Back in the day...

[Sultan1056]

Without getting a calculator out (or doing something that I've been meaning to do for a long time and transcribing my mileage books into a spreadsheet), no.

I would estimate, however (and it's very much an estimate) that it's somewhere between 500 and 600K.

Wow!

 

[D1537]

Wow!

There are people with far, far, higher mileages than that, many of whom are still bashing. I was doing around 90-100K a year when I was a student, but I gave up in 1990 and it was still easy to rack up high mileages well into the 2000s.

 

[CW2]

Did you ever go to Southend; I did via Canonbury & Stratford?

No, I never did Southend.
I will trawl through the archives and see if I can work out which ADEX it was.

EDIT
06/11/76 Holiday Preview Special
47523 06:50 York - Brighton via Leeds, Doncaster, Canonbury, Stratford, South Tottenham, Gospel Oak, Mitre Bridge, Clapham Jn, Quarry Line.
47523 17:15 Brighton - York via Redhill, Crystal Palace, Gospel Oak, Harringay, ECML, Leeds.

I knew somewhere back in the mists of time I'd done a trip to the southern which did some amazing routes around London. The Harringay Park Curve onto the northbound ECML was particularly rare. I didn't do it again until 2014, when a diverted Euston - Inverness sleeper went that way, a mere 38ish years later.

 

[Sultan1056]

No, I never did Southend.
I will trawl through the archives and see if I can work out which ADEX it was.

EDIT
06/11/76 Holiday Preview Special
47523 06:50 York - Brighton via Leeds, Doncaster, Canonbury, Stratford, South Tottenham, Gospel Oak, Mitre Bridge, Clapham Jn, Quarry Line.
47523 17:15 Brighton - York via Redhill, Crystal Palace, Gospel Oak, Harringay, ECML, Leeds.

I knew somewhere back in the mists of time I'd done a trip to the southern which did some amazing routes around London. The Harringay Park Curve onto the northbound ECML was particularly rare. I didn't do it again until 2014, when a diverted Euston - Inverness sleeper went that way, a mere 38ish years later.

The Holiday Preview Specials were very good for track bashing. Harringay Park is rare; I have never managed it.

 

[Sultan1056]

Friday 27th October 1978

I can never get tired travelling between Exeter and Newton Abbot and today I did it a dozen times.

50049 Paddington-Plymouth (0005 Paddington-Penzance)
50034 Plymouth-Newton Abbot (0547 Plymouth-Paddington)
33009 Newton Abbot-Exeter St Th (0645 Newton Abbot-Exeter St D)
47178 Exeter St D-Newton Abbot (0635 Bristol TM-Plymouth)
50050 Newton Abbot-Paignton (0841 Newton Abbot-Paignton)
50050 Paignton-Newton Abbot (0920 Paignton-Paddington)
47148 Newton Abbot-Plymouth (0756 Cardiff C-Plymouth)
47502 Plymouth-Exeter St D (1200 Plymouth-Paddington)
50040 Exeter St D-Newton Abbot (1030 Paddington-Paignton)
50001 Newton Abbot-Exeter St D (1348 Plymouth-Paddington)
47026 Exeter St D-Newton Abbot (0635 Liverpool LS-Penzance)
50044 Newton Abbot-Exeter St D (1543 Plymouth-Paddington)
50004 Exeter St D-Newton Abbot (1430 Paddington-Paignton)
47495 Newton Abbot-Exeter St D (1607 Penzance-Paddington)
50019 Exeter St D-Newton Abbot (1732 Paddington-Penzance)
47148 Newton Abbot-Bristol TM (1808 Penzance-Leeds)

Saturday 27th October 1979

I also travelled down to the West Country in 1979 however my trip was cut short. My original plan was to return to London on the Up Midnight but late in the day I found that it was booked to be worked by 47423, an Eastern Region Duff! I made my exit to Paddington on the final day time train.

31411 Leeds-Doncaster (0050 Leeds-Doncaster)
55009 Doncaster-Kings Cross (2230 Edinburgh-Kings Cross)
50043 Paddington-Reading (0805 Paddington-Worcester SH)
50015 Reading-Newton Abbot (0830 Paddington-Plymouth)
50005 Newton Abbot-Exeter St D (1110 Plymouth-Manchester Pic)
33049 Exeter St D-Honiton (1358 Exeter St D-Brighton)
31199+(33019) Honiton-Exeter St D (1110 Waterloo-Exeter St D)
50041 Exeter St D-Exeter St Th (1430 Paddington-Paignton)
50013 Exeter St Th-Exeter St D (1630 Paignton-Exeter St D)
33017 Exeter St D-Exeter C (1755 Exeter St D-Waterloo)
50005 Exeter St D-Newton Abbot (1322 Liverpool LS-Plymouth)
50024 Newton Abbot-Paddington (1609 Penzance-Paddington)

Tuesday 27th October 1981

This was the last time that I had a Deltic to Stockport but the first time via Guide Bridge. My previous journeys had been via Ashton along the now closed cord that is now occupied by a supermarket.

55017 York-Selby (2019 York-Kings Cross)
43097+43154 Selby-York (1740 Kings Cross-York)
55021 York-Stockport via Guide Bridge (2208 York-Shrewsbury)

 

[D1537]

Sunday 27 October 1985
It is generally believed that following 47s was the easiest thing in the world; just wait around and one will turn up. In the North-East in 1985/86, however, with every Monday-Saturday Pennine diagram out of Newcastle except 1 southbound and 2 northbound being booked 45/1s, you did spend quite a bit of time on Class 43s, which was why I often ended up going to Scotland instead. Sundays were sometimes even worse, after 1V87 the next southbound 47 was usually 1A83, by which time it was 4pm...

47421 1V87 Newcastle-York (via Eaglescliffe)
43110+43112 York-Newcastle
47527 1A83 Newcastle-York

...and they're at it again

47205 1E16 York-Newcastle

Thursday 27 October 1988
Remarkably, I still needed Sutton Park for a 47. I'd done it back in the mists of time with 2x25 on an Adex, but on Motor Show weekdays that year the Grantham train avoided New Street so was an easy win.

90003 1P28 Rugby-Nuneaton
47456 1Z48 Nuneaton-B'ham Int (via Sutton Park, Walsall, Aston and Stechford, 0800 Grantham-BHI Motor Show special)
47623 1O11 B'ham Int-Oxford
47629 1M12 Oxford-B'ham NS
86420 1J26 B'ham NS-Wolverhampton
47413 1J26 Wolverhampton-Shrewsbury
47413 1A71 Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton
47619 1V98 Wolverhampton-Coventry

 

[CW2]

Saturday 27th October 1979

I also travelled down to the West Country in 1979 however my trip was cut short. My original plan was to return to London on the Up Midnight but late in the day I found that it was booked to be worked by 47423, an Eastern Region Duff! I made my exit to Paddington on the final day time train.


Tuesday 27th October 1981

This was the last time that I had a Deltic to Stockport but the first time via Guide Bridge. My previous journeys had been via Ashton along the now closed cord that is now occupied by a supermarket.

55017 York-Selby (2019 York-Kings Cross)
43097+43154 Selby-York (1740 Kings Cross-York)
55021 York-Stockport via Guide Bridge (2208 York-Shrewsbury)

Re 27/10/79
Consider yourself fortunate that it wasn't 47401 - 420 waiting to bowl you out!

Re 27/10/81
I never had a Deltic via Guide Bridge in normal service. There may still be a chance to claw it back once LSL get their Deltic working again.

As for Harringay Park Curve, if I might be permitted to bend the timeline a few months, and add some Eurowaffle ...

In August 2014 I did a central European bash for a week, culminating in doing the Koper - Venlo auto-sleeper train throughout (as a foot passenger).
Saturday 09/08/14
I covered the incoming working from Ljubljana, showing my ticket for the return working to the steward, and was invited on board:
541 005 0836 Ljubljana - Koper, with 664 110 dragging Borovnica - Prestranek
Unsurprisingly, it was the same loco back out of Koper on the international auto-sleeper, which was 8 coaches (including a restaurant car) and 6 car carrying wagons:
541 005 1525 Koper - Jesenice, with 2016 084 dragging Prestranek - Ljubljana
2016 051 + 2016 060 1919 Jesenice - Klagenfurt
1116 097 2028 Klagenfurt - Salzburg
1142 704 2345 Salzburg - Kaldenkirchen via the north side of Munich, Mainz avoider, Koln avoider.

Sunday 10/08/14
189 280 1008 Kaldenkirchen - Venlo (MRCE loco)
At Venlo I made a quick escape:
1252 1038 Venlo - s'Hertogenbosch
4227 1150 s'Hertogenbosch - Tilburg
Bus Tilburg - Roosendaal
186 224 1349 Roosendaal - Bruxelles Midi
3103 + 3104 1556 Bruxelles Midi - St Pancras via HS1
So after one epic overnight with multiple different locos across Europe, it was time to do the UK version:
92031 2020 Euston - Wembley Yard (+90021 dead on rear)
67004 + 67006 (+90021 dead) 2110 Wembley Yard - Ferme Park North Jn via Hampstead Heath, Gospel Oak, Harringay Park Curve
90021 2208 Ferme Park North Jn - Edinburgh Waverley

Monday 11/08/14
I had originally intended on travelling in the Inverness portion, but for some reason I ended up in the Aberdeen portion instead. That was very fortunate as it turned out, because the typical August weather resulted in a flash flood near Kingussie, stranding the Inverness sleeper portion in an inaccessible position, and closing the Highland Main Line entirely for many hours!
67016 0440 Edinburgh - Aberdeen
43274 + 43316 0752 Aberdeen - Edinburgh
390 123 1051 Edinburgh - Crewe

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 28th October 1978

Eleven new Hoovers was the tally for my three day West Country trip.

50049 Bristol TM-Plymouth (0005 Paddington-Penzance)
46013 Plymouth-Newton Abbot (0627 Plymouth-Liverpool LS)
50023 Newton Abbot-Paignton (0725 Newton Abbot-Paignton)
50023 Paignton-Newton Abbot (0801 Paignton-Paddington)
45031 Newton Abbot-Totnes (0635 Bristol TM-Plymouth)
50033 Totnes-Newton Abbot (0910 Plymouth-Paignton)
50002 Newton Abbot-Plymouth (0756 Bristol TM-Penzance)
50048 Plymouth-Gloucester (1110 Plymouth-Manchester Pic)
45051 Gloucester-Birmingham NS (1110 Plymouth-Manchester Pic)
87003 Birmingham NS-Birmingham Int (1518 Birmingham NS-Euston)
86205 Birmingham Int-Birmingham NS (1440 Euston-Wolverhampton)
47218 Birmingham NS-Derby (1735 Birmingham NS-Newcastle) Relief
47450 Derby-Sheffield (1701 St Pancras-Sheffield)
47533 Sheffield-Rotherham (1835 Birmingham NS-Hull) Relief
DMU Rotherham-York (2027 Sheffield-York)

Sunday 28th October 1979

Having arrived into Paddington late the previous evening I headed over to Kings Cross for an overnight service. I had missed the last service to Edinburgh (2230) and was left with one remaining service, the 0005 to Newcastle, fortunately this morning it was Deltic hauled. A Sunday morning in Newcastle is not where you should be if you were looking for Deltic haulage with the next scheduled one not due until about 1400. I decided to take the first service to York and try my luck there. If I had hung around at Newcastle I could have had Deltic 11 south, which had been turned out on a Liverpool service. I joined it at York thinking that I was heading across the Pennines with it but it was removed at Leeds following a small exhaust fire. I had just enough time to get a unit across to Selby to pick up Deltic 9 on a Kings Cross stopper.

55019 Kings Cross-Newcastle (0005 Kings Cross-Newcastle)
via Lincoln, Stockton & Leamside
47450 Newcastle-York (0750 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
via Leamside & Stockton
55011 York-Leeds (1220 Newcastle-Liverpool LS)
E51962/51982/52105 Leeds-Selby (1515 Leeds-Hull)
55009 Selby-Peterborough (1550 York-Kings Cross)
55022 Peterborough-York (1715 Kings Cross-York) Relief

Wednesday 28th October 1981

I had arrived into York around 0330 with Deltic 21 and then spent a weary day at work before coming out in the evening to view what was on offer. I joined the Shrewsbury Mail but today I only travelled as far as Leeds. I was expecting a possible pair of Deltics for my return journey to York on the last Liverpool-York service, albeit with one of them being dead. Deltic 4 had taken the 1547 to Liverpool but had failed at Manchester. It was planned for it to be returned DIT on the 2040 Liverpool-York. Deltic 11 had followed No 4 on the following 1518 Newcastle-Liverpool service from York. It was very unusual for this particular service to be Deltic hauled because it would necessitate the loco to be shunt released at Liverpool, allowing for it to work back to York. Apparently the driver refused to take Deltic 4 in the train consist so Deltic 11 worked the train solo. Deltic 4 was dragged back light engine the following day when it was then withdrawn from service.

55021 Stockport-York via Guide Bridge (2250 Shrewsbury-York)
40034 York-Leeds (2208 York-Shrewsbury)
55011 Leeds-York (2040 Liverpool LS-York)

 

[D1537]

Tuesday 28 October 1986
One of those times you look at your book and think "Why did I get off 1M73 and spend two hours in York? Why did I then do the same in Leeds?" The reasons are lost in the mists of time.
47501 1M73 Newcastle-York
47478 1M75 York-Leeds
47417 1E88 Leeds-Newcastle

 

[Sultan1056]

So after one epic overnight with multiple different locos across Europe, it was time to do the UK version:
92031 2020 Euston - Wembley Yard (+90021 dead on rear)
67004 + 67006 (+90021 dead) 2110 Wembley Yard - Ferme Park North Jn via Hampstead Heath, Gospel Oak, Harringay Park Curve
90021 2208 Ferme Park North Jn - Edinburgh

Were the 67s double heading or Top and Tailing?

 

[CW2]

Were the 67s double heading or Top and Tailing?

Double headed, in multiple, with the 90 DIT behind them.

 

[Sultan1056]

A pair of 67s are quite a rarity.

 

[CW2]

A pair of 67s are quite a rarity.

Yes indeed. I've had pairs on a few sleeper diversions e.g. Crewe - Preston, and Edinburgh - Carlisle via Dumfries. In theory when in multiple the ETH load can be shared by the two locos, but I'm not sure how often this occurs.

 

[Sultan1056]

Monday 29th October 1979

47104 York-Northallerton (1705 Liverpool LS-Newcastle)
46042 Northallerton-York (1935 Newcastle-Bristol TM)

Friday 29th October 1982

Since the demise of the Deltics my wanderering had been curtailed somewhat but this weekend I decided to return to the West Country to sample some Class 50s.

45121 York-Birmingham NS (1715 York-Birmingham NS)
50016 Birmingham NS-Paddington (2042 Birmingham NS-Paddington)
50023 Paddington-St Erth (2359 Paddington-Penzance)

Monday 29th October 1984

47620 York-Derby via Doncaster (0922 Newcastle-Penzance)

 

[D1537]

Wednesday 29 October 1986
47404 1M73 Newcastle-Liverpool
47503 1E88 Liverpool-York
47404 1E59 York-Newcastle

Friday 29 October 1999
I had long given up bashing, but was using the railways a lot at the time, including commuting to work in Manchester. Most of my journeys were electrically hauled (I remember trying to clear my 87s again from scratch, so I still made brief notes, often on my brick-like company Compaq laptop, still a novelty at that time). However on this occasion for some reason I left work early, and was surprised to see an old-school 47/7 rather than the usual 47/8.

47702 1O40 Stockport-Coventry

 

[Sultan1056]

Saturday 30th October 1976

This Merrymaker excursion was advertised as Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. The main goal for me was to see the Isle of Wight’s only loco, 05001. After arrival into Ryde I only had enough time to travel the length of the line before I had to get back for the return journey to York. I remember quickly jumping out of the train at Sandown to get a quick snapshot of the shunter before having to rejoin the same train to Ryde.

47138 York-Portsmouth H (xxxx York-Portsmouth H) ADEX
via Leeds, Normanton, Beighton J, St Andrews J, Reading avoider & Eastleigh
042 Ryde Pier Head-Ryde Esplanade
043 Ryde Esplanade-Shanklin
043 Shanklin-Ryde Pier Head
47138 Portsmouth H- York (xxxx Portsmouth H-York) Return ADEX

Thursday 30th October 1980

55006 York-Doncaster (1810 York-Kings Cross)
55019 Doncaster-Hull (1705 Kings Cross-Hull)
55019 Hull-Doncaster (2100 Hull-Doncaster)
E50618/DB975664 Doncaster-York (2219 Doncaster-York)

Friday 30th October 1981

I travelled with Deltic 14 to KX to cover the northbound overnight services. I was hoping to get to Edinburgh so that I could cover the 0950 Edinburgh-Plymouth service which was its final day as a loco hauled service. Everything seemed to be going to plan when I boarded the Night Scotsman sleeper with Deltic 14 at the front of the train. The only problem was that No 14 didn’t reach its scheduled destination.

55014 York-Kings Cross (1814 York-Kings Cross)
55014 Kings Cross-Peterborough (2355 Kings Cross-Edinburgh)

Saturday 30th October 1982

50031 St Erth-Plymouth (0740 Penzance-Liverpool LS)
50022 Plymouth-Penzance (1020 Plymouth-Penzance)
50022 Penzance-Truro (1345 Penzance-Bristol TM)
50002 Truro-Plymouth (1448 Penzance-Paddington) Relief
47575 Plymouth-Lostwithiel (1740 Plymouth-Par)
50027 Lostwithiel-Plymouth (1815 Penzance-Plymouth)
50003+50023 Plymouth-Pinhoe Jcn (2045 Penzance-Paddington)

 

[D1537]

Thursday 30 October 1986
I'm not sure what happened this day; either I went to York for 1E59 and it had 16 wheels or the pub was so welcoming that I decided to stay a lot longer. Both are distinctly possible.

47469 1M19 Newcastle-York
47593 1S70 York-Newcastle

 

[Sultan1056]

Thursday 30 October 1986
I'm not sure what happened this day; either I went to York for 1E59 and it had 16 wheels or the pub was so welcoming that I decided to stay a lot longer. Both are distinctly possible.

47469 1M19 Newcastle-York
47593 1S70 York-Newcastle

Do you remember which was your pub of choice back in the day?

 

[D1537]

Do you remember which was your pub of choice back in the day?

The Maltings if pushed for time, or the Bay Horse if not (which I think no longer exists). There was another one about 5-10 minutes walk turning right out of the station, but I've completely forgotten the name of it, though I think it was nautically themed?

Edit: A bit of Googling says it was called the Trafalgar Bay, and closed in 2022.

 

[D6130]

The Maltings if pushed for time, or the Bay Horse if not (which I think no longer exists). There was another one about 5-10 minutes walk turning right out of the station, but I've completely forgotten the name of it, though I think it was nautically themed?

Edit: A bit of Googling says it was called the Trafalgar Bay, and closed in 2022.

Sadly, the Maltings closed last weekend.

 

[D1537]

Sadly, the Maltings closed last weekend.

All three gone now then (a bit more Googling suggests the Bay Horse closed in the early 2000s).

I still visit York regularly but tend to use the York Tap now to save on walking!

 

[CW2]

I used to play fiddle in a folk rock band in the Bay Horse back in the late 70s. Sad to think it's no longer there

Some of my mates used to do the "Gillygate Run" on a Friday night. That consisted of starting at the top of Gillygate and having a pint in every pub on the way down the hill. I never completed the course!

 

[CW2]

I used to play fiddle in a folk rock band in the Bay Horse back in the late 70s. Sad to think it's no longer there

Some of my mates used to do the "Gillygate Run" on a Friday night. That consisted of starting at the top of Gillygate and having a pint in every pub on the way down the hill. I never completed the course!

Oops, for Gillygate read Micklegate!

 

[Sultan1056]

The Maltings if pushed for time, or the Bay Horse if not (which I think no longer exists). There was another one about 5-10 minutes walk turning right out of the station, but I've completely forgotten the name of it, though I think it was nautically themed?

Edit: A bit of Googling says it was called the Trafalgar Bay, and closed in 2022.

The Trafalgar Bay was my pub of choice together with a lot of other bashers in the early eighties.
Apologies for straying off topic.

 

[Bald Rick]

Oops, for Gillygate read Micklegate!

I did wonder!

Done that a few times a while back. Start in the Windmill, then Punchbowl, then about another 6 or 7 before landing in what is now the Slug & Lettuce. And that’s where the evenings got going

 

[xotGD]

The Trafalgar Bay was my pub of choice together with a lot of other bashers in the early eighties.
Apologies for straying off topic.

Certainly not off topic! Pubs frequented between moves are definitely something to include here.

I'll chip in with the Great Western in Wolverhampton.

I once started an all day Black Country pub crawl there which resulted in me visiting A&E the next morning, but that definitely is straying off topic!

 

[D1537]

Certainly not off topic! Pubs frequented between moves are definitely something to include here.

I'll chip in with the Great Western in Wolverhampton.

I once started an all day Black Country pub crawl there which resulted in me visiting A&E the next morning, but that definitely is straying off topic!

Coventry - The Rocket (no longer exists)
Birmingham - The Yard of Ale (ditto) / The Fox (closed?)
Leeds - The Scarborough (still going)
Bristol - Kings Head, Seven Stars (both still going, I was in the Seven Stars a few months back)

The Trafalgar Bay was my pub of choice together with a lot of other bashers in the early eighties.
Apologies for straying off topic.

Cheap Sam Smiths if I remember correctly!

 

[Sun Chariot]

These marvellous memories should spawn a sub-thread
Back in the pub...

 

[xotGD]

When the interesting traction dried up, we spent more time in the pubs than on the trains.

 

[D1537]

Thursday 31 October 1985
I forgot a pub - the Station Hotel in Northallerton. This move, 1M19 for 1E88 was not a pub move (you only had 10 mins), but a few visits were made on other occasions!
47420 1M19 Newcastle-Northallerton
47445 1E88 Northallerton-Newcastle

Friday 31 October 1986
Visiting family in Yorkshire.
47557 1V65 Newcastle-Doncaster
dmu Doncaster-Mexborough
dmu Mexborough-Sheffield
47484 1E91 Sheffield-Newcastle