The 40 in question was 40152. On Saturday 02/04/83 it worked 11:40 Carlisle - Preston via S&C (!0:10 Glasgow - Euston "Royal Scot") and 15:40 Preston - Carlisle via S&C (12:45 Euston - Glasgow). Both trains were entirely air conditioned stock. The 40 had originally been allocated to work south overnight on the 22:00 Stranraer - Euston, but they dug out 47199 for that train at the last minute (after several 40 bashers had travelled lengthy distances to get to Carlisle for it).
The suggestion that somebody had allocated the 40 to the Royal Scot just for kicks is probably wide of the truth. It's not like there was an ETH 47 sitting on the shed waiting to be used, and they turned out the 40 instead. Indeed it probably made more sense to use the 40 on the load 10 / 11 daytime trains rather than the load 16 Stranraer overnight. One or other of the daytime diagrams was going to be worked by the 40, there just weren't enough 47s available at the right place at the right time.
It was quite an interesting and busy Easter weekend. I won't clutter up this thread with further reminiscences, I promise!
I remember having 58013 on a rake of mark 3s in 1989. Also a few 47/0 or 47/3s turned up that year; even had a pair of 31s! Think they didn't drag, the diesel worked Wolverhampton to Nuneaton where loco was changed for an electric.
Usually they
did drag, with the electric working Wolves - New Street, diesel pilot attached and pan down on the electric to drag to Nuneaton, then detach diesel pilot and electric forward.
Some examples from Sunday 06/11/88:
58021 load 10 + 86245 dead, 10:58 New Street - Nuneaton.
58003 load 13 + 86248 dead, 11:36 Nuneaton - New Street. (My notes remark that I leapt off 58021 whilst still moving, and joined 58003 while already moving, so my stay in Nuneaton could be measured in seconds!)
58014 load 12 + 87027 dead, 13:58 New Street - Nuneaton.
47110 load 11 + 90004 dead, 15:52 Nuneaton - New Street.
58005 load 11 + 87031 dead, 16:27 New Street - Nuneaton.
58014 load 10 + 86249 dead, 17:34 Nuneaton - New Street.