Back in the day...

[eastwestdivide]

Starting late summer 1974 I think the first place I ever spotted at was Strood. I would mainly frequent Rochester though as it was always interesting to see what locos might be in the yard below the embankment. Occasional trips to Gillingham but cannot think why. I preferred Rochester to Strood as I hated seeing stuff on the Rochester to Sole Street line too far away to id !. I probably did not see much freight on the Medway Valley line so preferred to see inter-regional services at Rochester. I used to ride my bike over to Hoo Junction for locos...

Ships that pass in the night then!
I too used to cycle over to Hoo Jn occasionally. Binos from Strood car park helped with the Sole Street line.
Weekends saw a fair few locos stabled at Gillingham. Rochester yard was interesting for watching the shunting.

 

[CW2]

Tuesday 21/06/77
The ECML north of York was in some degree of chaos due to a derailment that had occurred at Darlington. Diversions were in place, with additional stops at Eaglescliffe for DMU connection to / from Darlington.
40049 1122 York – Eaglescliffe
47528 13xx Eaglescliffe – York
55010 1432 York – Darlington
55019 1637 Darlington - York
They had sorted out the derailment at Darlington by early afternoon, but everything was still running late due to the reactive delays. The Up Aberdonian droned into Darlington behind 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier, and I boarded for the 44 mile run to York. With load 11, and a certain well-known York driver at the helm, we soon set about making up for lost time. The 44 miles from Darlington to York were covered in 29 minutes 55 seconds, converting a late departure from Darlington to On Time at York, the only punctual train on the screen. I recorded speeds up to 112 mph on the flat run through Northallerton. From that day onward I adopted 55019 as my Deltic machine.

Saturday 21/06/80
(This day’s content repeats from a thread 12 months ago, edited for accuracy)
40032 00:53 Holyhead – Crewe
An impressive load 12, which meant plenty of noise to be enjoyed on the climb out of Holyhead. Once that was over, I settled down for a snooze …
At Crewe I decided to stay on through to Euston despite the dud 86/2. Sometimes a good overnight doss is necessary.
86212 03:xx Crewe – Euston
What on earth was I thinking? I must have been suffering from Roverbrain – an unfortunate condition brought on by poor diet and loss of sleep. Why go through to Euston – there are no class 40s to be had there? I decided to head north once more, aiming for North Wales and whatever 40s would be available on a Summer Saturday.
86257 08:10 Euston – Birmingham New Street
Another dud 86/2, but there was something better at New Street …
86103 09:55 Birmingham New Street – Wolverhampton
I was intending doing this to Crewe or Manchester to head for the North Wales Coast when one of the local West Midlands bashers said to me “I’m surprised you are still here. I thought you’d be on 40044.” It turns out 40044 had re-engined the Glasgow – Bristol sleepers at 07:00 from New Street. That was a temptation I couldn’t refuse – the North Wales Coast was always there, but 40s to Bristol were exceedingly rare. I turned round and headed south, as there was no knowing which service the 40 would return on from Bristol.
47229 10:37 Wolverhampton – Birmingham New Street
46043 11:00 Birmingham New Street – Bristol Temple Meads
A required 47 took me back to New Street where I made an immediate connection into 46043 down to Bristol. The 46 was running well, with speeds up to 95 mph on the flat sections.
On arrival at Bristol Temple Meads I could see 40044 sitting outside Bath Road depot, shut down. Would it work back? Surely it must do – but on which train? Driver traction knowledge would be the big issue – it would have to be a train worked by a Saltley driver. I couldn’t get any gen, until mid-afternoon when word reached me that it was going to go back on 1S19, the northbound balancing working of the sleepers to Glasgow and Edinburgh. I was very sceptical, as that was the heaviest train of the day. It would be far more sensible to re-engine one of the northbound Summer Saturday additionals returning to the Midlands. I decided on a fill-in move:
50010 15:15 Bristol Temple Meads – Gloucester
50010 16:21 Gloucester – Bristol Temple Meads
50010 was not in the finest of health – which was proved when it shut down entirely on the curve departing Gloucester. I had hopes of some massive freight class 37 coming out of the yard to rescue us, but after a few minutes the 50 burst back into life, and carried me safely back to Bristol.
Word had spread, and a few more 40 bashers turned up at Bristol in the hope of having 40044. Well, it worked:
40044 21:30 Bristol Temple Meads – Birmingham New Street via Worcester, Bromsgrove
37232 + 37298 Lickey bankers.
The load was 16 vehicles, 581 tonnes trailing. Yes, the weakest loco had been allocated to the heaviest train of the day. The results were inevitably slow and noisy. 40044 slogged slowly up Filton Bank – so slowly in fact that we were already 15 minutes late by Bristol Parkway. We ran via Worcester, which was unexpected, then at Bromsgrove we gained winning pair 37232 and 37298 as bankers. Despite their best efforts we managed to reach New Street fully 30 minutes late.
Me? I was ecstatic. I thought having a 40 to Cardiff was exceptional, but having a 40 out of Bristol the very next day topped it – and then some.
86236 23:50 Birmingham New Street – Crewe via Aston, Bescot, Wolverhampton.

Monday 21/06/82
40138 stuck to diagram, and I stuck to 40138 for as long as I could manage before having to return home:
47532 0624 Holyhead – Bangor
40138 0709 Bangor – Manchester Victoria
40138 1045 Manchester Victoria – Holyhead
40138 1517 Holyhead – Chester
DMU Chester – Crewe
86213 1803 Crewe – Euston

Tuesday 21/06/83
Another trainload of schoolkids has come to visit York, this time from Cambridge, and today they’ve brought 37075 with them. I only thought it sensible to make sure they got home safely:
37075 1828 York – Peterborough
HST Peterborough – York

Thursday 21/06/84
Two days previously I had been working 12 hour day shifts in Leeds Control, and had made a move in the evening to pick up a required 37 on the 1413 Portsmouth – York. Déjà vu anyone?
43071 + 43112 1940 Leeds – Wakefield Westgate
37186 2013 Wakefield Westgate – York via Leeds
I know that 37186 was a relatively common WR boilered 37, but I needed it.

Saturday 21/06/86
37100 1545 Glasgow Central – Carlisle via Dumfries
87001 2117 Carlisle – Glasgow Central
A nice little Saturday after-work bash.

Sunday 21/06/92
205 032 DEMU Reading – Basingstoke
50007 + 50050 0958 Basingstoke – Andover
34027 1037 Andover – Exeter Central
777 1500 Exeter Central – Salisbury
777 + 75069 1840 Salisbury – Eastleigh via Chandlers Ford
1218 + 3480 Eastleigh – Basingstoke
205 032 Basingstoke – Reading
This was the first time steam had run Salisbury – Exeter since the steam ban of 1974.
There is some YouTube footage (not mine) of the event here:

Sunday 21/06/98
Back in loco-hauled days, the Cross Country services sometimes threw up some bizarre workings:
31465 + 31434 1801 Reading – Bournemouth
31434 + 31465 2017 Bournemouth – Oxford
As if having a pair of 31s (vice 47/8) to Bournemouth wasn’t unusual enough:
58044 2228 Oxford – Reading
The 58 had worked from Birmingham New Street, and was already 45 minutes late by Oxford, being in less than perfect health. On arrival at Reading it shut down and sulked in silence. I had to alight and go home, but I gather it did decide to wake up and continue to Paddington eventually.

 

[xotGD]

21st June 1986 - back on the Cambrian:

47063 New St - Shrewsbury 1J18
37501 Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth 1J18
37501 Aberystwyth - Machynlleth 1A50
37427 + 37428 Machynlleth - Aberdovey 1J20
37426 + 37430 Machynlleth - Aberystwyth 1J24
37426 + 37430 Aberystwyth - Shrewsbury 1A81
47063 Shrewsbury - Wolves 1A81
86223 Wolves - New St 1A81

Here is 501. I'm in the front coach.

Class37.co.uk

I'd previously had 501 as 005 on the day this phot was taken:

37005 | Middlesbrough: with the stock which would form 2B16 … | Flickr


21st June 2001 - Day 2 of my outing:

37405 Waverley - Fort William

We ran via Cumbernauld and Springburn to Cowlairs - I don't know if this was the regular route back then.

The posh kids bailed at some random station in the middle of nowhere for their hiking trip. At Fort William I freshened up, had a big breakfast and then my main challenge was staying awake all day, although I did get a couple of phots of the kettlex and went on a seal spotting boat trip. After lots of coffee, finally, it was time to head back south...

37405 Fort William - Waverley

Plenty of thrash on the long climb up onto the moors. Left turn at Cowlairs and 'main line' to Edinburgh. And I was still awake.

I'm glad that I made the trip to have a last hurrah behind a Syphon on the West Highland.

 

[D6130]

This was the first time steam had run Salisbury – Exeter since the steam ban of 1974.

True - for the line throughout - although legendary Salisbury Area Manager Gerry Daniels organised three memorable weekends of steam working between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction in July 1988, involving a variety of locos such as "Flying Scotsman", "Sir Nigel Gresley", "City of Wells", "Clan Line", "Burton Agnes Hall" and 48151.

Meanwhile, back to my travels:

Saturday 21st June 1975:

Living in Hampshire at the time, a couple of friends and I decided to have a day out to Plymouth in the last Summer before I joined the railway.

6050+7732 Petersfield-Fratton
1121 Fratton-Salisbury
33 026 Salisbury-Exeter St Davids
45 037 Exeter St Davids-Plymouth
1025 Plymouth-Exeter St Davids
33 014 Exeter St Davids-Salisbury
1126 Salisbury-Fratton
7706 Fratton-Petersfield

1025 relieved sister Wessie 1041 at Plymouth on the 13 22 Newquay-Paddington and - according to my friend with the stopwatch - managed a very creditable, and extremely noisy and claggy, 19 mph at the top of Hemerdon bank with eleven heavily-loaded mark ones.

Locos seen on the day were:

Fratton: 33 102/111, 47 199.
Southampton: 33 009.
Salisbury: 08 201, 33 004/019/026.
Chard Junction: 33 116.
Honiton: 33 119.
Exeter St Davids:1016/21/22/52/72, 08 249/410/859, 31 265, 33 024, 45 022/037/065, 47 123/134/202/233/455/481/502, 50 020/049.
Teignmouth: 47 145.
Newton Abbot: 08 113/646/647, 45 001, 46 024, 47 256.
Aller Junction: 47 091.
Totnes: 1055.
Laira Depot: 1006/50/63, 7089, 03 128, 08 488, 25 327, 47 040, 50 013.
Plymouth: 1010/25/36/41/63, 08 937, 45 002/067, 46 042, 47 061/087/247, DB999508 (track testing coach).
Laira depot: 1006/50, 7089, 25 237, 45 002/067, 47 040.
South Brent: 47 128.
Newton Abbot: 08 113, 45 036. 46 024, 47 256.
Dawlish Warren: 47 270 (a Haymarket loco a long way from home!)
Exeter St Davids: 1052, 08 410, 25 094, 31 127/286, 33 014, 45 002/036, 47 481, 50 014/038.
Exeter Central: 25 275.
Honiton: 33 105.
Salisbury: 08 201.
Redbridge PW Depot: 08 203.
Millbrook: 47 488.
Southampton: 74 010.

.....and six years later, back in sunny Switzerland:

Sunday 21/06/1981:

RhB 706 "Disentis-Muster" Chur-Samedan
RhB 801+802 Samedan-Tirano (IT)
RhB EMU 48 Tirano (IT)-St Moritz
RhB EMU 48 St Moritz-Pontresina

This was my first brief incursion into Italy. Little did I know that my parents would be moving there less than a year later, thus beginning a 40 year (so far) love affair with that country that eventually led to my wife and I buying a property in Eastern Tuscany and covering thousands of kilometres on the Italian rail network, with a fair bit still to do!

RhB 801+802 were the two electro-diesel locos used on the Bernina Express between Samedan and Tirano (on diesel power between Samedan and Pontresina) to bridge the gap between the network's two different voltages (1000 v DC on the St Moritz - Tirano "Bernina" line and 11 Kv, 16 2/3 Hz AC on the rest of the network). They sure made some noise and clag!

 

[CW2]

21st June 2001 - Day 2 of my outing:

37405 Waverley - Fort William

We ran via Cumbernauld and Springburn to Cowlairs - I don't know if this was the regular route back then.

Most trips I did around then did Falkirk High and the Cowlairs East - North curve, so Cumbernauld and Springburn was a bit unusual, but not unknown. Any overnight engineering work between Cowlairs and Greenhill would require this diversion.

Saturday 21st June 1975:

Living in Hampshire at the time, a couple of friends and I decided to have a day out to Plymouth in the last Summer before I joined the railway.

Locos seen on the day were: (Many and Various)

What an interesting period that was in the West Country, when the last of the Westerns were still active, and the fifties were beginning to take hold. Such variety on offer with classes 25, 31, 33, 45, 46, 47, 50, 52 and even a Hymek on Laira depot. Fascinating times.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Ships that pass in the night then!
I too used to cycle over to Hoo Jn occasionally. Binos from Strood car park helped with the Sole Street line.
Weekends saw a fair few locos stabled at Gillingham. Rochester yard was interesting for watching the shunting.

I always remember circa 1975 seeing a 71 silently surge up the quite steep ramp out of Rochester yard. It was a bit surreal especially if you remember the crazy noise the identical looking 74s made !. The 71s had a flywheel to help on acceleration so I suspect that was fully utilised. This is energy storage and re-use 45 years ago !.

True - for the line throughout - although legendary Salisbury Area Manager Gerry Daniels organised three memorable weekends of steam working between Salisbury and Yeovil Junction in July 1988, involving a variety of locos such as "Flying Scotsman", "Sir Nigel Gresley", "City of Wells", "Clan Line", "Burton Agnes Hall" and 48151.

Meanwhile, back to my travels:

Saturday 21st June 1975:

Living in Hampshire at the time, a couple of friends and I decided to have a day out to Plymouth in the last Summer before I joined the railway.

6050+7732 Petersfield-Fratton
1121 Fratton-Salisbury
33 026 Salisbury-Exeter St Davids
45 037 Exeter St Davids-Plymouth
1025 Plymouth-Exeter St Davids
33 014 Exeter St Davids-Salisbury
1126 Salisbury-Fratton
7706 Fratton-Petersfield

1025 relieved sister Wessie 1041 at Plymouth on the 13 22 Newquay-Paddington and - according to my friend with the stopwatch - managed a very creditable, and extremely noisy and claggy, 19 mph at the top of Hemerdon bank with eleven heavily-loaded mark ones.

Locos seen on the day were:

Fratton: 33 102/111, 47 199.
Southampton: 33 009.
Salisbury: 08 201, 33 004/019/026.
Chard Junction: 33 116.
Honiton: 33 119.
Exeter St Davids:1016/21/22/52/72, 08 249/410/859, 31 265, 33 024, 45 022/037/065, 47 123/134/202/233/455/481/502, 50 020/049.
Teignmouth: 47 145.
Newton Abbot: 08 113/646/647, 45 001, 46 024, 47 256.
Aller Junction: 47 091.
Totnes: 1055.
Laira Depot: 1006/50/63, 7089, 03 128, 08 488, 25 327, 47 040, 50 013.
Plymouth: 1010/25/36/41/63, 08 937, 45 002/067, 46 042, 47 061/087/247, DB999508 (track testing coach).
Laira depot: 1006/50, 7089, 25 237, 45 002/067, 47 040.
South Brent: 47 128.
Newton Abbot: 08 113, 45 036. 46 024, 47 256.
Dawlish Warren: 47 270 (a Haymarket loco a long way from home!)
Exeter St Davids: 1052, 08 410, 25 094, 31 127/286, 33 014, 45 002/036, 47 481, 50 014/038.
Exeter Central: 25 275.
Honiton: 33 105.
Salisbury: 08 201.
Redbridge PW Depot: 08 203.
Millbrook: 47 488.
Southampton: 74 010.

.....and six years later, back in sunny Switzerland:

Sunday 21/06/1981:

RhB 706 "Disentis-Muster" Chur-Samedan
RhB 801+802 Samedan-Tirano (IT)
RhB EMU 48 Tirano (IT)-St Moritz
RhB EMU 48 St Moritz-Pontresina

This was my first brief incursion into Italy. Little did I know that my parents would be moving there less than a year later, thus beginning a 40 year (so far) love affair with that country that eventually led to my wife and I buying a property in Eastern Tuscany and covering thousands of kilometres on the Italian rail network, with a fair bit still to do!

RhB 801+802 were the two electro-diesel locos used on the Bernina Express between Samedan and Tirano (on diesel power between Samedan and Pontresina) to bridge the gap between the network's two different voltages (1000 v DC on the St Moritz - Tirano "Bernina" line and 11 Kv, 16 2/3 Hz AC on the rest of the network). They sure made some noise and clag!

WESTERNs galore !. I really do regret never managing a trip down into the deepest Western region to see Westerns. London was always too near and all i could afford. But I do not know that I often went to Paddington. As for Ranaleigh Bridge I never went there. Of course by 1977 iirc it was all over.

 

[Harvester]

I always remember circa 1975 seeing a 71 silently surge up the quite steep ramp out of Rochester yard. It was a bit surreal especially if you remember the crazy noise the identical looking 74s made !. The 71s had a flywheel to help on acceleration so I suspect that was fully utilised. This is energy storage and re-use 45 years ago !.

WESTERNs galore !. I really do regret never managing a trip down into the deepest Western region to see Westerns. London was always too near and all i could afford. But I do not know that I often went to Paddington. As for Ranaleigh Bridge I never went there. Of course by 1977 iirc it was all over.

I can remember a visit to Old Oak Common Open Day in September 1972, travelling by shuttle from Paddington. That day Paddington was swamped with Westerns, nearly every mainline arrival and departure seemed to have one while we were there.

 

[NorthWestRover]

I think the only Western I saw before withdrawal was 1023 Western Fusilier on the Western Memorial rail tour at Chester on 29th January 1977.

 

[xotGD]

If someone would like to fund a course of regression hypnosis I'll tell you all which Westerns I saw in Cornwall in 1976.

 

[Tryfan]

I remember going on holiday to Devon with my Mum and Sister. The short version of a longer story was we ended the holiday in a B&B that overlooked the east end of Plymouth station. I can’t be certain of the year either 72 or 73 I think, my Mum can’t remember either unfortunately.

Westerns everywhere! Hymeks and a Warship or two. It was here where I fell in love with Westerns. Highlight was the train home. I don’t recall if it started at Plymouth or not but it was definitely D129 and D1020 Western Hero. It was double headed as far as Gloucester. I wish that someone could find a photo of it, there might be a very young me hanging out of the window.

 

[CW2]

If someone would like to fund a course of regression hypnosis I'll tell you all which Westerns I saw in Cornwall in 1976.

When the hypnotist has finished with you, pass him / her on to me, so I can remember which Warship I saw entering Barnstaple station with a train from Ilfracombe in the late 60s.
(As a keen spotter, growing up in Reading, I cleared all my Warships, Westerns and Hymeks for sight. I only wish I'd done the Ilfracombe line before it closed though).

 

[CW2]

Thursday 22/06/78
55005 1855 Leeds – Wakefield Westgate
47549 1938 Wakefield Westgate – Leeds
31409 2012 Leeds – Harrogate

Sunday 22/06/80
The aftermath of the epic run from Bristol with 40044 was a pretty poor overnight.
47483 (+ 86236 dead) 0127 Crewe -Preston via Chester Triangle, Warrington Bank Quay
47483 (+86329 dead) 0357 Preston – Crewe via Golborne, Parkside, Castlefield, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport
86329 0606 Crewe – Euston via Bushbury, Bescot, Aston, Stechford

Tuesday 22/06/82
86226 1300 Euston – Crewe
47475 1524 Crewe – Flint
I assume the move to alight at Flint was to cover a class 40 move towards Manchester. Whatever the reason, I was disappointed.
DMU Flint – Llandudno Jn
40001 1820 Llandudno Jn – Crewe
40001 was a very poorly loco, tottering along. It wasn’t a good advert for the class.
87028 1959 Crewe – Liverpool Lime Street
DMU Liverpool Lime Street – Wigan North Western
86235 2152 Wigan North Western – Preston
This was 20 minutes late arriving at Wigan, and lost a further 5 minutes to Preston, the loco suffering severe bouts of wheelspin whilst restarting the train.
85024 2231 Preston – Warrington Bank Quay
These moves were merely filling in time prior to the main event. Would 40138 still be on diagram on the 2240 Manchester Victoria to Holyhead?
40138 2319 Warrington Bank Quay – Holyhead
Yes indeed! Another night in the Holyhead Hilton.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Tuesday 22nd June 1982

I think I must have had an O-level in the morning as I came out for one of the afternoon Bangor diagrams...

47531 (again) Warrington BQ to Llandudno Jct, 1D57 Man Vic to Bangor
And here is our friend again...
40138 Llandudno Jct to Warrington BQ, 1J53 15.17 Holyhead to Man Vic

And home for more revision...

Wednesday 22nd June 1983

After College again...

87002 Warrington BQ to Preston
86239 Preston to Crewe
87101 (yay!) Crewe to Preston
47547 Preston to Blackpool
40082 Blackpool to Preston, 19.14.to Man Vic
87021 Preston to Crewe
86206 Crewe to Warrington BQ

Saturday 22nd June 1985

Home after 1st Year at Poly...

86227 Wolverhampton to Warrington BQ, 1S61 07.47 Cardiff to Glasgow

Doesn't sound very interesting. However, Crewe Station was closed for resignalling and whatnot, so this went via the Crewe Independents which I seem to remember was quite exciting at the time.

 

[xotGD]

22nd May 1985 - A summer Saturday in the North East:

47408 Newcastle - Darlo 1M73
37103 Darlo - Newcastle 1N35
45133 Newcastle - Durham 1M76
37097 Durham - Newcastle 1N13

Here are the Syphons in action...

Class37.co.uk

Class37.co.uk

22nd June 1986 - More Nuneaton drags:

56113 (+86247) New St - Nuneaton 1A06
47542 (+87031) Nuneaton - New St 1G24

So a week after getting my first 56 for haulage I got my second. And so far that's it. The appearance of and ETH Duff was a worrying development - what will it be like the following Sunday...?

22nd June 1991 - another West Mids Travelcard day:

90025, 86205, 90010, 90009, 87034, 90003, 87011, 87028, 87001, 90010

There were a few of us who spent the days doing 87s and 90s between Brum, Wolves and Cov.

22nd June 2001 - day 3 of the Scottish trip:

After having to chance coaches at Edinburgh again at an unsociable hour, I managed to get a little bit of sleep on the run back to London.

90035 Waverley - Euston

After breakfast, ablutions (in the gents at the British Library!), extra coffee, popping in to King's Cross to see what was what, I boarded the tram at St Pancras to head back home for a shower and a rest!

 

[D6130]

Wednesday 22nd June 1977:

The start of a week's Freedom of Scotland ticket, based in Inverness, with a friend from Hampshire:

86 028 Euston-Mossend (21 50 Euston-Fort William.....in a seated compartment with two female Kiwi backpackers, but that's another story!)

Locos seen:

Euston: 25 265/266, 81 015, 85 007/008/033, 86 028/036/037/038/039, 86 213/216/226/238/242/249, 87 003/004/025/028.
Willesden Depot: 86 228.
Willesden Freightliner Terminal: 47 004.
Sudbury Sidings: 25 092/243, 81 001, 86 221.
Hemel Hempstead: 85 009.
Rugby: 08 666, 25 061/071, 86 226.
Brinklow: 24 035 (with breakdown crane), 47 555 (with tool vans)(both attending to a freight train derailment).
Standon Bridge: 86 204.

See tomorrow's exciting instalment for our first action-packed day in Scotland!

Meanwhile, back to an even more mountainous country than Scotland:

Monday 22nd June 1981:

RhB EMU 49 Pontresina-St Moritz
RhB 619 "Samedan" St Moritz-Filisur
RhB 616 (didn't record the name) Filisur-Davos Platz
RhB 615 "Klosters"+614 "Schiers" Davos Platz-Landquart
Rhb EMU ADBe1713+B2415+516 Landquart-Chur
SBB 11115 Chur-Zurich Hb
SBB power car RBe4/4 1467 Zurich Hb-Luzern

That's all for now folks. See you tomorrow!

 

[Peter Sarf]

If someone would like to fund a course of regression hypnosis I'll tell you all which Westerns I saw in Cornwall in 1976.

When the hypnotist has finished with you, pass him / her on to me, so I can remember which Warship I saw entering Barnstaple station with a train from Ilfracombe in the late 60s.
(As a keen spotter, growing up in Reading, I cleared all my Warships, Westerns and Hymeks for sight. I only wish I'd done the Ilfracombe line before it closed though).

I need(ed) the hypnotist first. You see I spent a week (or two) on a self catering holiday near Oban with my Mother and Grandparents. That was the summer of 1974 and we had a few visits to Oban. A few weeks later I started trainspotting !. I could recall seeing lots of what I presume were 26s and 27s - I looked at them. No chance of recalling any numbers but I can still see the locos in my memory scattered around the throat of Oban station. Oh the agony of living in deepest South East England !. Big gaps in the Ian Allen loco book !. I did not see (well note) any 26s or 27s until a visit on a Deltic railtour to Edinburgh many years later.

 

[D6130]

I could recall seeing lots of what I presume were 26s and 27s

Almost certainly 27s. 26s were extremely rare on the West Highland lines.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Almost certainly 27s. 26s were extremely rare on the West Highland lines.

Thanks. At least I know I probably did not miss any 26s !. My first 27s were at Edinburgh working the push-pull services to & from Glasgow.

 

[xotGD]

Thanks. At least I know I probably did not miss any 26s !. My first 27s were at Edinburgh working the push-pull services to & from Glasgow.

I found this view of Oban in the summer of '74 with a couple of 27s...

RCTS | Stations and Station Buildings (LMSR) (zenfolio.com)

 

[barrowjack]

22/06/1991
Chance sighting of a DMU drag as I was walking past the station meant a swift diversion!
26038 dragging a UID Class 108 DMU Barrow in Furness to Askam, think I must have got the bus back to Barrow as no return move was recorded!

 

[NorthWestRover]

That's a neat move.

 

[CW2]

22/06/1991
Chance sighting of a DMU drag as I was walking past the station meant a swift diversion!
26038 dragging a UID Class 108 DMU Barrow in Furness to Askam, think I must have got the bus back to Barrow as no return move was recorded!

I'm positively green with envy. I only ever had one 26 south of Carlisle, and that was from Leeds which was an advertised fix.

 

[xotGD]

22/06/1991
Chance sighting of a DMU drag as I was walking past the station meant a swift diversion!
26038 dragging a UID Class 108 DMU Barrow in Furness to Askam, think I must have got the bus back to Barrow as no return move was recorded!

That deserves a 'Dreadful!'

As I've said previously, I missed out when a 26 did a DMU drag from Newcastle to Durham and back.

 

[AJM580]

22/06/85

A summer Saturday move in Devon

50006 Dawlish - Exeter St Davids, 2C31 0623 Newton Abbot - Exeter SD
37052 Exeter St Davids - Paignton, 1V58 2215 Glasgow - Paignton
50010 Paignton - Exeter St Davids 1A33 0850 Paignton - Paddington
45113 Exeter St Davids - Plymouth 1V64 0717 Derby - Penzance
50042 Plymouth - Exeter St Davids 1M83 1015 Penzance - Liverpool LS
47451 Exeter St Davids - Paignton 1V80 0820 Bradford - Paignton
45107 Paignton - Dawlish 1M65 1608 Paignton - Liverpool LS
50023 Dawlish - Exeter St Davids 1E32 1643 Paignton - Leeds
50005 Exeter St Davids - Dawlish 1V88 1325 Manchester Picc - Paignton

Couldn't believe it when a March Syphon turned up on the load 14 overnight GLC - PAI turn - had to be done for the rarity!

 

[CW2]

22/06/85

37052 Exeter St Davids - Paignton, 1V58 2215 Glasgow - Paignton

Couldn't believe it when a March Syphon turned up on the load 14 overnight GLC - PAI turn - had to be done for the rarity!

That's pretty unusual. Nicely done!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Wednesday 23rd June 1982

The good, old trusty Bangor...

40121 Warrington BQ to Llandudno Jct, 1D21 15.45 Man Vic to Bangor
40001 Llandudno Jct to Crewe, 1G12 18.10 Llandudno to Brum
Unit back to Chester
40121 Chester to Warrington BQ, 1J31 19.25 Bangor to Man Vic

Thursday 23rd June 1983

86238 Warrington BQ to Crewe, 1M06 10.35 Stranraer to Euston
87030 Crewe to Preston, 1P70 14.40 Euston to Blackpool
25140 (!) Preston to Crewe (!), 1G10 18.38 Blackpool to Brum - required rat on an unusual move
86227 Crewe to Warrington BQ, 1P49 19.15 Euston to Carlisle
40080 Warrington BQ to Newton-le-Willows, 1J31 19.30 Bangor to Man Vic, with 45069 which had gone bang!

 

[xotGD]

25140 (!) Preston to Crewe (!), 1G10 18.38 Blackpool to Brum - required rat on an unusual move

Presumably the rat should have been replaced at Preston but there was no electric loco available. One.of those 'right place at the right time' moves.

 

[CW2]

Friday 23/06/78
Obviously there was a power shortage at Leeds this evening, as they could only find a single class 25 to re-engine the 1605 Nottingham – Carlisle.
25158 1805 Leeds – Keighley
DMU Keighley – Leeds
46043 1906 Leeds – York

Tuesday 23 June 1981
At this time there was an imbalance of locos each day at Kings Cross, with more scheduled departures than arrivals, so to counteract this there was a diagrammed light engine move from Doncaster to Finsbury Park each weekday. Of course on the day the actual loco might come from anywhere. Today the loco had come from Leeds, and it was 40022 without a boiler. Despite this being June, overnight trains still required some train heating, so 40022 was put on the 1N11 parcels to Newcastle. With a couple of mates, I stood and watched the various departures from Kings Cross, hoping that one of them would produce a 40 …
40173 2300 Kings Cross – Doncaster
That’ll do nicely.
(Wednesday 24 June 1981)
On arrival at Doncaster we stood and watched the procession of southbound overnights. We all had to get back to London for work in the morning. The first couple of overnights we had already passed south of Doncaster. The 2230 ex Edinburgh came in with a 47, followed by the 1925 from Aberdeen with a 46. Another 47 was on the sleepers only from Edinburgh. We had one last chance, the 2035 Aberdeen – Kings Cross … and in it rolled with Haymarket’s 40157 whistling gently to itself. In we baled (at this set-down only stop) and found ourselves a compo near the front. “Bit of a quiet one this” commented one of my mates, at which point 40157 exploded into a mega-cacophony of sound. Excellent!
40157 0419 Doncaster – Finsbury Park
Just for good measure, the train slowed to a near-stop at Finsbury Park to let off a couple of drivers going back to the depot, so I too alighted there in order to get to work somewhere near right time.

Wednesday 23/06/82
Another overnight in the Holyhead Hilton, first in the terminal then eventually in the stock of the 0624 to Euston.
47428 0624 Holyhead – Bangor
Most importantly 40138 was still on diagram:
40138 0709 Bangor – Abergele & Pensarn
As we passed Llandudno Junction, 40046 was sitting on a set of stock in the sidings, on what was normally another pretty solid class 47 diagram. Rather than following 40138 all day (again) I decided to try 40046 instead:
DMU Abergele – Llandudno Jn
40046 0817 Llandudno Jn – Bangor
40046 0953 Bangor – Manchester Victoria
40046 1345 Manchester Victoria – Bangor
40046 1657 Bangor – Manchester Victoria
That’s improved my mileage with 40046 quite substantially. Meanwhile, there are some other locos to consider …
86217 1945 Manchester Piccadilly – Crewe
DMU Crewe – Chester
40121 2058 Chester – Manchester Victoria (Overlapping with @NorthWestRover)
There had been reports of fighting on this train, and the BTP attended at Chester, arresting two “skinheads” who fled the train as it arrived.
So is 40138 still on diagram then? Of course it is. Holyhead overnight again!
40138 2240 Manchester Victoria – Holyhead

Thursday 23/06/83
I was working in the timetable production offices in York at the time, and I was able to keep an eye on class 40 activities by means of a TOPS machine in a nearby office. Today I decided it was a lovely day to take a half day’s leave …
43182 + 43184 1423 York – Sheffield via Leeds
47534 1617 Sheffield – Nottingham
I had a choice of routes to reach Nottingham, but I wanted to be sure of being there in good time for the train I’d come to catch, which was another school’s charter to Barrow in Furness with a class 40. The alternative route via Derby meant quite a tight connection at Nottingham out of the local DMU from Derby, and I knew the Derby – Nottingham DMU service was notoriously unreliable, so I played it safe. I was utterly gobsmacked when the “DMU” service turned up right on time, formed of the class 40 loco and stock for the charter! It had been stabled at Etches Park and was due to run ECS back to Nottingham, so Control simply used ECS in place of the DMU, and ran all stations Derby to Nottingham with it. I missed some rare 40 track there! Still, never mind:
40141 1750 Nottingham – Lancaster via Sheet Stores, Stenson, Stoke on Trent, Crewe.
81015 2100 Lancaster – Preston
47540 2133 Preston – Manchester Victoria
This all got me back to Manchester too late for any daytime service back home to York, so the trusty “Bangor Mails” was used instead:
(Friday 24/06/83)
86215 0030 Manchester Piccadilly – Stockport
47452 0050 Stockport – York

Monday 23/06/86
Because of engineering work, services from Glasgow Queen Street are diverted to / from Glasgow Central instead. However with our first child due to be born any day now, my moves were strictly limited:
47712 1325 Glasgow Central – Stirling via Rutherglen East Jn, Whifflet North Jn
27051 1426 Stirling – Glasgow Central via Whifflet North Jn, Rutherglen East Jn

Friday 23/06/89
A work trip from Crewe to London, with carefully chosen traction.
87001 0644 Crewe – Euston
90029 1100 Euston – Milton Keynes
90004 1205 Milton Keynes – Crewe
My first - but by no means last - run off 90029.

 

[D6130]

Thursday 23rd June 1977:

Arrival in Scotland to claim our Freedom:

86 028 (Euston)-Crewe-Mossend via Holytown (previous day's 21 50 Euston-Inverness/Fort William)
47 208 Mossend-Eastfield Loop
27 002 Eastfield Loop-Glasgow Queen Street (with 47 208 still attached at rear)
47 208 Queen Street shunts
27 002 Queen Street-Fort William (banked by 27 108 Queen Street-Cowlairs)
27 016 Fort William-Mallaig
M.V. "Loch Arkaig" Mallaig-Kyle of Lochalsh (this was the last summer of Cal-Mac's direct Mallaig-Kyle service)
26 028 Kyle of Lochalsh-Inverness

Locos seen en route:

Crewe: 08 382/416/470/913, 25 040/042/063/218, 45 131, 47 196/214/351/442/449/453/483/554, 83 007, 84 004, 85 038, 86 211.
Warrington Bank Quay: 40 042.
Wigan Spring's Branch: 25 038, 40 140.
Preston: 25 119, 47 262/451.
Carlisle: 08 911, 85 014.
Kingmoor Depot: 08 844, 40 188, 85 010.
Carlisle New yard: 37 070, 47 211.
Ravenscraig No. 2: 08 563.
Mossend Yard: 08 280/313, 40 184, 47 208, 81 018, 82 006, 86 012.
Whifflet North: 20 096.
Sighthill Yard: 08 621.
Cowlairs Carriage Sidings: 08 852, 27 108.
Eastfield Depot: 27 002/011, 37 153, 47 270.
Glasgow Queen Street: 25 023/240, 27 001/002/107/108/208, 47 208.
Bridge of Orchy: 27 025 (on Up freight).
Corrour: 27 014 (failed in siding).
Spean Bridge: 20 106/110 (light engines en route Fort William Depot-Crianlarich to pick up timber train).
Fort William: 27 016.
Fort William Depot: 27 210.
Kyle of Lochalsh: 26 028.
Achnasheen: 26 031.
Inverness Depot and station: 08 568/728/882, 26 008/015/020/021/024/027/033, 47 024/439.

Tuesday 23rd June 1981:

Back to Switzerland:

SBB 10007 Luzern-Arth Goldau
ARB 22+12 Arth Goldau-Rigi Kulm
VRB 2+8 Rigi Kulm-Vitznau
P.S. "Uri" Vitznau-Luzern Lido

Followed by visit to the superb Luzern transport museum where we enjoyed - amongst other things - the SBB class Re6/6 electric loco cab driving simulator.

 

[CW2]

Thursday 23rd June 1977:

Locos seen en route:
Corrour: 27 014 (failed in siding).

That was the default setting for 27014, in my experience.