Back in the day...

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 17th May 1975

46019 York-Leeds (1002 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
DMU Leeds-York

Saturday 17th May 1980

A decent fill in move between arriving and departing Edinburgh with Deltic 17. At Darlington my plan was to return north with Deltic 5. It was diagrammed to work the 0725 Plymouth-Edinburgh from York, however it failed to materialise remaining at York MPD. I was stuck with an HST to York before I could pick up another Deltic service.

55017 York-Edinburgh (2015 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)
26044 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS (0435 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS)
via Falkirk Grahamston
37027 Glasgow QS-Stirling (0640 Glasgow QS-Dundee)
25044 Glasgow QS-Cowlairs (0640 Glasgow QS-Dundee)
Banking locomotive
26026 Stirling-Larbert (0705 Perth-Edinburgh)
27002 Larbert-Bishopbriggs (0643 Dundee-Perth)
37026 Bishopbriggs-Croy (0844 Glasgow QS-Dundee)
Sc51459+51524 Croy-Edinburgh (0914 Glasgow QS-Edinburgh)
55017 Edinburgh-Darlington (0912 Dundee-Kings Cross)
43074+43083 Darlington-York (1245 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
55016 York-Doncaster (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55010 Doncaster-Retford (1630 Hull-Kings Cross)
55004 Retford-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)
47420 York-Darlington (1608 Bristol TM-Newcastle)
46010 Darlington-York (2100 Newcastle-Kings Cross)

Sunday 17th May 1981

With no Deltics out of KX I headed over to Victoria to cover the 0405 to Ramsgate, however engineering work was taking place and this train was being re-routed to Sheerness. Fortunately after arrival at Sheerness the train crew allowed me to ride back in the ECS as far as Gillingham. I continued back to KX where I could resume another Deltic hauled journey.

73140 Victoria-Sheerness on Sea (0412 Victoria-Sheerness on Sea)
73140 Sheerness on Sea-Gillingham (0630 Sheerness on Sea-??) ECS
5186 Gillingham-Waterloo East (0726 Gillingham-Charing Cross)
via Woolwich Arsenal
55022 Kings Cross-York (1005 Kings Cross-York)
55022 York-Grantham (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55016 Grantham-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 18th May 1979

47411 York-Selby (1811 York-Kings Cross)
55005 Selby-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)
55005 York-Selby (1956 York-Kings Cross)
55015 Selby-York (1805 Kings Cross-York)

Sunday 18th May 1980

I took the non-boillered and required 47229 to Batley where I had to return to Leeds by bus. Engineering work meant that services bound for York and Newcastle were being diverted via Wakefield.

47229 York-Batley (1210 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
47460 Leeds-York (1240 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)
55010 York-Retford (1550 York-Kings Cross)
via Gascoigne Wood & Normanton
55006 Retford-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 19th May 1979

A rather disappointing although required 31/4 on the Newcastle-Yarmouth service. The return Yarmouth-Newcastle was more of what I would be expecting, in the shape of 40151.

31409 York-Selby (0835 Newcastle-Yarmouth)
E50027 Selby-York (1021 Doncaster-York)
55014 York-Doncaster (1215 York-Kings Cross)
40151 Doncaster-York (0915 Yarmouth-Newcastle)
47552 York-Leeds (1547 York-Liverpool LS)
47035 Leeds-Sheffield (1639 Leeds-Bristol TM)
47462 Sheffield-Leeds (1026 Penzance-Bradford Exchange)
47525 Leeds-York (1805 Liverpool LS-York)

Monday 19th May 1980

55022 York-Doncaster (1810 York-Kings Cross)
55003 Doncaster-Hull (1705 Kings Cross-Hull)
55003 Hull-Doncaster (2100 Hull-Doncaster)
E50563+50582 Doncaster-York (2219 Doncaster-York)

 

[xotGD]

A rather disappointing although required 31/4 on the Newcastle-Yarmouth service.

A wise decision by the foreman at Gateshead to send the Goyle as far away as possible!

 

[D6130]

A wise decision by the foreman at Gateshead to send the Goyle as far away as possible!

Shame the Norwich foreman didn't decide to send an MR or SF siphon back to Newcastle!

 

[Magdalia]

31409 York-Selby (0835 Newcastle-Yarmouth)

A wise decision by the foreman at Gateshead to send the Goyle as far away as possible!

Shame the Norwich foreman didn't decide to send an MR or SF siphon back to Newcastle!

Nothing to do with Norwich, both trains changed locos at Grassmoor.

The wise decision at Gateshead was to ensure train heat with an 0835 start on a mid May morning.

 

[CW2]

Nothing to do with Norwich, both trains changed locos at Grassmoor.

The wise decision at Gateshead was to ensure train heat with an 0835 start on a mid May morning.

Undoubtedly the decision to ensure train heat was balanced by the opportunity to enjoy the scenery passing at a much slower rate than usual ...

 

[D6130]

Undoubtedly the decision to ensure train heat was balanced by the opportunity to enjoy the scenery passing at a much slower rate than usual ...

Precisely!

 

[Sultan1056]

The good thing for me was that I wasn’t travelling any further than Selby!

 

[D6130]

The good thing for me was that I wasn’t travelling any further than Selby!

How long did it take to get there from York?

 

[Sultan1056]

How long did it take to get there from York?

It certainly wouldn’t have been one of my fastest journeys between the two stations.

 

[Sultan1056]

Tuesday 20th May 1980

During the Summer timetable the Poole-Newcastle could turn out tall types of rare traction and today was no exception with 37004 in action. Gateshead were again getting rid of foreign goyles!

37004 York-Darlington (1135 Poole-Newcastle)
31259 Darlington-York (1935 Newcastle-Bristol TM)

 

[Magdalia]

How long did it take to get there from York?

It certainly wouldn’t have been one of my fastest journeys between the two stations.

But there was plenty of time in the schedule. The Newcastle-Yarmouth had 18 minutes for York-Selby, compared with 14 minutes for a Deltic+8. Altogether there was 4 hours 20 minutes to do the (roughly) 207 miles from Newcastle to Grassmoor.

 

[CW2]

The Newcastle - Yarmouth and return were usually load 12 or 13 Mk 1s. A class 31 would barely have exceeded 50 mph between York and Selby on that load.
All part of the holiday experience, watching the countryside passing slowly by the window ...

 

[Sultan1056]

But there was plenty of time in the schedule. The Newcastle-Yarmouth had 18 minutes for York-Selby, compared with 14 minutes for a Deltic+8. Altogether there was 4 hours 20 minutes to do the (roughly) 207 miles from Newcastle to Grassmoor.

The Newcastle - Yarmouth and return were usually load 12 or 13 Mk 1s. A class 31 would barely have exceeded 50 mph between York and Selby on that load.
All part of the holiday experience, watching the countryside passing slowly by the window ...

The York-Selby route was never going to be a racetrack whatever traction was on the train. With two slow speed junctions, Chaloners Whin and Barlby; two swing bridges at Selby and Naburn, admittedly this was fixed and two Auto half barrier crossing, BR must have thought they had hit the jackpot when the NCB paid for a new railway.

 

[Sultan1056]

Wednesday 21st May 1980

47412 York-Leeds (2027 York-Liverpool LS)
E50155 Leeds-Cross Gates (2114 Leeds-Hull)
31223 Cross Gates-Leeds (2039 Hull-Leeds)
47526 Leeds-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Friday 21st May 1982

31404 York-Malton (1854 York-Scarborough)
45069 Malton-York (2115 Scarborough-York)

 

[Magdalia]

The Newcastle - Yarmouth and return were usually load 12 or 13 Mk 1s. A class 31 would barely have exceeded 50 mph between York and Selby on that load.
All part of the holiday experience, watching the countryside passing slowly by the window ...

Class 31s in fair condition moved load 12 or 13 at about 60 mph on level track, I have experienced that many times on the Norwich-Yarmouth part of the journey.

It was how summer Saturday trains were done in the 1960s and 1970s. The routes to/from the East Coast holiday resorts were mostly quite flat and on secondary lines with maximum speed of 60 mph or 70 mph. There was no operational need to go any faster.

The York-Selby route was never going to be a racetrack whatever traction was on the train.

Indeed, and the Newcastle-Yarmouth was also booked on the slow line from Thirsk to York.

The need for more powerful traction on the Newcastle-Yarmouth was just beginning to be felt with the arrival of HSTs on the ECML, but the critical events were the rerouting of the train in 1983 to go via Peterborough, following the closure of Spalding to March, and including the Selby diversion.

 

[CW2]

Class 31s in fair condition moved load 12 or 13 at about 60 mph on level track, I have experienced that many times on the Norwich-Yarmouth part of the journey.

It was how summer Saturday trains were done in the 1960s and 1970s. The routes to/from the East Coast holiday resorts were mostly quite flat and on secondary lines with maximum speed of 60 mph or 70 mph. There was no operational need to go any faster.

Very true. The point is though that a class 31 might only reach the dizzying heights of 60 mph after about 30 minutes on full power. It would never get close to 60 mph between York and Selby.
The Newcastle - Yarmouth was an excellent train - usually a good bet for a rare No Heat class 40, but as the original post showed, other traction did substitute from time to time.

 

[The exile]

Very true. The point is though that a class 31 might only reach the dizzying heights of 60 mph after about 30 minutes on full power. It would never get close to 60 mph between York and Selby.

In 1977 (IIRC), I was on one of the two Anglo-Scots expresses which stopped at Stevenage at 08 something. When the Deltic expired roughly at the site of Stevenage Old Station we were rescued by the Hitchin yard pilot - a 31 - which got us to York. How I wish I had a log (or a better memory) of that journey - I wonder how late we were into Edinburgh.

 

[Magdalia]

The point is though that a class 31 might only reach the dizzying heights of 60 mph after about 30 minutes on full power. It would never get close to 60 mph between York and Selby.

That's not correct. A class 31 on the Newcastle-Yarmouth forward from Norwich would get to 60 mph just after Brundall, which takes less than 10 minutes.

usually a good bet for a rare No Heat class 40

But not in May or September. when train heat would be required.

 

[Sultan1056]

Thursday 22nd May 1980

A typical evening bash for me, although it could have ended up with a much later arrival home. IIRC 47519 departed Leeds on time, however after passing through Church Fenton I noticed the train beginning to slow down. Maybe it was a signal check, no the driver was not making a brake application. I looked out of the window and realised that the loco was not applying any power even though there were green signals ahead. The train continued to slow down and it was now apparent that it was having difficulties. The question now was would it manage to get to York? The train crawled past Holgate Junction with the loco and first coach coming to a stand at the very south end of platform 14 (now 9). I was able to get off the train where the driver told me that he had lost power at Garforth, coasting about 18 miles! I headed home not waiting for the station pilot to push the rest of the train into the station.

55022 York-Selby (1956 York-Kings Cross)
31229 Selby-Leeds (2039 Hull-Leeds)
47519 Leeds-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Friday 22nd May 1981

55002 York-Peterborough (1810 York-Kings Cross)
46035 Peterborough-York (2000 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)

Tuesday 22nd May 1984

47600 York-Scarborough (0700 Newcastle-Scarborough)
47526 Scarborough-York (1300 Scarborough-Bangor)

 

[D6130]

was able to get off the train where the driver told me that he had lost power at Garforth, coasting about 18 miles! I headed home not waiting for the station pilot to push the rest of the train into the station.

I'm surprised the train managed to coast that far without the brakes applying. Presumably the engine was still idling and managed to keep the compressor turning sufficiently to provide brake pipe pressure.

 

[Sultan1056]

I'm surprised the train managed to coast that far without the brakes applying. Presumably the engine was still idling and managed to keep the compressor turning sufficiently to provide brake pipe pressure.

Yes, the engine was still running.

 

[Sultan1056]

Wednesday 23rd May 1979

The 1805 KX-York, my intended return train from Selby must have got into difficulties today, I am presuming that the service was cancelled earlier in its journey. Instead of the hoped for Deltic, a Control Stop Order for Selby was given to the 1900 KX-Newcastle HST service.

47407 York-Selby (1811 York-Kings Cross)
55022 Selby-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)
55022 York-Selby (1956 York-Kings Cross)
43082+43083 Selby-York (1900 Kings Cross-Newcastle)

Friday 23rd May 1980

55011 York-Leeds (1630 Aberdeen-Leeds)

Saturday 23rd May 1981

My plan for the day was to head north with Deltic 4, I think perhaps Newcastle however this quickly changed. As I was arriving into York a Liverpool bound Deltic 10 passed me by. 40037 was waiting with the next Pennine bound service to Llandudno, so I decided to take that to Manchester where I would be able to pick up the Deltic on its return to York. Although the connection onto 40037 was tight I easily made the train because it’s departure was delayed slightly. 40037 pulled out of York where we immediately passed 55010 which had promptly failed! What should I do now? I took the 40 to Leeds to see what would rescue the errant Deltic. A journey to Liverpool now seemed in doubt. After about an hours delay Deltic 11 together with a dead Deltic 10 arrived into Leeds. No10. was dumped on a through road and No.11 continued to Liverpool alone. Returning to York I picked up my 76th 45/0 for haulage; I missed out on the collision damaged 45067. I returned home to ready myself for an All Line Rover. I was going to head to Kings Cross hopefully by Deltic. I quickly found out that no Deltics were booked on any of the trains south. I took the next best option, 40080, the only problem was that it’s arrival into London was in the early hours of a Sunday morning.

55016 York-Selby (0808 York-Kings Cross)
55004 Selby-York (0550 Kings Cross-Aberdeen)
40037 York-Leeds (0855 York-Llandudno)
55011 Leeds-Liverpool LS (0849 York-Liverpool LS)
55011 Liverpool LS-York (1305 Liverpool LS-York)
45053 York-Darlington (1032 Swansea-Newcastle) Relief
45105 Darlington-York (1617 Newcastle-Cardiff C)
40080 York-Kings Cross (2100 Newcastle-Kings Cross)

Sunday 23rd May 1982

47408 York-Leeds (1750 Scarborough-Liverpool LS)
31410 Leeds-York (2110 Bradford Exchange-Scarborough)

 

[QJ]

24 May 1980 (a bit of a trek around the Midlands)
81012 GW 1S19 2130 (23/05) Bristol TM - Edinburgh (Birmingham New Street to Stafford)
85018 CE 1S23 2142 (23/05) Bristol TM - Glasgow C (Stafford to Crewe)
81003 GW 1V57 2345 (23/05) Edinburgh - Plymouth (Crewe to Birmingham New Street)
45050 CW 1E04 0730 Birmingham New Street - Newcastle (Birmingham New Street to Derby)
47182 CD 1E83 0835 Derby - Yarmouth (Derby to Long Eaton)
1*120 DMU 0627 Barnetby - Birmingham New Street (Long Eaton to Derby)
37165 TE 1E33 0935 Birmingham New Street - Scarborough (Derby to Sheffield)
1*114 DMU 1254 Sheffield - Cleethorpes (Sheffield to Retford Low Level)
31312 YK 1J24 1252 Skegness - Sheffield (Retford Low Level to Sheffield)
40050 HM 1M34 1322 Skegness - Manchester Piccadilly (Sheffield to Manchester Piccadilly)
47361 TE 1E88 1639 Liverpool Lime Street - Newcastle (Manchester Victoria to Stalybridge)
1*104 DMU Stalybridge - Stockport (Stalybridge to Stockport)
86239 1842 Manchester Piccadilly - London Paddington (Stockport to Crewe)
25245 CD 1V13 1828 Crewe - Cardiff Central (Crewe to Shrewsbury)
25264 TO + 25157 CD 2G62 1800 Aberystwyth - Wolverhampton (Shrewsbury to Wolverhampton)
86258 WN 1A84 2012 Manchester Piccadilly - London Euston (Wolverhampton to Birmingham New Street)

 

[Sultan1056]

Thursday 24th May 1979

55022 York-Selby (1811 York-Kings Cross)
47411 Selby-York (1605 Kings Cross-York)

Saturday 24th May 1980

On a typical Summer Saturday I would head off to Sheffield and Chesterfield to cover the myriad of services passing through but today I was distracted by a Non-Boilered (NB) 31 on an empty coaching stock to Bradford. Sometimes you wouldn’t know what was working what, but today I must have been in receipt of some “gen”. I headed off to Scarborough with Tinsley allocated 37123 to cover the 1230 to Leicester which was in the hands of an even more impressive Western Region allocated 37204. I could take this train to Selby where I should be able to connect into the Yarmouth-Newcastle with NB 40038. However, due to a signalling cock-up this nearly didn’t happen. Rather than be routed into the platform at Selby the signaller routed the train through the middle road and the driver duly took the route. Once the train had come to stand the driver got out of the cab and contacted the signaller. I was now thinking that my chance of getting 40038 was lost especially when in the distance I saw it approach. It came to a stand at signals just south of the station and I thought bold action was needed, so I bailed out onto the middle road, then exited the station off the end of the platform. I dashed quickly up to the station entrance and onto the platform boarding the train to York. It was the only time I had it for haulage.

08500 Leeds Platform 11-Platform 9 (0050 Leeds-Doncaster)
31186 Leeds-Doncaster (0050 Leeds-Doncaster)
55006 Doncaster-York (2305 Kings Cross-Aberdeen) Relief
47413 York-Doncaster (2230 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
31189 Doncaster-Leeds (0110 Kings Cross-Leeds)
31155 Leeds-Bradford Exchange (0554 Neville Hill-Bradford Exchange) ECS
31155 Bradford Exchange-Leeds (0649 Bradford Exchange-Penzance)
31311 Leeds-Wakefield Westgate (0800 Leeds-Skegness)
31412 Wakefield Westgate-Rotherham (0836 Leeds-Paignton)
37123 Rotherham-Scarborough (0908 Chesterfield-Scarborough)
37204 Scarborough-Selby via Bridlington (1230 Scarborough-Leicester)
40038 Selby-York (0915 Yarmouth-Newcastle)
55006 York-Doncaster (0912 Dundee-Kings Cross)
37143 Doncaster-York (1032 Swansea-York) Relief
47403 York-Leeds (1753 York-Liverpool LS)
47361 Leeds-York (1637 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)
37165 York-Doncaster (1902 Scarborough-Sheffield)
43074+43104 Doncaster-Leeds (1950 Kings Cross-Leeds)
47490 Leeds-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

Sunday 24th May 1981

Day 1 All Line Rover
Having arrived into KX much earlier than planned I headed off to Victoria to cover the early morning Electro-Diesels and fill in some time before heading out of Waterloo towards Exeter. I made my one and only visit to Barnstaple with a disappointing but required 31401.

73113 Victoria-Sittingbourne (0405 Victoria-Ramsgate)
73141 Sittingbourne-Faversham (0425 Victoria-Dover Priory)
7179 Faversham-Victoria (0725 Faversham-Victoria)
50017 Waterloo-Basingstoke (0910 Waterloo-Exeter St Davids)
73115 Basingstoke-Southampton (0954 Waterloo-Weymouth Quay)
47327 Southampton-Salisbury (1115 Portsmouth H-Cardiff C)
50002 Salisbury-Exeter St Davids (1110 Waterloo-Exeter St Davids)
31401 Exeter St Davids-Barnstaple (1500 Exeter St Davids-Barnstaple)
31401 Barnstaple-Exeter St Davids (1645 Barnstaple-Newton Abbot)
33009 Exeter St Davids-Honiton (1825 Exeter St Davids-Waterloo)
50018 Honiton-Exeter St Davids (1710 Waterloo-Exeter St Davids)
50014 Exeter St Davids-Bristol TM (1835 Penzance-Bristol TM)

 

[NorthWestRover]

What an amazing couple of 24th May 1980s there...where was @CW2 on this day?

 

[CW2]

What an amazing couple of 24th May 1980s there...where was @CW2 on this day?

That was the Rainhill Trials weekend, featuring a tea trolley, vintage Victorian clothing, and some pretty outrageous moves.
Details already posted earlier in this thread.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Ah yes, I have photos but no haulage. Bike from Warrington to Bold Colliery/St Helens Junction was my outrageous move.

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 25th May 1979

A bank holiday weekend trip to Inverness hunting for some class 26 haulage. The first issue was getting to Edinburgh, bearing in mind that it was during the period of the Penmanshiel Tunnel collapse. There were only three daytime through services to Edinburgh, two of which were HSTs. Fortunately with it being a bank holiday weekend there were a couple of relief trains booked to run to Edinburgh via Carlisle so I aimed for one of them. Having found my way to Newcastle via an unexpected pair of 31s to Darlington and a Deltic forward from there I waited with anticipation as to what loco would be on my service north. I was fearing a 46 or 47, hopeful of a Deltic but in the end a very pleasing 40071; the only time I had it for haulage. At Edinburgh I managed to squeeze in a short run with my first 26 of the weekend.

31109+31138 York-Darlington (0950 Bristol TM-Newcastle)
55014 Darlington-Newcastle (0725 Plymouth-Newcastle)
40071 Newcastle-Edinburgh via Carlisle (1240 Kings Cross-Edinburgh) Relief
26038 Edinburgh-Haymarket (2140 Edinburgh-Carstairs)
27112+27201 Haymarket-Edinburgh (2100 Glasgow QS-Edinburgh)
27112+27201 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS (2200 Edinburgh-Glasgow QS)
40063 Glasgow QS-Perth (2330 Glasgow QS-Inverness)

Sunday 25th May 1980

Engineering work meant that NE/SW services were being diverted through Doncaster rather than the usual route via Normanton. I went to cover the 1615 Birmingham-Leeds which was worked by the impressive 37164. IIRC it was removed at Doncaster, in favour of 31129, because the driver didn’t have the traction knowledge.

55017 York-Doncaster (1550 York-Kings Cross)
46021 Doncaster-Sheffield (1440 Newcastle-Poole)
37164 Sheffield-Doncaster (1615 Birmingham NS-Leeds)
31129 Doncaster-Leeds (1615 Birmingham NS-Leeds)
46039 Leeds-York (1739 Liverpool LS-York)
E51818+51839 York-Manchester Vic (2212 York-Manchester Vic)

Monday 25th May 1981

Day 2 All Line Rover
The 0114 to Milford Haven was a very good overnight train to take because you could get your head down and get some sleep. Even after arrival at Milford you would be left undisturbed because the stock formed the 0730 service to Swansea. On top of that it was booked for two loco changes at Swansea and Carmarthen. This morning I was disappointingly bowled with a 47 on part 1 of the service but scored with two required 37s on parts 2 & 3!

47030 Bristol TM-Swansea (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
37192 Swansea-Carmarthen (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
37178 Carmarthen-Milford Haven (0114 Bristol TM-Milford Haven)
37178 Milford Haven-Clarbeston Road (0730 Milford Haven-Swansea)
47030 Clarbeston Road-Haverfordwest (0050 Paddington-Milford Haven)
37187 Haverfordwest-Swansea (0830 Milford Haven-Swansea)
43131+43132 Swansea-Cardiff C (1045 Swansea-Paddington)
31415 Cardiff C-Bristol TM (1210 Cardiff C-Portsmouth H)
33024 Bristol TM-Bath Spa (1210 Cardiff C-Portsmouth H)
33011 Bath Spa-Bristol TM (1215 Portsmouth H-Bristol TM)
33021 Bristol TM-Cardiff C (1530 Bristol TM-Cardiff C)
25042 Cardiff C-Hereford (1717 Cardiff C-Crewe)
50032 Hereford-Paddington (1845 Hereford-Paddington)

Saturday 25th May 1984

47518 York-Darlington (1605 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)