Sunday 22/07/79
Having arrived at Preston on a DMU from Manchester Victoria, I sat and festered waiting for a class 40 – any class 40 – to produce on the dragging. For hour after hour after wee small hour a succession of 47s came and went, until at long last:
40126 (load 12 + dead 86003) 0357 Preston – Crewe via Golborne, Parkside, Castlefield, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport
From Crewe we took the first unit into Manchester Piccadilly to cover the 0925 to Plymouth, which had been allocated 40015 as far as Birmingham:
EMU Crewe – Manchester Piccadilly
40015 0925 Manchester Piccadilly – Birmingham New Street via Crewe, Stoke, Stafford, Wolverhampton, Bescot, Aston.
After a short break, it came straight back again:
40015 1205 Birmingham New Street – Manchester Piccadilly via Bescot, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Stockport
This was 20 minutes late into Piccadilly, meaning I had to fork out for a taxi to take me across to Victoria – and straight into work.
Tuesday 22/07/80
40070 1630 Kings Cross – Peterborough
55011 1854 Peterborough – Kings Cross
82003 2145 Euston – Basford Hall
The 2145 from Euston was a relief to Holyhead, scheduled to re-engine in Basford Hall due to the ongoing engineering work in Crewe station. Would it get the diagrammed class 40?
Friday 22/07/83
46037 1750 York – Scarborough
31271 1910 Scarborough – York
Sunday 22/07/84
After yesterday’s performance with trips to Stranraer, I turned up at Glasgow Central on Sunday afternoon to cover the 1505 to Stranraer, which was diagrammed for a 47 but was known to produce other (better) traction on occasions…
37292 1505 Glasgow Central – Stranraer
37292 1835 Stranraer – Glasgow Central
They really don’t come any bigger (even if it was now dud!). 37292 had been reallocated to Eastfield, along with several more from the later series of 37s, and soon entered the refurbishment programme at Crewe, emerging as 37425 which is still active today.
Friday 22/07/88
A very early start, so I could get to Peterborough to cover a specific train …
85015 0109 Crewe – Stafford
85003 0208 Stafford – Euston via Northampton
43121 + 43157 0535 Kings Cross – Peterborough
89001 0700 Peterborough – Kings Cross (HST set with 43013 on rear providing ETH only)
My first run with the class 89.
50002 0922 Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour
50002 1203 Portsmouth Harbour – Southampton
73107 1308 Southampton – Poole
EMU 3010 1435 Poole - Bournemouth
73106 + 73134 1502 Bournemouth – Waterloo
A pair of EDs on a single 4TC set! The pair ran round at Bournemouth so they were propelling to Waterloo, where there was another 4TC set waiting in the station, to which they coupled for their peak hour return journey. I headed across to Euston to make my way home:
85025 1823 Euston – Stafford
85013 2024 Stafford – Wolverhampton
87022 2047 Wolverhampton – Crewe
Wednesday 22/07/92
I was booked on a steam railtour with Britannia to Holyhead. At the last minute there was an alteration due to high fire risk …
43003 + 43025 0650 Reading – Paddington
86206 0750 Euston – Crewe
47833 1111 Crewe – Lostock Hall Jn
6201 1222 Lostock Hall Jn – Settle Jn (-Carlisle)
Having changed our route from Holyhead to the S&C to avoid the fire risk area, I was not best pleased when a class 47 bolted itself to the front of the steam loco at Settle Junction (i.e. at a location where I couldn’t even alight if I wanted to) and powered all the way to Carlisle with the kettle in light steam only:
47624 1406 Settle Jn – Carlisle
Cheers. At Carlisle I left the tour, and made my own way home.
86101 1706 Carlisle – Crewe
87021 1918 Crewe – Euston
43179 + 43183 2200 Paddington – Reading
Thursday 22/07/93
43008 + 43128 0719 Reading – Paddington
43047 + 43064 0900 St Pancras – Derby
47853 1409 Derby – Birmingham New Street
86103 1519 Birmingham New Street – Wolverhampton
86260 1611 Wolverhampton – Crewe
87028 1827 Crewe – Euston
43033 + 43156 2035 Paddington – Reading
I’m not sure what the plot was for today – required MML power cars perhaps?
Having arrived at Preston on a DMU from Manchester Victoria, I sat and festered waiting for a class 40 – any class 40 – to produce on the dragging. For hour after hour after wee small hour a succession of 47s came and went, until at long last:
40126 (load 12 + dead 86003) 0357 Preston – Crewe via Golborne, Parkside, Castlefield, Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport
From Crewe we took the first unit into Manchester Piccadilly to cover the 0925 to Plymouth, which had been allocated 40015 as far as Birmingham:
EMU Crewe – Manchester Piccadilly
40015 0925 Manchester Piccadilly – Birmingham New Street via Crewe, Stoke, Stafford, Wolverhampton, Bescot, Aston.
After a short break, it came straight back again:
40015 1205 Birmingham New Street – Manchester Piccadilly via Bescot, Wolverhampton, Crewe, Stockport
This was 20 minutes late into Piccadilly, meaning I had to fork out for a taxi to take me across to Victoria – and straight into work.
Tuesday 22/07/80
40070 1630 Kings Cross – Peterborough
55011 1854 Peterborough – Kings Cross
82003 2145 Euston – Basford Hall
The 2145 from Euston was a relief to Holyhead, scheduled to re-engine in Basford Hall due to the ongoing engineering work in Crewe station. Would it get the diagrammed class 40?
Friday 22/07/83
46037 1750 York – Scarborough
31271 1910 Scarborough – York
Sunday 22/07/84
After yesterday’s performance with trips to Stranraer, I turned up at Glasgow Central on Sunday afternoon to cover the 1505 to Stranraer, which was diagrammed for a 47 but was known to produce other (better) traction on occasions…
37292 1505 Glasgow Central – Stranraer
37292 1835 Stranraer – Glasgow Central
They really don’t come any bigger (even if it was now dud!). 37292 had been reallocated to Eastfield, along with several more from the later series of 37s, and soon entered the refurbishment programme at Crewe, emerging as 37425 which is still active today.
Friday 22/07/88
A very early start, so I could get to Peterborough to cover a specific train …
85015 0109 Crewe – Stafford
85003 0208 Stafford – Euston via Northampton
43121 + 43157 0535 Kings Cross – Peterborough
89001 0700 Peterborough – Kings Cross (HST set with 43013 on rear providing ETH only)
My first run with the class 89.
50002 0922 Waterloo – Portsmouth Harbour
50002 1203 Portsmouth Harbour – Southampton
73107 1308 Southampton – Poole
EMU 3010 1435 Poole - Bournemouth
73106 + 73134 1502 Bournemouth – Waterloo
A pair of EDs on a single 4TC set! The pair ran round at Bournemouth so they were propelling to Waterloo, where there was another 4TC set waiting in the station, to which they coupled for their peak hour return journey. I headed across to Euston to make my way home:
85025 1823 Euston – Stafford
85013 2024 Stafford – Wolverhampton
87022 2047 Wolverhampton – Crewe
Wednesday 22/07/92
I was booked on a steam railtour with Britannia to Holyhead. At the last minute there was an alteration due to high fire risk …
43003 + 43025 0650 Reading – Paddington
86206 0750 Euston – Crewe
47833 1111 Crewe – Lostock Hall Jn
6201 1222 Lostock Hall Jn – Settle Jn (-Carlisle)
Having changed our route from Holyhead to the S&C to avoid the fire risk area, I was not best pleased when a class 47 bolted itself to the front of the steam loco at Settle Junction (i.e. at a location where I couldn’t even alight if I wanted to) and powered all the way to Carlisle with the kettle in light steam only:
47624 1406 Settle Jn – Carlisle
Cheers. At Carlisle I left the tour, and made my own way home.
86101 1706 Carlisle – Crewe
87021 1918 Crewe – Euston
43179 + 43183 2200 Paddington – Reading
Thursday 22/07/93
43008 + 43128 0719 Reading – Paddington
43047 + 43064 0900 St Pancras – Derby
47853 1409 Derby – Birmingham New Street
86103 1519 Birmingham New Street – Wolverhampton
86260 1611 Wolverhampton – Crewe
87028 1827 Crewe – Euston
43033 + 43156 2035 Paddington – Reading
I’m not sure what the plot was for today – required MML power cars perhaps?