Back in the day...

[CW2]

Monday 22/04/85
Returning home from a visit to the in-laws – so naturally I took the "interesting" route:
33023 0955 Abergavenny – Newport
33026 1101 Newport – Bristol Temple Meads
33028 1210 Bristol Temple Meads – Westbury
50018 1315 Westbury – Paddington
I dropped onto my favourite 50 by sheer chance. Now, time to head north.
49006 + 49003 (APT) 1630 Euston – Glasgow Central
The APT had entered passenger service providing an unadvertised relief service from Glasgow to Euston and return each day. North of Carlisle the coach in front of mine suffered a tilt failure, so the ride in that was a bit lively.

Friday 22/04/94
If you have to have a meeting away from the office on a Friday, at least make sure the journey is a good one:
87005 0745 Euston – Manchester Piccadilly via Crewe
87032 1530 Manchester Piccadilly – Euston via Stoke, Hixon
87032 was 10' early into Euston.

 

[D6130]

SATURDAY 22nd APRIL 1978:

A Southern Region 'Pleasure-Seeker' ADEX from Portsmouth Harbour to Shrewsbury, out via the Central Wales Line and back via the Marches Line:

7745 Petersfield-Portsmouth Harbour (05 22 from Haslemere)
47 099 1Z41, 06 32 Portsmouth Harbour-Cardiff Central via Southampton, Salisbury, Westbury, Bath Spa, Rhubarb Curve and Severn Tunnel
37 178 1Z41, xx xx Cardiff Central-Shrewsbury via Pencoed, Felin Fran, Morlais Junction and Llandrindod Wells.
37 178 1Z42, 16 55 Shrewsbury-Newport via Hereford
47 099 1Z42, xx xx Newport-Portsmouth Harbour as outward route
7720/7745 23 05 Portsmouth Harbour-Petersfield (to Woking)

Consist of 1Z41/1Z42: W25937/26068/26091/15866/13292/1921/34944/26109/26131/26125 Load 10 VB/DH


MONDAY 22nd APRIL 1985:

47 608 East Croydon-Gatwick Airport (1O62, 06 01 from Derby. Consist: M92172/5372/5368/6523/13527/5403/5502/5605/5415 Load 9 AB/EH)
47 608 Gatwick Airport-East Croydon (1M07, 13 22 to Manchester Piccadilly. Consist: as above in reverse order)
47 609 East Croydon-Gatwick Airport (1O74, 09 58 from Manchester Piccadilly. Consist: M92214/5424/5418/5411/5604/13552/6527/5509/6517 Load 9 AB/EH)

 

[Harvester]

Saturday 22nd April 1978

45118 08:19 Beeston-Leicester
31215 09:07 Leicester-Peterborough
55006 12:05 Peterborough-Doncaster
55017 16:09 Doncaster-Newark Northgate
Walked Northgate to Castle
DMU Newark Castle-Beeston

Coventry 0 Nottingham Forest 0 (overheard on radio at Newark). With that point Forest became Div 1 Champions.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 22nd April 1978

In May 2021, I wrote...

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.

I now know!

85021 WBQ to Carstairs
55021 Carstairs to Edinburgh
40074 Edinburgh to Carstairs
85021 Carstairs to WBQ

Not too shabby. My first recorded haulage by each of those classes.

 

[Peter Sarf]

Saturday 22nd April 1978

In May 2021, I wrote...


I now know!

85021 WBQ to Carstairs
55021 Carstairs to Edinburgh
40074 Edinburgh to Carstairs
85021 Carstairs to WBQ

Not too shabby. My first recorded haulage by each of those classes.

That is a nice way to start a career of chasing trains. And nice that you have been re-united with the facts.

 

[SteveM70]

So ended my 2-week marathon rail journey around the UK. I racked up a grand total of 8775 miles, of which 3205 miles was behind 15 different class 40s, and 1245 miles behind Deltics. I think this was the most intensive bashing period I ever made in the UK

That’s brilliant, what a time to be alive

 

[xotGD]

22nd April 1990

47820 Newcastle - New St

No Sunday diversions. Very tame.

22nd April 1993

86103 Coventry - New St

Once again, the question is "Why?".

 

[CW2]

Thursday 23/04/81 (Featured in Part 2 of this thread)
For some reason the ECML was struggling for motive power at Kings Cross this evening. The 2000 to Aberdeen had 31268 and 31174 on the front, and the 2015 to Edinburgh had 40078.
40078 2015 Kings Cross – York via Selby
At Peterborough we caught up with the 2000 Aberdeen, where the original pair of 31s had failed due to a defective speedometer, and another pair had been lashed together on Peterborough stabling point to work forward, namely 31404 + 31261. We followed them from Peterborough, then got further delayed by setting off the hot box detector at Newark. 60'+ late York.

Saturday 23/04/83
I knew that 40086 was allocated to work the 0005 Kings Cross – Newcastle, so I set out to have it:
(Friday 22/04/83)
43069 + 43067 2053 York – Kings Cross, 25' late due to stormy weather.
Saturday 23/04/83
40086 0005 Kings Cross – York via Selby
There were some engineering works taking place on the WCML, involving some diesel-hauled diversions, so it was hoped the odd 40 might produce:
47479 0710 York – Manchester Victoria via Castleford
At Manchester Victoria we got the gen that 40024 was working out of Liverpool:
47520 0956 Manchester Victoria – Liverpool Lime Street
40024 1045 Liverpool Lime Street - Barrow in Furness via Wigan North Western
40024 1517 Barrow in Furness – Preston
Then a sparky fill-in move:
86250 1700 Preston – Warrington Bank Quay
87030 1738 Warrington Bank Quay – Preston
This was the 1500 Euston – Blackpool North, which re-engined to:
40024 1816 Preston – Blackpool North
DMU Blackpool North – Preston
86211 2038 Preston – Warrington Bank Quay
85040 2139 Warrington Bank Quay – Preston
86243 2231 Preston – Crewe
86210 2344 Crewe – Stafford
… and a prolonged wait in the waiting room at Stafford until the arrival of the Manchester portion of the Splitter.

 

[Harvester]

Sunday 23rd April 1978

A couple of Sunday diversions.

DMU Nottingham-Derby
45104 11:17 Derby-Sheffield (diverted via Woodhouse-Darnall)
DMU Sheffield-Doncaster
47459 14:34 Doncaster-Lincoln Central (diverted ECML service)
Walked Central to St Marks
DMU Lincoln St Marks-Nottingham

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 23rd April 1983

Returning from my week walking in the Lakes, we appear to have hit a problem...

87034 Oxenholme to Milepost 8 (between Lancaster and Preston), 1M59 08.10 Glasgow to Euston
As we were waiting, @CW2 might well have whistled past...
85024 Milepost 8 to Preston, 1M59

I presume I then had a Can to WBQ.

 

[xotGD]

23rd April 1989

If it's a Sunday it must be time for...

50035 Slough - Padd 1F35
50046 Padd - Slough 1F42

I spent just over 2 months in Windsor/Slough. In that time I had 17 runs from Hoovers. Seven of these were with number 35. The rest were single moves with 36/33/31/40/26/30/25/46/34/39 (in the order I had them). Very strange how that worked out. Fittingly, when I packed my bags and moved out of Slough, it was 50035 that took me as far as Oxford on the way back north.

Somewhere up thread I've posted some phots from my time there. Here's a reprise of one of them. 50023 looking good in toothpaste livery...



Tomorrow is day 365 (366?) of this run through the calendar for me. Will I be going out with a bang or a whimper?

 

[D6130]

Will I be going out with a bang or a whimper?

Surely that will depend on whether you manage to find any more moves books? As the OP, may I ask if we are permitted to repeat entries from a year or more ago for the benefit of newcomers to the thread?

Meanwhile:

TUESDAY 23rd APRIL 1985:

47 599 East Croydon-Gatwick Airport (1O62, 06 01 from Derby. Consist: M92114/5424/5418/5411/5604/13552/6527/5509/6517 Load 9 AB/EH)
47 599 Gatwick Airport-East Croydon (1M07, 13 22 to Manchester Piccadilly. Consist: As above in reverse order)
47 608 East Croydon-Gatwick Airport (1O74, 09 58 from Manchester Piccadilly. Consist: M92027/13536/5522/5346/5366/5371/5582/6524/5428 Load 9 AB/EH)

 

[xotGD]

Surely that will depend on whether you manage to find any more moves books? As the OP, may I ask if we are permitted to repeat entries from a year or more ago for the benefit of newcomers to the thread?

There's nothing more for me to find. Everything is recorded in one hardback book.

While I'll not be going round the loop again, please feel free to keep the daily moves coming. Some posters have joined in part way through the year,so I'm sure there's still plenty to be shared.

I think I'll revert to sharing some old photos on the thread. And maybe some new ones when I'm out and about.

 

[NorthWestRover]

I'll keep going for a few more weeks until my 1982 and 1983 books kick in. Then I'd just be repeating. I do have some books missing, but I don't think they'll surface. And they are only filling in can, ETH duff and unit moves. I think.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 24th April 1982

There was a lot of rocking going on that night...

No 40s out, gaps presumably Duffs...but anyway...

25093 Llandudno J to Chester, 1J30 11.03 Bangor to Man Vic
25067 Rhyl to WBQ, 1J22 13.38 Bangor to Man Vic
25120 WBQ to Chester, 1D21 15.42 Man Vic to Bangor
25067 WBQ to Rhyl, 1D65 17.42 Man Vic to Llandudno J
25086 Rhyl to WBQ, 1J31 19.25 Bangor to Man Vic

Three (!) different Rats on the Bangor!

 

[xotGD]

24th April 1982

No Rats for me, just the ultimate Ned leap...

47103 Newcastle - Manors 1S15

24th April 1990

90037 New Street - Wolverhampton (via Bescot)

24th April 2004

The Last Bash

By an interesting coincidence, the final day of my year of moves coincides with the final record in my moves book. This was almost two years after the previous entry, so fair to say that my enthusiasm had diminished by this point. Anyway, this was a day out on the NYMR...

50007 + 50033 Grosmont - Levisham
D5061 Levisham - Grosmont

This 24 had fagged on my previous visit on 14th November 1998, so it was good to be able to rope it in.

37197 + 37261 Grosmont - Pickering
37197 Pickering - Grosmont (with 37261 assisting Levisham - Goathland)
44004 Grosmont - Goathland

Now had this on 3 different preserved railways, but still require D8.

D7628 Goathland - Grosmont
37261 + 37197 Grosmont - Pickering
37261 + 37197 (Top and tail) Pickering - Grosmont

And that was it for well over a decade. But then slowly my interest was rekindled, and here I am, making regular trips to diesel days and sampling 68s on the main line. I'm even beginning to get an appreciation for kettles, which is most concerning!

 

[D6130]

I'm even beginning to get an appreciation for kettles, which is most concerning!

Ah, yes....the first signs! The beginning of the gradual regression into our second childhood.

 

[CW2]

A belated posting from me today, so I thought I might as well do tomorrow’s at the same time.

Friday 24/04/81
I've told the story of this night previously in Part 2 of this thread:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/forty-years-ago-part-2.212881/#post-5064018
55008 01:05 York – Retford
31191 02:51 Retford – Doncaster
55009 04:19 Doncaster – Peterborough (diverted via Joint Lines)
40028 05:53 Peterborough – Kings Cross
A few hours sleep, then …
55010 20:15 Kings Cross – Newcastle

Sunday 24/04/83
A "joiner-for-Splitter" overnight at Stafford. How did we put up with it?
47456 0350 Stafford – Manchester Piccadilly via Stoke
Class 40 pickings were going to be distinctly thin today:
40024 (again, having had it 3 times yesterday) 1005 Manchester Victoria – Preston
There were some S&C diversions taking place, but solid 47s …
47441 1109 Preston – Blackburn
47446 1401 Blackburn – Preston
DMU Preston – Blackpool North
40024 1607 Blackpool North – Preston
87021 1654 Preston – Wigan North Western
Walk to Wigan Wallgate
DMU Wigan Wallgate – Manchester Victoria
47473 1849 Manchester Victoria – York via Castleford

Tuesday 24/04/84
A day trip to Cornwall (with the trains carefully chosen to ensure the best motive power, of course):
50029 1022 Plymouth – St Austell
50011 1936 St Austell – Plymouth

Wednesday 24/04/91
I had been in Zeebrugge on business for a few days. This was my journey home from Dover:
EMU 1510 Dover Wester Docks – Dover Priory
47834 1730 Dover Priory – Reading via Canterbury East, Dartford, Sidcup, Hither Green, Nunhead, Factory Junction, Kensington Olympia, Willesden SW Sidings, Acton
(The train was the 1716 Folkestone Central – Manchester Piccadilly).

Friday 24/04/92
I don't usually bother with my commuting moves here, but this was a little different:
47975 1650 Paddington – Reading
However if I had hung around to cover the 1753 to Twyford, it was a class 56 that night!

Sunday 24/04/94
165 118 Reading – Paddington
6024 0840 Paddington – Stratford upon Avon via Didcot, Leamington Spa
6024 1645 Stratford upon Avon – Didcot
47703 1933 Didcot – Reading
___________________________________________________________________________

Saturday 25/04/81
55021 02:20 Newcastle – York
46014 04:09 York – Newcastle
40028 08:35 Newcastle – Doncaster
55008 11:33 Doncaster – Retford
43117 + 43064 12:06 Retford – Doncaster
46051 13:02 Doncaster – York
55004 18:13 York – Kings Cross
40033 23:15 Kings Cross – Peterborough (via Cambridge)
I've told the story of this night previously in Part 2 of this thread:
https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/forty-years-ago-part-2.212881/#post-5064018

Sunday 25/04/82
50030 1410 Waterloo – Exeter St Davids
This was 25' late ex Salisbury due to the booked driver failing to take duty. His replacement seemed quite keen to make up the lost time: I clocked us doing 108 mph over jointed track at Broad Clyst! 6' late into Exeter.
47531 1721 Exeter St Davids – Plymouth, 30' late.

Tuesday 25/04/89
I think this was a "Put your best suit and tie on, you've got a job interview" day.
86225 0711 Crewe – Euston
87025 1530 Euston – Crewe

Saturday 25/04/92
47636 0930 Reading – Paddington
165 006 + 165 011 Marylebone – Princes Risborough
44932 1200 Princes Risborough – Aylesbury
44932 1510 Aylesbury – Princes Risborough
165 022 Princes Risborough – Banbury
DMU Banbury – Oxford
47581 1800 Oxford – Reading

Tuesday 25/04/95
A work trip to Manchester:
90013 1100 Euston – Manchester Piccadilly via Hixon
90002 1630 Manchester Piccadilly – Euston via Crewe

 

[D6130]

WEDNESDAY 24th APRIL 1985:

47 606 East Croydon-Gatwick Airport (1O62, 06 01 from Derby. Consist: M92027/13536/5522/5346/5366/5371/5582/6524/5428 Load 9 AB/EH)
47 606 Gatwick Airport-East Croydon (1M07, 13 22 to Manchester Piccadilly: Consist as above in reverse)
47 599 East Croydon-Gatwick Airport (1O74, 09 58 from Manchester Piccadilly: Consist: M5541/5536/5427/5367/5532/5430/6529/13521/92227. Load 9 AB/EH)

 

[NorthWestRover]

Nothing to add to my quoted entry from 12 months ago. Some days where I posted from 85 or 86, I'll now have some 40s or 87s to add from 82 or 83 (up until mid May). But not today.

As well as my 1984 books being missing, my 1982 and 1983 seem to start in May. Weird. For the missing ones, I can piece some small pieces together with a book which I have got which lists moves by class (but not for 40s or 87s). Ah well.

25th April in years gone by... A low key start...

Friday 25th April 1986

86 256 Wolverhampton to Birmingham NS
86 402 Birmingham NS to Coventry
86 419 Coventry to Sandwell & Dudley
86 230 Sandwell & Dudley to Birmingham International
86 224 Birmingham International to Wolverhampton
87 005 Wolverhampton to Coventry
86 249 Coventry to Birmingham NS
50 004 Birmingham NS to Wolverhampton

Not sure why I did all those Cans.

Friday 25th April 1980

I was spotting at Froghall Lane, Warrington where the West Coast Main Line Crosses the Cheshire Lines. Listed are lots of units and the following locos..

08340
25216 25215 25196
40115 40133 40015
47343
81015 81007
86244 86250 86019 86245
87005 87016 87022 87031 87013

 

[Harvester]

Tuesday 25th April 1978

45129 08:19 Beeston-Leicester
DMU Leicester- Nuneaton
31263 10:50 Nuneaton-Leicester
45135 11:31 Leicester-Nottingham
DMU Nottingham-Beeston

 

[D6130]

Checking back through my posts on here, I see that I only started doing detailed posts of my ramblings from about the end of May/beginning of June last year....so I shall continue to post everything that I have until 1st June and thereafter only from my more recently-discovered books for 1983/85/86.

TUESDAY 25th APRIL 1978:

Another after-work Crompton Bash:

5912/7819/7823 Petersfield-Liphook (06 13 Portsmouth Harbour-Waterloo)
7741/7711/7821 Liphook-Waterloo (06 23 Portsmouth Harbour-Waterloo)
5127/5101 08 12 Waterloo-Wimbledon (to Effingham Junction)
5914/5939/5903/5948 Wimbledon-Waterloo (18 05 from Chessington South)
33 019 19 00 Waterloo-Woking (to Exeter SD. Consist: W5361/5446/5463/14073/14063/5371/1755/5452 Load 8 AB/EH)
7747/5118 Woking-Guildford (18 52 from Waterloo)
7749/7824 Guildford-Petersfield (19 20 Waterloo-Portsmouth Harbour)

Not quite sure what the early morning Liphook move was about....think I must have needed 5912 for haulage or something. Desperate days!


SATURDAY 25th APRIL 1981:

A quick trip to Helensburgh and back for a lunchtime drink with a schoolfriend:

303 031/019 Hyndland-Glasgow QS LL (12 00 Balloch Central-Springburn)
37 085 Glasgow QS HL-Helensburgh Upper (12 53 to Oban. Consist: SC4120/4110/4172/21182 Load 4 VB/SH)
37 027 Helensburgh Upper-Glasgow QS HL (12 20 from Oban. Consist: SC14009/4201/4249/4152/81330 Load 5 VB/SH)
303 012 Glasgow QS LL-Hyndland (16 52 Airdrie-Helensburgh Central)


THURSDAY 25th APRIL 1985:

47 597 East Croydon-Gatwick Airport (1O62, 06 01 from Derby. Consist: M5541/5536/5427/5367/5532/5430/6529/13521/92227 Load 9 AB/EH)
47 597 Gatwick Airport-East Croydon (1M07, 13 22 to Manchester Piccadilly. Consist as above in reverse)
47 624 East Croydon-Gatwick Airport (1O74, 09 58 from Manchester Airport. Consist: M5310/5607/5581/5482/13555/6528/5560/5423/92199 Load 9 AB/EH)

 

[xotGD]

Just over 3 years ago I used a Northern Delay Repay free ticket to go to Blackpool. Just after I arrived into Preston, this came through...

 

[barrowjack]

Saturday 25th April 1992.
Thirty years today (Where did that time go) was as far as I know the last North West day with rare and unusual motive power and best of all most of it was on home turf!

Obviously I went for quantity this time, though I couldn't refuse pair of choppers and a 60!

37418 Barrow in Furness to Preston
47816 Preston to Bolton
37706 Bolton to Lancaster
43068 / 43165 Lancaster to Preston
31134 Preston to Chorley (Sadly the pair of 26's failed at Bolton on the outward run from Manchester)
20059 / 20168 Chorley to Lancaster
37706 Lancaster to Chorley
60095 Chorley to Lancaster
87026 Lancaster to Preston
150245 Preston to Chorley
37298 / 37891 Chorley to Kirkham and Wesham
47520 Kirkham and Wesham to Preston
1420xx Preston to Barrow in Furness

 

[Kingspanner]

Saturday 24th April 1982

There was a lot of rocking going on that night...

No 40s out, gaps presumably Duffs...but anyway...

25093 Llandudno J to Chester, 1J30 11.03 Bangor to Man Vic
25067 Rhyl to WBQ, 1J22 13.38 Bangor to Man Vic
25120 WBQ to Chester, 1D21 15.42 Man Vic to Bangor
25067 WBQ to Rhyl, 1D65 17.42 Man Vic to Llandudno J
25086 Rhyl to WBQ, 1J31 19.25 Bangor to Man Vic

Three (!) different Rats on the Bangor!

"There was a lot of rocking going on that night..." is this an oblique reference to the 27th Eurovision Song Contest?

 

[NorthWestRover]

No, more to do with the motive power. A little peace was certainly not available with Rats blowing up everywhere. A year earlier, I might have made my mind up to call it a day before the late Bangor.

 

[Harvester]

Wednesday 26th April 1978

Last day of an East Midland Rover. Not many Deltics at work, due to ongoing issues at Doncaster Works. The 40 was an unexpected surprise from Sheffield to Nottingham.

45139 08:19 Beeston-Leicester
31263 09:07 Leicester-Peterborough
47411 12:05 Peterborough-Doncaster
47524 14:28 Doncaster-Retford
DMU Retford-Sheffield
40064 16:25 Sheffield-Nottingham (Manchester Piccadilly-Harwich)
DMU Nottingham-Beeston

 

[Magdalia]

Wednesday 26th April 1978

Last day of an East Midland Rover. Not many Deltics at work, due to ongoing issues at Doncaster Works.

Doncaster Works was closed for 3 weeks 01-23/04/78 because of a strike.

 

[Harvester]

Doncaster Works was closed for 3 weeks 01-23/04/78 because of a strike.

Resulting in only around half a dozen remaining operational by 23/4/78. I observed some including 55014 dumped outside the works entrance 20/4/78-23/4/78.

 

[Kingspanner]

No, more to do with the motive power. A little peace was certainly not available with Rats blowing up everywhere. A year earlier, I might have made my mind up to call it a day before the late Bangor.

"A little peace"...I see what you did there.