkeston Quay
37052 1755 Harwich Parkeston Quay – Liverpool Street

Thursday 11/08/83
92220 1858 York – York via Leeds, Harrogate. Scarborough Spa Express.

(Saturday 10/08/85)
47711 2230 Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh
47702 2330 Edinburgh – Carstairs
Sunday 11/08/85
47471 0024 Carstairs – Carlisle
I covered the various diesel-hauled services via Beattock, but there was nothing unusual this morning.
47464 0508 Carlisle – Carstairs
37024 0720 Carstairs – Edinburgh
47227 0920 Edinburgh – Dundee
47703 1215 Dundee – Glasgow Queen Street
26021 1445 Glasgow Central – Carlisle via Dumfries
85010 1735 Carlisle – Glasgow Central

(Sunday 10/08/86)
81020 2250 Glasgow Central – Carlisle
Monday 11/08/86
85035 0317 Carlisle – Carstairs
47519 0431 Carstairs – Edinburgh
The Haymarket DMU fleet was going through one of its periodic implosive spasms, so some of the Fife services were loco hauled vice DMU:
26046 + 26032 0605 Edinburgh – Cowdenbeath
DMU Cowdenbeath – Inverkeithing
37252 0733 Inverkeithing – Dundee
37252 0930 Dundee – Edinburgh
37233 1123 Edinburgh – Dunblane
DMU Dunblane – Glasgow Queen Street … and back to work.

Tuesday 11/08/87
85006 1410 Glasgow Central – Preston
86255 1709 Preston – Crewe
I had to change at Preston as the 1410 ex Glasgow wasn’t booked to call at Crewe.

Thursday 11/08/88
81009 1519 Crewe – Wigan North Western
86433 1629 Wigan North Western – Crewe

Friday 11/08/95
A couple of RfD 90s are active on the ECML:
90024 0750 Kings Cross – Leeds
91012 1005 Leeds – Doncaster
90021 1056 Doncaster – Leeds
90024 1205 Leeds – Kings Cross

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 11th August 1978

A week after the trip down to Tenby, we made the long trek back. I seem to remember we came via the Heart of Wales Line as far as Shrewsbury and then an improvement on the two duffs of the previous weekend...

46056 Shrewsbury to Crewe (I missed this when I said I had only had 46s on the Transpennine route)
82002 Crewe to WBQ. That's nice to fall onto.

Monday 11th August 1986

3rd day out line bashing when visiting my girlfriend in Slough.

Couple of the Thames Valley branches first...

Unit L411 Slough to Maidenhead, 09.03 off Paddington
Unit L426 Maidenhead to Marlow and back, 10.14 and 10.41 services
55028 (bubble car) paired with a 2-car unit Maidenhead to Twyford, 10.34 Paddington to Reading
Unit L418 Twyford to Henley-on-Thames and back, 11.23 and 11.44 services
Unit L411 Twyford to Reading, 11.34 Paddington to Reading

Then some English Electric bashing! Thumpers!!

1125 (205025) Reading to Basingstoke, 12.55 service
205028 Basingstoke to Reading, 13.24 service

Then back to line bashing

7711 (& 7832) Reading to Staines, 14.00 Reading to Waterloo
5713 Staines to Windsor and Eton Riverside, 14.12 off Waterloo
55029 (bubble car) and Unit L283 Windsor and Eton Central to Slough, 16.21 service.

 

[CW2]

Saturday 11th August 1978

A week after the trip down to Tenby, we made the long trek back. I seem to remember we came via the Heart of Wales Line as far as Shrewsbury and then an improvement on the two duffs of the previous weekend...

46056 Shrewsbury to Crewe (I missed this when I said I had only had 46s on the Transpennine route)
82002 Crewe to WBQ. That's nice to fall onto.

46056 was unusual on the Shrewsbury - Crewe line, I would have thought. What train was it on?

 

[NorthWestRover]

No idea, I'm afraid. I only have it in my class listings. I don't even have my spotting lists from then.

 

[D6130]

WEDNESDAY 11th AUGUST 1976:

A quick overnight trip from my grandparents' to visit a friend in Newcastle:

E56086/50294 Thornaby-Darlington
55 016 Darlington-Newcastle

At last a Deltic....the first one of this holiday!

 

[xotGD]

11th August 1982

Day 3 of my Northumbrian Ranger. The moves are identical to the previous day:

37216 Sunderland - Newcastle 1N04
45120 Newcastle - York 1O19
47462 York - Darlington 1E79
47185 Darlington - York 1M75
47428 York - Newcastle 1E55
47011 Newcastle - Alnmouth 1S15
47521 Alnmouth - Newcastle 1E21

Lots of Duffs. However, this day is notable for my first ever 37 haulage. The first of 172 (and counting) that have received the red pen treatment.

11th August 1984

A couple of big Syphons were fixed today, plus a 40 on a Pennine:

37289 Sunderland - Newcastle 1N35
40013 Newcastle - Durham 1M76
37305 Durham - Newcastle 1N13

Well, they were big at the time. Then they became 37/4s. Apparently 305 was behind a line of other locos at Stratford that had to be moved out of the way so that it could work.

11th August 1989

31452 Newcastle - Sunderland
47572 Newcastle - Sunderland
31452 Sunderland - Newcastle

11th August 1990

Around the West Mids again. Highlight was:

85018 New St - Wolves

Also had 86206, 87009, 90047, 86257, 47288, 87023, 86428, 87010, 87013, 90037

I picked up most of the high number 90s in this period, but am still lacking 48, 49 and 50.

 

[MDB1images]

TUESDAY 11TH AUGUST 1987
47146 08:49 Bolton-Manchester Victoria (07:47 Blackpool N-Manchester Victoria 1J18)
47647 10:25 Manchester Victoria-Preston(Manchester Victoria-Glasgow/Edinburgh)
85034 Preston-Carlisle(Manchester Victoria-Glasgow/Edinburgh)
47150 13:52 Carlisle-Annan(13:52 Carlisle-Glasgow Central 1S37)
47480 14:18 Annan-Carlisle
87029 16:24 Carlisle-Preston(Glasgow Central-London Euston)
31415 19:06 Preston-Blackpool N(15:44 Nottingham-Blackpool 1M26)
31415 19:48 Blackpool N-Preston(19:48 Blackpool N-Nottingham 1M54)
87013 19:51 Preston-Wigan NW(41 late)
87008 21:13 Wigan NW-Preston
31452 22:19 Preston-Bolton(Glasgow Central-Manchester Victoria 1M40)

Others noted…….
47146 2J58 Blackpool N-Manchester Victoria
47277 1M22 07:18 Nottingham-Blackpool N
47345 ‘Radio 2 Railshow’(presume the exhibition train)
47402 09:03 Liverpool Lst-Newcastle
47411 Newcastle-Liverpool Lst(09:30 ex Man Vic)
47452 1M12 13:26 Harwich PQ-Blackpool N
47455 1M87 Glasgow Central-Manchester Victoria
47648 Workington-Huddersfield TPO
85006 1M19 14:10 Glasgow Central-London Euston

A very good winner for haulage today as Large Logo No heat(and Eastfield based)47150 produced on a Carlisle to Glasgow via the G&S making me one happy chap.
It was a good day haulage wise as long-time nemesis 47480 was also chalked off, 85034 was a winner for the year.
Sight wise, 142096 & 150279 got picked up at Manchester Victoria and 143014 at Carlisle so kept the Pacer/Sprinter list ticking downwards.
Having started the day on dud 47146 and deck chaired at Manchester Victoria watching equally dud 47277 turn up on the AM Notts-Blackpool I was pleased to actually get a Non ETH loco for haulage for the week when 47150 backed on the rake of Mk1’s at Carlisle.
In other oddities, Steamer 34092 was noted at Carlisle and 87035 was noticed derailed in the South sidings at Preston

 

[Tryfan]

That's where books like "Loco Hauled Travel" and "1H86" came in handy. Headcodes, booked traction, diagrams, etc.

Can’t say I have ever seen one of those. Were they around in the seventies?

 

[CW2]

Started around 1980 I think.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Thursday 12th August 1982

Last day doing things with the family on South Wales holiday before bashing took over...

W50901 Cardiff to Penarth
W59445 Penarth to Cardiff

Friday 12th August 1983

85035 (required) Warrington BQ to Preston, 1P51 22.58 Crewe to Preston

Then Freedom of Scotland...lots of Syphons.

Tuesday 12th August 1986

Returning from girlfriend to home (and back to Goyles!)

47627 Slough to Paddington, 1A?? 07.41 Didcot to Paddington
87012 Euston to Crewe, 1S?? 11.45 Euston to Glasgow
87032 Crewe to WBQ, 1S39 08.34 Poole to Glasgow

 

[CW2]

Sunday 12/08/73 (2nd All Line Rover Day 5)
1534 (47426) 0908 Reading – Birmingham New Street
45139 1155 Birmingham New Street – Derby
DMU Derby – Long Eaton
Another visit to Toton depot. The staff at Toton depot had a local arrangement whereby they had acquired a supply of depot permits, and would write out and issue one on the spot on Sundays in return for a fixed donation to the staff benevolent fund (25p rings a bell). With my book filled to bursting with numbers spotted, I returned home:
DMU Long Eaton – Derby
105 (45064) 1817 Derby – St Pancras
1678 (47534) 2105 Paddington – Reading

Thursday 12/08/76
50014 0835 Plymouth – Exeter St Davids
1048 1012 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth
By car with my parents to North Tawton, to visit a retired couple who had a garden railway. Then by car to Crediton, for DMU Crediton - Exeter St Davids – Totnes.
47110 1819 Totnes – Newton Abbot
50002 1904 Newton Abbot - Exeter St Davids
50019 2011 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth

Friday 12/08/77
Working the summer in Butlins at Ayr, I decided to take a night off and try my luck with a class 40 on the Blackpool – Stranraer turn. I sauntered onto the platform at Ayr, and saw the relieving Ayr traincrew there. I enquired as to whether there was a 40 on the train, to be told by the second man “Aye, there was, but they’re changing it jus’ noo, coz he dinnae ken ‘em” (i.e. the driver was not passed on class 40s). So instead we got a pair of 27s. I was invited to join the crew for the run to Stranraer and back, which I gladly accepted. It was a tiring way to spend the night, but very enjoyable. Exchanging single-line tokens in the dark (and it was seriously dark south of Girvan) was an impressive experience, with the second man wedging himself in the doorway, and the driver keen to make up for the time lost by the unscheduled loco change. Some of the speed limits were observed, but not necessarily adhered to in full!
27004 + 27037 2230 Ayr - Stranraer
(Saturday 13/08/77)
27037 + 27004 0120 Stranraer – Ayr

Friday 12/08/83
The opportunity of an after-work leap presented itself, with 40080 having been at work over the Pennines earlier in the day:
40080 1750 York – Scarborough
40080 1925 Scarborough – Leeds
47527 2102 Leeds – York
At this point I was all set to go home, except that sitting on the 2234 York – Shrewsbury was 40069, my pet class 40. This was now a through loco to Crewe, rather than turning back at Stockport as in previous years, and was now a solid ETH 47 diagram. How 40069 got onto it, heaven only knows.
40069 2234 York – Crewe via Stalybridge, Guide Bridge, Stockport.
That turned out to be my last ever run with 40069, my final mileage with it being 3593.5

Monday 12/08/85
The relief train from Exeter to Edinburgh is running on a fairly regular basis now, diagrammed from Carstairs for a pair of 25s off the Stanlow to Bishopbriggs oil train. Sometimes it got them, and sometimes not, but it was always worth a punt:
86260 1615 Glasgow Central – Carstairs
25283 + 25257 1813 Carstairs – Edinburgh
47710 2000 Edinburgh – Glasgow Queen Street

Friday 12/08/88
85024 2127 Crewe – Manchester Piccadilly
86236 2325 Manchester Piccadilly – Birmingham New Street via Stoke

Saturday 12/08/89
50024 0705 Paddington – Wolverhampton via Coventry
86224 1035 Wolverhampton – Crewe
37711 1148 Crewe – Liverpool Lime Street
37711 1312 Liverpool Lime Street – Crewe
20106 + 20020 1447 Crewe – Etruria
20140 + 20154 1514 Etruria – Crewe
Some pretty fine power out today, and a fine leap at Etruria – since closed.

Saturday 12/08/95
86241 0830 Liverpool Street – Norwich
37676 1035 Norwich – Great Yarmouth
37676 1119 Great Yarmouth – Norwich
86228 1205 Norwich – Liverpool Street
37676 lives on to this day, operating out of Carnforth for West Coast.

 

[D6130]

THURSDAY 12th AUGUST 1976:

Returning to my grandparents' place from my sleepover with a friend in Newcastle:

45 041 "Royal Tank Regiment" Newcastle-Darlington

Then, as I was carrying quite a large amount of luggage, I decided to catch the half-hourly United bus from Darlington to Stockton, which passed the end of my grandparents' street and avoided a half hour walk from Thornaby or Stockton or a 45 minute walk from Eaglescliffe.

 

[MDB1images]

Wed 12th Aug 87

47483 12:15 Bolton-Manchester Victoria

47424 13:30 Manchester Victoria-Liverpool Lst(Newcastle-Liverpool Lst)

47413 15:03 Liverpool Lst-Manchester Victoria(15:03 Liverpool Lst-Newcastle 1E53)

47146 16:20 Manchester Victoria-Bolton(16:20 Manchester Victoria-Blackpool N)

47277 18:35 Bolton-Preston(15:44 Nottingham-Blackpool N 1M26)

87009 19:13 Preston-Carlisle.

Others noted…..
47146 Manchester Victoria-Blackpool N(mid morning)

A later start today as I was going to be out all night as I was doing an overnight at Carlisle to get the MK3 Sleepers/TPO’s for sight, get the window labels off the sleepers for the collection and to graph everything that was going on(another objective of the rover ticked off), a lot of film and a tripod was also carted about for tonight's move(the tripod weighed a ton by todays standards).

Today nothing was new for haulage, sight wise 508112 was good at Liverpool Lime St low level(presume as a renumber).
More geordie pacers troubled the scorers at Carlisle as 143019 & 143021 along with 37185 proved to be new for me on the overnight.

As I mentioned I was seeking out the MK3 Sleepers and TPO’s for sight(having just started writing them down for something to cop)so this was a good overnight with 10 TPO’s(out of 29 seen) and 36 MK3 Sleepers (out of 92 seen)made along with all the Overnight window labels ‘acquired’ during the crew changes(crew changes helped with a lot of photos)making this a successful night.

In fairness looking back many years later the ‘success’ of the night was the actual sights and sounds that slipped into the memory bank as virtually all of it is now very much history, be it a Class 37 heard for miles as it headed down the Tyne valley line slipping away as it went, a Class 08 doing a trip freight, a Class 47 backing onto the Stranraer sleepers and engine going into overload as it was hooked to the sleepers or even the steel coils heading south with a pair of Class 86’s with the steel still steaming in the early morning rain as they cooled down.

In terms of locos this was the list seen at Carlisle 21:00-05:00
08768, 08808, 08910, 08912
26031, 26040
31247
37010, 37012, 37098, 37107, 37118, 37184, 37185
40122
47003, 47010, 47150, 47152, 47188, 47210, 47324, 47366, 47480, 47489, 47530, 47540, 47648
81006, 81007, 81009, 81010, 81019
85007, 85009, 85012, 85015, 85016, 85019, 85021, 85025, 85032, 85036, 85040
86231, 86236, 86251, 86257, 86401, 86402, 86403, 86404, 86405, 86409, 86413, 86418, 86420, 86423, 86424, 86427, 86430, 86431, 86433
87001, 87002, 87003, 87004, 87006, 87007, 87008, 87009, 87011, 87015, 87016, 87021, 87022, 87024, 87025, 87029, 87030, 87031, 87032, 87033, 87034, 87101

 

[xotGD]

12th August 1982

Northumbrian Ranger Day 4. Some slight variation:

46018 Sunderland - Newcastle 1N04
45121 Newcastle - Darlo 1M67
45144 Darlo - York 1O19
47128 York - Newcastle 1E79
47011 Newcastle - Alnmouth 1S15 (two days in a row)
47406 Alnmouth - Newcastle 1E21

Not sure why I headed back to the Toon so early then festered for 1S15

12th August 1988

31441 Sunderland - Newcastle 2Bxx

12th August 1989

47565 Newcastle - Sunderland
31452 Newcastle - Sunderland
47565 Sunderland - Newcastle

 

[D841 Roebuck]

12/08/1980
55017, Dunbar to York

12/08/2015
37401, Carlisle to Corkickle
37423, Corkickle to Flimby

 

[NorthWestRover]

Wednesday 13th August 1980

25220 Crewe to Shrewsbury

Again, I think this was as part of some rover I was doing this week.

Friday 13th August 1982

Looks like I spent the day with the family before I bought a £3.95 South Wales Weekend Explorer to cover Friday evening and then all day Saturday and Sunday...

31414 Cardiff to Bristol TM, 1O93 18.00 Cardiff to Portsmouth
W51363 Bristol TM to Cardiff, 2C?? 19.30 service
47254 Cardiff to Swansea, 1C?? 18.42 London to Swansea
47540 & 33016 (interesting!) Swansea to Cardiff, 1C21 21.50 service

Saturday 13th August 1983

Day 1 of Freedom of Scotland

85005 Preston to Mossend Yard, 1S06 21.00 Euston to Fort William
37043 Mossend Yard to Cowlairs, 1S06
37085 Cowlairs to Glasgow QS, 1S06
37027 Glasgow QS to Tyndrum Upper, 1B07 06.00 Glasgow to Mallaig
Notebook says "Nice leisurely walk Upper to Lower"
27051 (which turns up later too) Tyndrum Lower to Glasgow QS, 1T16 07.40 Oban to Glasgow QS
47709 Glasgow QS to Edinburgh, 1O24 11.00 service
Must have had the gen because...
47271 Edinburgh to Leuchars, 2L40 12.17 Edinburgh to Dundee
To pick up...
40086 Leuchars to Edinburgh, 2G62 13.21 Dundee to Edinburgh
27038 Edinburgh to Haymarket, 2L47 15.17 Edinburgh to Dundee
47271 Haymarket to Edinburgh, 2G68 14.21 Dundee to Edinburgh
Fill in move before back on...
40086 Edinburgh to Dundee, 2L52 16.17 service
40086 Dundee to Edinburgh, 2G08 18.21 service
Enough of that. We hadn't come to Scotland to do 40s. Reviewing Motherlist, I see 40122 did Carlisle to Stranraer and back on this day. I expect to see that on @CW2's moves...
37012 Edinburgh to Glasgow QS, 1S51 15.12 Scarborough to Glasgow. Did @xotGD have this in the North East?
26035 Glasgow QS to Lenzie, 2L66 22.38 Glasgow to Dundee
Metro Cammell unit, Lenzie to Glasgow QS, 2??? 22.20 Stirling to Glasgow
27051 (after the Oban turn) Glasgow to Perth, 1N05 23.30 Glasgow to Inverness

723.75 miles on day 1. Had 1 x 26, 2 x 27, several 37s, a 40 in Scotland. Not bad.

Thursday 13th August 1987

87024 Warrington BQ to Wolverhampton, (Glasgow to Poole service).

Spent 10 days in Wolves preparing for my final year at Poly.

 

[CW2]

40086 Edinburgh to Dundee, 2L52 16.17 service
40086 Dundee to Edinburgh, 2G08 18.21 service
Enough of that. We hadn't come to Scotland to do 40s. Reviewing Motherlist, I see 40122 did Carlisle to Stranraer and back on this day. I expect to see that on @CW2's moves...

Well pardon me, but EVERYWHERE is the right place to do class 40s, and no, I wasn't on 40122 to Stranraer that day, as you will now see ...

Monday 13/08/73 (2nd All Line Rover Day 6)
DMU Tilehurst – Paddington
E3053 (82007) 1005 Euston – Preston
446 + 407 (50046 + 50007) 13xx Preston – Carlisle
DMU Carlisle – Leeds via Settle
DMU Leeds – York
Another run down the WCML, this time with a class 82 giving way to a pair of 50s at Preston, followed by a run over the Settle & Carlisle line in a DMU (because that’s pretty much the only way of doing the line at that time – and in any case I got a better view provided the driver kept the window blinds up).

Friday 13/08/76
1072 0955 Plymouth – Exeter St Davids
47029 1118 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth
47493 1255 Plymouth - Exeter St Davids
50016 1404 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth
1015 1555 Plymouth – Newton Abbot, unexpectedly making a connection into
1072 1501 Newton Abbot – Redruth (running 60+ late)
47192 1837 Redruth – Plymouth
The final day of my Devon & Cornwall rovers, and some more runs over the banks with Westerns in the book.

Monday 13/08/79
A day off from work, so I made full use of it:
40099 0940 Manchester Victoria – Colwyn Bay
40084 1207 Colwyn Bay – Rhyl
40186 1226 Rhyl – Llandudno Junction
40115 1344 Llandudno Junction – Chester
40055 1532 Chester – Llandudno Junction
25156 1713 Llandudno Junction – Llandudno (Control Relief)
40096 1740 Llandudno – Llandudno Junction
40198 1828 Llandudno Junction – Manchester Victoria
A fine day out – 7 different 40s, 5 of them NB, plus a short run with a required 25.
In the afternoon there had been a serious derailment at Bushbury Junction, which blocked all lines and was to result in several diversions via Shrewsbury the following days:
https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoT_Bushbury1979.pdf

Wednesday 13/08/80
50010 0002 Paddington – Plymouth via Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads
50019 04xx Newton Abbot – Plymouth, piloting 50010.

Saturday 13/08/83
Having arrived at Crewe behind 40069 (for the last time), I had to improvise an overnight, then decide what to do with my Summer Saturday:
81017 0041 Crewe – Carlisle
85006 0528 Carlisle – Preston
This was the 0120 Stranraer – Blackpool, which I knew was diagrammed for a class 40 from Preston:
40194 0713 Preston – Blackpool North
Time for breakfast before joining the balancing working:
40194 0945 Blackpool North – Preston
Then a fill-in move with electrics before returning to Blackpool North for the main event:
87001 1100 Preston – Lancaster
87014 1205 Lancaster – Preston
DMU Preston – Blackpool North
37013 1359 Blackpool North – Sheffield via Copy Pit, Greetland, Healey Mills, Hare Park, Crofton West Jn, Moorthorpe.
A grand 37-hauled train over some pretty obscure routes and curves.
46023 1731 Sheffield – York – the Newquay – Newcastle running 60+ late.

Thursday 13/08/87
I’m on my way to Austria for some steam specials, and I hope to pick up some vintage OBB electrics as well. By way of a change, I decided to do the Newhaven – Dieppe route:
87020 1138 Crewe – Euston
73128 1515 Victoria – Gatwick
73130 1550 Gatwick – Victoria
73112 1630 Victoria – Gatwick
1725 (EMU) Gatwick – Chichester
33019 1846 Chichester – Brighton
3104 (EMU) Brighton – Newhaven Harbour

Saturday 13/08/88
47657 0120 Birmingham New Street – Southampton via Willesden, Gatwick Airport, Hove, Cosham
Another overnight with some pretty unusual routes, then started a hunt for some class 73s on the Southampton road, which produced absolutely nothing but a string of EMU moves:
Southampton – Eastleigh – Southampton – Brockenhurst – Lymington – Brockenhurst – Waterloo – Clapham Jn – Victoria
73205 1015 Victoria – Gatwick
47528 1152 Gatwick – Eastbourne (0718 ex Manchester Piccadilly)
47528 1355 Eastbourne – Gatwick (to Glasgow)
Eastbourne only featured on the Cross Country network on Summer Saturdays, and for a very limited period (maybe 1 or 2 summers) so this was my only loco-hauled trip to Eastbourne on a service train.
73202 1505 Gatwick – Victoria
43044 + 43159 1630 Kings Cross – Peterborough
47352 1824 Peterborough – Sheffield via Grantham, Nottingham, Toton
47150 2132 Sheffield – Birmingham New Street via Derby

 

[xotGD]

27051 (which turns up later too) Tyndrum Lower to Glasgow QS, 1T16 07.40 Oban to Glasgow QS

I didn't realise 27s were still working to Oban in 83. Nice that you got one on the route.

37012 Edinburgh to Glasgow QS, 1S51 15.12 Scarborough to Glasgow. Did @xotGD have this in the North East?

No - because it only worked the train forward from Edinburgh!

The final day of my Devon & Cornwall rovers, and some more runs over the banks with Westerns in the book.

A couple of weeks later we had a family holiday in Cornwall. I'll never know if I had any Westerns. Definitely saw some, as the 9 year old me wrote the names down. A chap staying in the same hotel as us must have been a bit of a crank as he was telling us all about them.

 

[NorthWestRover]

I think the 27 to Oban was out of the ordinary in 1983. Just luck again, I guess.

 

[The exile]

Well pardon me, but EVERYWHERE is the right place to do class 40s, and no, I wasn't on 40122 to Stranraer that day, as you will now see ...

Monday 13/08/73 (2nd All Line Rover Day 6)
DMU Tilehurst – Paddington
E3053 (82007) 1005 Euston – Preston
446 + 407 (50046 + 50007) 13xx Preston – Carlisle
DMU Carlisle – Leeds via Settle
DMU Leeds – York
Another run down the WCML, this time with a class 82 giving way to a pair of 50s at Preston, followed by a run over the Settle & Carlisle line in a DMU (because that’s pretty much the only way of doing the line at that time – and in any case I got a better view provided the driver kept the window blinds up).

Friday 13/08/76
1072 0955 Plymouth – Exeter St Davids
47029 1118 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth
47493 1255 Plymouth - Exeter St Davids
50016 1404 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth
1015 1555 Plymouth – Newton Abbot, unexpectedly making a connection into
1072 1501 Newton Abbot – Redruth (running 60+ late)
47192 1837 Redruth – Plymouth
The final day of my Devon & Cornwall rovers, and some more runs over the banks with Westerns in the book.

Monday 13/08/79
A day off from work, so I made full use of it:
40099 0940 Manchester Victoria – Colwyn Bay
40084 1207 Colwyn Bay – Rhyl
40186 1226 Rhyl – Llandudno Junction
40115 1344 Llandudno Junction – Chester
40055 1532 Chester – Llandudno Junction
25156 1713 Llandudno Junction – Llandudno (Control Relief)
40096 1740 Llandudno – Llandudno Junction
40198 1828 Llandudno Junction – Manchester Victoria
A fine day out – 7 different 40s, 5 of them NB, plus a short run with a required 25.
In the afternoon there had been a serious derailment at Bushbury Junction, which blocked all lines and was to result in several diversions via Shrewsbury the following days:
https://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/documents/DoT_Bushbury1979.pdf

Wednesday 13/08/80
50010 0002 Paddington – Plymouth via Bath Spa, Bristol Temple Meads
50019 04xx Newton Abbot – Plymouth, piloting 50010.

Saturday 13/08/83
Having arrived at Crewe behind 40069 (for the last time), I had to improvise an overnight, then decide what to do with my Summer Saturday:
81017 0041 Crewe – Carlisle
85006 0528 Carlisle – Preston
This was the 0120 Stranraer – Blackpool, which I knew was diagrammed for a class 40 from Preston:
40194 0713 Preston – Blackpool North
Time for breakfast before joining the balancing working:
40194 0945 Blackpool North – Preston
Then a fill-in move with electrics before returning to Blackpool North for the main event:
87001 1100 Preston – Lancaster
87014 1205 Lancaster – Preston
DMU Preston – Blackpool North
37013 1359 Blackpool North – Sheffield via Copy Pit, Greetland, Healey Mills, Hare Park, Crofton West Jn, Moorthorpe.
A grand 37-hauled train over some pretty obscure routes and curves.
46023 1731 Sheffield – York – the Newquay – Newcastle running 60+ late.

Thursday 13/08/87
I’m on my way to Austria for some steam specials, and I hope to pick up some vintage OBB electrics as well. By way of a change, I decided to do the Newhaven – Dieppe route:
87020 1138 Crewe – Euston
73128 1515 Victoria – Gatwick
73130 1550 Gatwick – Victoria
73112 1630 Victoria – Gatwick
1725 (EMU) Gatwick – Chichester
33019 1846 Chichester – Brighton
3104 (EMU) Brighton – Newhaven Harbour

Saturday 13/08/88
47657 0120 Birmingham New Street – Southampton via Willesden, Gatwick Airport, Hove, Cosham
Another overnight with some pretty unusual routes, then started a hunt for some class 73s on the Southampton road, which produced absolutely nothing but a string of EMU moves:
Southampton – Eastleigh – Southampton – Brockenhurst – Lymington – Brockenhurst – Waterloo – Clapham Jn – Victoria
73205 1015 Victoria – Gatwick
47528 1152 Gatwick – Eastbourne (0718 ex Manchester Piccadilly)
47528 1355 Eastbourne – Gatwick (to Glasgow)
Eastbourne only featured on the Cross Country network on Summer Saturdays, and for a very limited period (maybe 1 or 2 summers) so this was my only loco-hauled trip to Eastbourne on a service train.
73202 1505 Gatwick – Victoria
43044 + 43159 1630 Kings Cross – Peterborough
47352 1824 Peterborough – Sheffield via Grantham, Nottingham, Toton
47150 2132 Sheffield – Birmingham New Street via Derby

Wouldn’t a DMU turn over the S&C in 1973 count as unusual. The stoppers went in 1970 and Dalesrail didn’t put in an appearance till later. Thought at that stage it was one overnight, the Thames Clyde Express and the odd Leeds - Glasgow turn, none of which would have been dmu material - even then.
Bushbury enlivened ( my mother probably said “ lengthened”) the journey back home from Cheltenham to Edinburgh for the 11 year old me on the 15th. A “proper” diversion and my first 47/3 to boot. The fact that there were probably lots of much more interesting things it could have been didn’t occur to me at the time - though of course they were extremely rare birds for me.