Back in the day...

[xotGD]

Making a minus four. That's what it's all about.

 

[Sultan1056]

Making a minus four. That's what it's all about.

Some might say, Man of Steel; some might say, Desperate; in retrospect I was probably lucky. I tried to repeat the same move a few months later with a very disappointing result.

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 6th January 1978

This was the start of a spotting trip to South Wales.
55005 York-Kings Cross (1600 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
43038+43039 Paddington-Bristol TM (2300 Paddington-Bristol TM)

Sunday 6th January 1980

A day covering ECML relief trains, travelling in steam heat MkIs made a welcome change to MkII air cons!

40101 Edinburgh-York (0944 Edinburgh-Kings Cross) Relief
40160 York-Newcastle (1003 Kings Cross-Edinburgh) Relief
55003 Newcastle-York (1245 Edinburgh-Kings Cross) Relief

 

[Commoner]

Friday 6th January 1978

This was the start of a spotting trip to South Wales.
55005 York-Kings Cross (1600 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
43038+43039 Paddington-Bristol TM (2300 Paddington-Bristol TM)

Sunday 6th January 1980

A day covering ECML relief trains, travelling in steam heat MkIs made a welcome change to MkII air cons!

40101 Edinburgh-York (0944 Edinburgh-Kings Cross) Relief
40160 York-Newcastle (1003 Kings Cross-Edinburgh) Relief
55003 Newcastle-York (1245 Edinburgh-Kings Cross) Relief

Thanks for sharing the WR HST details from 6/1/78 much as 40065 did for 1/1/78 https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/back-in-the-day.183327/post-6569053 I appreciate not many are interested in vintage HST haulage but this gen is very useful to me. Thanks

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 7th January 1978

Continuing with my spotting trip covering the depots at Canton and Landore, plus Radyr Yard. This included the first of several journeys in the 0114 Bristol-Milford H. This was a good overnight 37 bash, although on other occasions I did subsequently get bowled by 47s.

37176 Bristol TM-Swansea (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
37183 Swansea-Carmarthen (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
37189 Carmarthen-Milford Haven (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
37189 Milford Haven-Swansea (0730 Milford Haven-Swansea)
43054+43055 Swansea-Cardiff C (1000 Swansea-Paddington)
DMU Cardiff C-Radyr
DMU Radyr-Cardiff C
47079 Cardiff C-Swansea (0830 Manchester Pic-Swansea)
47486 Swansea-Birmingham NS (1428 Swansea-Manchester Pic)
45042 Birmingham NS-York (1608 Bristol TM-Newcastle)

Monday 7th January 1980

55014 York-Newark Northgate (1811 York-Kings Cross)
55008 Newark Northgate-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Thanks for sharing the WR HST details from 6/1/78 much as 40065 did for 1/1/78 https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/back-in-the-day.183327/post-6569053 I appreciate not many are interested in vintage HST haulage but this gen is very useful to me. Thanks

Not a problem. Looking back now it is interesting to see how the WR tried to keep their power cars together in fixed class 253 formations, whereas the ER virtually gave up with class 254 formations from day 1.

 

[Commoner]

Not a problem. Looking back now it is interesting to see how the WR tried to keep their power cars together in fixed class 253 formations, whereas the ER virtually gave up with class 254 formations from day 1.

Certainly in terms of keeping power cars on the right sets he WR were more diligent than the ER in the early days. Hope you have a few more HST haulages to post. That said I enjoy reading all the moves from years gone by posted here. The railway I remember as a lad in the 1970s.

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 8th January 1977

A spotting trip covering the southern end of the WCML that I hadn’t previously travelled on.

47413 York-Kings Cross (1910 Aberdeen-Kings Cross) ex7/1/77
EMU Euston-Rugby (0705 Euston-Birmingham NS)
86258 Rugby-Wigan North Western (0755 Euston-Blackpool N)
47438 Wigan North Western-Liverpool LS (0800 Glasgow C-Liverpool LS)
86014 Liverpool LS-Runcorn (1200 Liverpool LS-Euston)
040 Runcorn-Crewe (1237 Liverpool LS-Crewe)
EMU Crewe-Manchester Pic (1822 Crewe-Altrincham)
DMU Manchester Vic-York (1957 Manchester Vic-York)

Tuesday 8th January 1980

This was for me, a typical evening Deltic bash out of York.

55005 York-Newark Northgate (1811 York-Kings Cross)
55008 Newark Northgate-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

Thursday 8th January 1981

Plan B. This was the low mileage evening Deltic bash out of York if the 1811 to KX was a Duff.

55008 York-Selby (1955 York-Kings Cross)
55004 Selby-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

 

[xotGD]

37176 Bristol TM-Swansea (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
37183 Swansea-Carmarthen (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
37189 Carmarthen-Milford Haven (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)

Three in the book without even having to move from your seat!

 

[Sultan1056]

Three in the book without even having to move from your seat!

And the added benefit of not having move until your return into Swansea sometime around 9. A good overnight if all three 37s produced.

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 9th January 1981

The start to my weekend chasing Deltics was delayed, turning down 55015 on the 1955 York-KX. The reason being, the distraction of a pair of Goyles on the Fridays Only to Brum. This move also included two bus journeys, from Pontefract to Castleford and then onto Garforth,

31121+31286 York-Pontefract Baghill (1931 York-Birmingham NS)
Bus Pontefract-Castleford
Bus Castleford-Garforth
31219 Garforth-Leeds (2039 Hull-Leeds)
31142 Leeds-Doncaster (2120 Bradford Exchange-Kings Cross)
40064 Doncaster-Darlington (2015 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)

 

[xotGD]

Friday 9th January 1981

The start to my weekend chasing Deltics was delayed, turning down 55015 on the 1955 York-KX. The reason being, the distraction of a pair of Goyles on the Fridays Only to Brum. This move also included two bus journeys, from Pontefract to Castleford and then onto Garforth,

31121+31286 York-Pontefract Baghill (1931 York-Birmingham NS)
Bus Pontefract-Castleford
Bus Castleford-Garforth
31219 Garforth-Leeds (2039 Hull-Leeds)
31142 Leeds-Doncaster (2120 Bradford Exchange-Kings Cross)
40064 Doncaster-Darlington (2015 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)

I think @NorthWestRover would approve of those Goyle moves!

 

[CW2]

For @Commoner here's a few early HST moves I think I haven't mentioned previously:
31/12/76 43018+43019 11xx Reading to Paddington (0900 ex Swansea)
28/01/77 43002+43031 17xx Reading to Paddington (15xx ex Bristol TM)
30/01/77 43037+43036 11xx Reading to Paddington (0850 ex ??)
11/02/77 43034+43035 2115 Paddington to Reading (2115 to Bristol TM)
You could also add 252001 aka 43000+43001 on their first day in public service. (Does anyone have a date for that?). I did Reading to Paddington, then Paddington to Chippenham, non stop through Reading!

After that we move on to 1978/9 by which time I was resident in York. Let me know if you want those journey details too.

 

[CW2]

Edit - deleted.
Duplicate of #4473 posted this time last year.

 

[Commoner]

For @Commoner here's a few early HST moves I think I haven't mentioned previously:
31/12/76 43018+43019 11xx Reading to Paddington (0900 ex Swansea)
28/01/77 43002+43031 17xx Reading to Paddington (15xx ex Bristol TM)
30/01/77 43037+43036 11xx Reading to Paddington (0850 ex ??)
11/02/77 43034+43035 2115 Paddington to Reading (2115 to Bristol TM)
You could also add 252001 aka 43000+43001 on their first day in public service. (Does anyone have a date for that?). I did Reading to Paddington, then Paddington to Chippenham, non stop through Reading!

After that we move on to 1978/9 by which time I was resident in York. Let me know if you want those journey details too.

CW2 that gen is superb. Thanks for posting. It sounds like you don't have any more for 77/78 on the WR, but if you did and had time to collate it I would be keen to receive it. Thanks for the offer of the ER 1978 gen, but that is not needed currently.

In regard to 252 001, it entered service on 5/5/75 and worked the 07.45 Bristol Parkway-Paddington (via BTM and Box)/10.15 Paddington-Weston-S-M/13.47 Weston Weston-S-M/16.45 Padd-BTM. The set worked ecs from and to OOC at the beginning and end of the day.

Thanks Again

 

[CW2]

In regard to 252 001, it entered service on 5/5/75 and worked the 07.45 Bristol Parkway-Paddington (via BTM and Box)/10.15 Paddington-Weston-S-M/13.47 Weston Weston-S-M/16.45 Padd-BTM. The set worked ecs from and to OOC at the beginning and end of the day.

Thanks Again

That's all my GW moves of that era.
Thanks for the gen re 252 001. We're the power cars numbered 41001/2 or 41000/1 at the time?
My move would have been the 13:47 WSM - Padd from Reading for the 16:45 Padd - BTM to Chippenham. That was also my first encounter with a MK3 carriage.

 

[NorthWestRover]

I think @NorthWestRover would approve of those Goyle moves!

I always approve of Goyle moves!

 

[Commoner]

That's all my GW moves of that era.
Thanks for the gen re 252 001. We're the power cars numbered 41001/2 or 41000/1 at the time?
My move would have been the 13:47 WSM - Padd from Reading for the 16:45 Padd - BTM to Chippenham. That was also my first encounter with a MK3 carriage.

Thanks again for posting. All very useful. 41001/2 were renumbered 43000/1 in late 1974 when the prototype train was reclassified as a multiple unit.

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 10th January 1976

A spotting trip to Reading with the hope of seeing lots of Westerns. IIRC we only saw 3 and I can only recall seeing D1063 WESTERN MONITOR. Could this be the dullest name for a Western? I was told that a Saturday was not the best day for seeing Westerns so later in 1976 I returned a few more times during midweek and was rewarded with a lot more, including a few for haulage.

47526 York-Kings Cross (0700 York-Kings Cross)
50035 Paddington-Reading (1030 Paddington-Paignton)
50033 Reading-Paddington
47522 Kings Cross-York (1900 Kings Cross-Newcastle)

Saturday 10th January 1981

55015 was in trouble today, it was on one engine from Peterborough. I was hoping that it might be re-engined at York by another Deltic. It wasn’t, the train was terminated at York, however the rest of the day went very well.

55011 Darlington-Kings Cross (2230 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
55015 Kings Cross-York (0550 Kings Cross-York)
55019 York-Peterborough (1045 York-Kings Cross)
55016 Peterborough-Doncaster (1220 Kings Cross-York)
55011 Doncaster-Grantham (1413 York-Kings Cross)
55022 Grantham-York (1405 Kings Cross-York)
55022 York-Peterborough (1813 York-Kings Cross)
55019 Peterborough-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 11th January 1980

A pleasing start to the weekend; a Class 40 turning up instead of the expected Gateshead Class 46.

40007 York-Doncaster (2030 Newcastle-Kings Cross)
55010 Doncaster-York (2015 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)

Sunday 11th January 1981

55013 York-Edinburgh (2100 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)
via Stockton & Bedlington Jnc
40023 Edinburgh-Kirkcaldy (0900 Edinburgh-Inverness)
Sc50146+51234 Kirkcaldy-Edinburgh (0910 Dundee-Edinburgh)
55019 Edinburgh-York (1125 Edinburgh-Plymouth)
via Stockton
55022 York-Grantham (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55007 Grantham-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 12th January 1980

55004 had recently returned to service having spent 19 months languishing at Doncaster Works. I needed two good runs to clear it for a thousand miles. I knew it would be working the 0700 from Hull and so joined the train at Grantham. All I needed to do was wait for its next working. I filled my time with a brief trip to Reading before catching No.4 to York.

55002 York-Kings Cross (2035 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
55005 Kings Cross-Grantham (0550 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)
55004 Grantham-Kings Cross (0700 Hull-Kings Cross)
50023 Paddington-Reading (1030 Paddington-Paignton)
50005 Reading-Paddington (0801 Paignton-Paddington)
55004 Kings Cross-York (1405 Kings Cross-York)
55004 York-Peterborough (1813 York-Kings Cross)
55018 Peterborough-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 13th January 1979

I remember this dull January day, chasing new engines. Disappointingly my red pen only came out once!

45022 York-Chesterfield (0700 Newcastle-Poole)
45102 Chesterfield-Derby (0913 Leeds-St Pancras)
E50663+50719 Derby-Crewe (1037 Lincoln St Marks-Crewe)
86260 Crewe-Warrington BQ (1200 Euston-Blackpool N)
M50197+51175 Warrington BQ-Manchester Vic (1220 Bangor-Manchester Vic)
46047 Manchester Vic-York (1510 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)
45071 York-Sheffield (1620 Newcastle-Cardiff C)
46029 Sheffield-York (1608 Bristol TM-Newcastle)

Sunday 13th January 1980

Sunday diversions again, this time by the very rare Skellow to Applehurst Junction. It is the only time I have done this piece of track. The train went onto travel through Hessle Yard before turning off to Boothferry Park and arriving into Hull from the direction of Beverley.

55009 York-Newark Northgate (1143 York-Kings Cross)
55014 Newark Northgate-Hull (1205 Kings Cross-Hull)
via Skellow, Hessle Yard & Boothferry Park
55014 Hull-Doncaster (1652 Hull-Kings Cross)
via Boothferry Park & Hessle Yard
55002 Doncaster-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

 

[QJ]

Saturday 13th January 1979

Saturday 13th January 1979

I remember this dull January day

I remember the day as freezing cold causing the DAA+DEG North West Rambler No2 to start from High Wycombe instead of London Marylebone. The stock was delayed leaving Oxley CS. To cut down the late running tour participants were transported by spare DMU between Marylebone and High Wycombe. Fortunately 25040 (BS) + 25069 (CW) made it to Basford Hall SS North via a roundabout routing in the West Midlands without further incident; a route that included the Princes End branch for a bit of required track and traction. 40108 (LO) took over from the pair of "rats" but unfortunately the route via Warrington BQ, Golborne Jn, St Helens Shaw St, Sutton Oak and Widnes was an on the day casualty with the train running direct from Weaver Junction to Ditton Junction from Northwich instead. 85033 (CE) took the train back to London with Euston reached only ten minutes late.

Also freezing cold (but somewhat further afield) was....

Thursday 13 January 2005 (during a holiday riding behind steam locomotives on the Jitong Railway in the Peoples Republic of China)
QJ 6751 (Qián Jìn 2-10-2 steam loco) 6053 1220 Tongliao - Jening Bei (Daban to Jingpeng)

Other QJ locos had for haulage that day were 6986 and 7140 courtesy of a GW Travel charter to Zhengxianbaiqi to visit the steam depot at the western end of the Jitong. The run back east to Daban afforded me the memorable experience of a cab ride in QJ 6986 between Jingpeng and Shangdian up the western ramp of the Jingpeng Pass. Great memories.

 

[Sultan1056]

Monday 14th January 1980

I overslept for work so not wanting to waste the day I headed off to the station. I was rewarded with No.17 going to Liverpool. Then a little bit of track bashing before returning to York with No.17.

55017 York-Liverpool LS (0849 York-Liverpool LS)
M28687 Liverpool LS-Liverpool C (1143 Moorfields-West Kirby)
507025 Liverpool C-Garston (1130 Kirkby-Garston)
507025 Garston-Liverpool C (1215 Garston-Kirkby)
M28673 Liverpool C-Liverpool JS (1226 Moorfields-West Kirby)
M28394 Liverpool JS-Liverpool LS (1238 Liverpool JS-West Kirby)
55017 Liverpool LS-York (1305 Liverpool LS-York)
55010 York-Grantham (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55009 Grantham-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Thursday 15th January 1981

55021 York-Selby (1955 York-Kings Cross)
55005 Selby-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Sunday 16th January 1977

A spotting trip to Crewe Works. Every Sunday it was possible to turn up without a permit and be escorted by a guide around the works. Back in 77 the first train on Sunday from York across the Pennines did not depart until 1035! This meant it was impossible to get to Crewe Works for 2pm. We therefore had to resort to catching a bus between York and Leeds where an earlier service was available.

Bus York-Leeds
DMU Leeds-Manchester Vic (0800 Hull-Manchester Vic)
EMU Manchester Pic-Crewe (1220 Manchester Pic-Crewe)
EMU Crewe-Manchester Pic (1610 Crewe-Altrincham)
40052 Manchester Vic-York (1800 Manchester Vic-Newcastle)

Wednesday 16th January 1980

55007 York-Newark Northgate (1811 York-Kings Cross)
55016 Newark Northgate-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

Friday 16th January 1981

A positioning move to get myself on an overnight service to Scotland. Tonight No.19 duly obliged on the 2015 KX-Edinburgh. This was my favourite overnight train to Edinburgh because it was usually fairly empty, enabling a little bit of sleep. Although a Deltic roaring in front sometimes made sleep a little difficult! Arrival into Edinburgh around 0400 would also prevent a good nights sleep too.

55014 York-Newark Northgate (1955 York-Kings Cross)
55011 Newark Northgate-Doncaster (1935 Kings Cross-Hull)
55019 Doncaster-Edinburgh (2015 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)

 

[xotGD]

2015 KX-Edinburgh

As a sign of how times have changed, these days the 1S99 20:27 KX - Edinburgh is a day train. (Albeit arriving into Waverley a bit after my bedtime!)

 

[Sultan1056]

Yes, the introduction of 125mph services has pretty much negated the requirement for traditional overnight trains. It’s difficult to imagine catching a sleeper train from London to Leeds or Newcastle.

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 17th January 1981

The plan for the day was to travel on the closure threatened Kilmacolm branch, however this was quickly changed once I had seen the motive power for the 0600 Glasgow-Mallaig. There was a couple of inches of snow on the ground in Glasgow and with the expectation of more further north a snowplough fitted 20 was added to the train. At Crianlarich with the snow now somewhat deeper I left the 20 and 37 combo to cover both up and down QS-Obans before returning to Glasgow on the first up Mallaig. This meant walking between Tyndrum Lower and Tyndrum Upper. Not a difficult walk normally but as I left Lower station the snow was above my shoes. I quickly lost the path and found myself knee deep in snow up the hillside to Tyndrum Upper! I returned to Glasgow where I found a 40 on the 1335 Aberdeen, the branch to Kilmalcolm would have to wait for another day.

27110 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS (0435 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS)
20117 + 37014 Glasgow QS-Crianlarich (0600 Glasgow QS-Mallaig)
27037 Glasgow QS-Cowlairs (Banking Loco)
27017 Crianlarich-Ardlui (0758 Oban-Glasgow QS)
37111 Ardlui-Tyndrum Lower (0805 Glasgow QS-Oban)
27018 Tyndrum Upper-Glasgow QS (0700 Mallaig-Glasgow QS)
40150 Glasgow QS-Stirling (1335 Glasgow QS-Aberdeen)
40065 Stirling-Larbert (1339 Dundee-Glasgow QS)
Sc50141+50185 Larbert-Edinburgh (1458 Dunblane-Edinburgh)
Sc50148+50184+50186+51251 Edinburgh-Kirkcaldy (1745 Edinburgh-Dundee)
55019 Kirkcaldy-Edinburgh (1630 Aberdeen-Leeds)
55008 Edinburgh-York (2045 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)

 

[CD]

Saturday 17th January 1981

33024 Yeovil PM-Bristol TM (2V55 0600 Weymouth-Bristol)
50033 Bristol TM-Birmingham NS (1M88 0600 Plymouth-Liverpool)
85006 Birmingham NS-Crewe (1M88)
47486 Crewe-Chester (1D43 1005 Euston-Holyhead)
40025 Chester-Manchester Victoria (1J30 1130 Bangor-Manchester)
86234 Manchester Pic-Crewe (1A59 1512 Manchester-Euston)
25042 Crewe-Newport (1V09 1602 Crewe-Cardiff)
DMU Newport-Bristol TM
33024 Bristol TM-Yeovil PM (2Oxx 2030 Bristol-Weymouth)

Saturday 18th January 1986

33038 Yeovil PM-Bristol TM (2B77 0655 Yeovil-Cardiff)
45111 Bristol TM-Cardiff Central (2B77)
47594 Cardiff Central-Newport (1M84 1200 Cardiff-Crewe)
HST Newport-Bristol Pwy (1143 Swansea-Paddington)
HST Bristol wy-Bristol TM (1039 Manchester P-Plymouth)
45126 Bristol TM-Taunton (2C46 1720 Bristol-Taunton)
45126 Taunton-Bristol TM (2C85 1900 Taunton-Bristol)
Rail Replacement bus Bristol-Trowbridge
33011 Trowbridge-Westbury (2O95 2028 Swindon-Portsmouth Hbr)
DMU Westbury-Yeovil PM (2136 Westbury-Weymouth)

Saturday 18th January 1992

47707 Yeovil Jn-Crewkerne (0605 Salisbury-Exeter)
47703 Crewkerne-Tisbury (0645 Exeter-Waterloo)
47579 Tisbury-Exeter St.Davids (0745 Basingstoke-Exeter)
47579 Exeter St.Davids-Salisbury (1226 Exeter-Waterloo)
47701 Salisbury-Exeter St.Davids (1315 Waterloo-Exeter)
47712 Exeter St.Davids-Bristol TM (1544 Plymouth-Derby)
158 Bristol TM-Salisbury (1715 Cardiff-Portsmouth)
47579 Salisbury-Sherborne (1915 Waterloo-Exeter)

Friday 18th January 2002

159 Yeovil Jn-Exeter St.Davids (0555 Salisbury-Exeter.)
HST Exeter St.Davids-Taunton (0730 Plymouth-Paddington)
47839 Taunton-Totnes (1V35 0605 Derby-Plymouth)
47781 Totnes-Paddington (1A45 0820 Penzance-Paddington)
47781 Paddington-Redruth (1C56 1633 Paddington-Penzance)
47832 Redruth-Reading (1A99 2200 Penzance-Paddington)