Did BR ever run service trains with the specific intention of appealing to enthusiasts?

[Mag_seven]

There were various "network days" in the 80s/90's which seemed to put funny locos on passenger services. We never had that in the north east mind!

Was there not a "Network Northwest" day? (OK its not the North East but you get my point )

 

[CW2]

Some would say that every day was a Network North West day ... (or used to be)!

 

[86247]

Me and a mate had the 26s from man vic to Bolton didn't realise till now that someone left the handbrake on doh. If my memory is right 26040 failed at Preston don't know if it made it to barrow and failed on the way back. The same day we had 37706 and 60095 we didn't have gen of what else was out so we just did our own thing that day.

 

[lordbusiness]

Had 46008 (LA allocated) on a merrymaker Huntingdon to Waverley when I was a mere slip of a lad. Probably not put on for enthusiasts I reckon- maybe FP were struggling for a 47 and it happened to be around!

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I remember owning this edition with what looks like a non heat 47 on the cover:

View attachment 80687
Do any of you clever types know where that photo was taken?

Well... four track main line with a 5th road in the background; the angle of the sunlight suggests the main line between Paddington and Reading and there are a few locations between Slough and Old Oak where you'd have a 5th road on the north side like that.

Maybe someone might recognise the building in the background, but I wonder about Hayes and Harlington or Langley as possibilities? What about Slough itself?

 

[Cowley]

Well... four track main line with a 5th road in the background; the angle of the sunlight suggests the main line between Paddington and Reading and there are a few locations between Slough and Old Oak where you'd have a 5th road on the north side like that.

Maybe someone might recognise the building in the background, but i wonder about Hayes and Harlington or Langley as possibilities? What about Slough itself?

I like your thinking Peter...

 

[randyrippley]

Well... four track main line with a 5th road in the background; the angle of the sunlight suggests the main line between Paddington and Reading and there are a few locations between Slough and Old Oak where you'd have a 5th road on the north side like that.

Maybe someone might recognise the building in the background, but I wonder about Hayes and Harlington or Langley as possibilities? What about Slough itself?

Building and fencing look possibly military

 

[Ashley Hill]

The R/H line looks a tad rusty and the next line to the left is little cleaner. Therefore the 47 is either on an up or down main. The line in the background has a paraffin type Stop lamp on the bracket support. I doubt it's PAD-RDG but perhaps Oxford area.

 

[Cowley]

The R/H line looks a tad rusty and the next line to the left is little cleaner. Therefore the 47 is either on an up or down main. The line in the background has a paraffin type Stop lamp on the bracket support. I doubt it's PAD-RDG but perhaps Oxford area.

The trouble is that a rake of NSE coaches could get anywhere on a summer Saturday...

 

[D1537]

Well... four track main line with a 5th road in the background; the angle of the sunlight suggests the main line between Paddington and Reading and there are a few locations between Slough and Old Oak where you'd have a 5th road on the north side like that.

Maybe someone might recognise the building in the background, but I wonder about Hayes and Harlington or Langley as possibilities? What about Slough itself?

In 1987 there was a diagram for an NSE rake of coaches on a Summer Saturday diagram that ended up at Liverpool, and formed 1V81 1405 Liverpool-Paddington on a Sunday, which wasn't booked for a no heat 47 but got one very regularly. Attached image 47306 on 28/6/87.
.

EDIT: A bit of research says that the Loco-Hauled Travel book photo is 47312 approaching Swindon on the 1330 Paddington-Bristol vice-HST on 28 August 1987. It certainly fits 47312 in 1987 - slow speed, no heat, orange stripe.

EDIT 2: It is definitely 312 - see http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_zoom_v3.php?img=0410020706000 and compare the pattern in the dirt above the cab windows.

 

[DarloRich]

Was there not a "Network Northwest" day? (OK its not the North East but you get my point )

there was - the nearest we got was when the pacers were introduced but didn't work well and had to be replaced by ancient units dragged off a scarp line somewhere and emergency 3 carriage trains thrown on at very short notice.

IRC correctly there was a rumour that I thought was false for many years that a 26 made it to Newcastle dragging one such service. Turns out it was true!

 

[JonathanH]

The trouble is that a rake of NSE coaches could get anywhere on a summer Saturday...

It always disappointed me that this didn't perpetuate with a 165-166-159 combination working to Penzance as a relief once the NSE coaches went. I now know why that wasn't possible.

However, I do recall reading in a railway magazine that a 165/1 operated a Cross Country service from Reading to Birmingham after a failure early on in their lifetime (ie in BR days).

 

[Cowley]

In 1987 there was a diagram for an NSE rake of coaches on a Summer Saturday diagram that ended up at Liverpool, and formed 1V81 1405 Liverpool-Paddington on a Sunday, which wasn't booked for a no heat 47 but got one very regularly. Attached image 47306 on 28/6/87.
View attachment 80709.

EDIT: A bit of research says that the Loco-Hauled Travel book photo is 47312 approaching Swindon on the 1330 Paddington-Bristol vice-HST on 28 August 1987. It certainly fits 47312 in 1987 - slow speed, no heat, orange stripe.

EDIT 2: It is definitely 312 - see http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_zoom_v3.php?img=0410020706000 and compare the pattern in the dirt above the cab windows.

Great bit of detective work there.

 

[hexagon789]

When I was out and about from 1987 onwards there were all kinds of booked turns through summer (especially on Saturdays) that produced freight locos.
Down our way there were 3 jobs in 1988 that bought 47/0s and 47/3s to Paignton on out and back turns, plus booked pairs of 31/4s (I think borrowed from the parcels sector?) We also had the occasional Peak that made it through and I don’t think they had any booked passenger work by 1988.

Platform 5s Loco Hauled Travel was really useful if you didn’t have the ‘gen’. But also this was happening all over the country on a summer Saturday - pairs of 37/0s to the Cambrian Coast, 20s to Skegness, more no heat 47s and 31s to Yarmouth etc.
I remember owning this edition with what looks like a non heat 47 on the cover:

View attachment 80687
Do any of you clever types know where that photo was taken?

The front coaches of some of those trains felt every bit like a railtour...

I have the 1986 edition, courtesy of the Bo'ness station bookshop!

Looks like the GWML to me and I'd guess an NSE Paddington-Oxford service?

Does the inside cover not say what the photo is of?

 

[70014IronDuke]

Not sure about other regions but in Scotland the policy was no heating 1st April to 1st October iirc.
...

Really? It surely can get 'orribly cold in Scotland in April? Even in May.

I remember a trip over the Settle & Carlisle on the Glasgow sleeper in April 1966 with no heat 'cos Cl 45 the steam gen had packed up. It was bloody freezing.

 

[hexagon789]

Really? It surely can get 'orribly cold in Scotland in April? Even in May.

I remember a trip over the Settle & Carlisle on the Glasgow sleeper in April 1966 with no heat 'cos Cl 45 the steam gen had packed up. It was bloody freezing.

I'll double check my sectional appendix but it was something like that

 

[Cowley]

I have the 1986 edition, courtesy of the Bo'ness station bookshop!

Looks like the GWML to me and I'd guess an NSE Paddington-Oxford service?

Does the inside cover not say what the photo is of?

That was a screenshot of one for sale Hexagon. I haven’t got my copy anymore.

 

[D1537]

I have the 1986 edition, courtesy of the Bo'ness station bookshop!

Looks like the GWML to me and I'd guess an NSE Paddington-Oxford service?

Does the inside cover not say what the photo is of?

See post #73! 47312.

 

[racyrich]

Re-reading my Middleton's St Pancras to Barking it has pics of the Goblin service in 1999 run by a 33/1 with a 3TC. Wish I'd seen that.

 

[xotGD]

there was - the nearest we got was when the pacers were introduced but didn't work well and had to be replaced by ancient units dragged off a scarp line somewhere and emergency 3 carriage trains thrown on at very short notice.

IRC correctly there was a rumour that I thought was false for many years that a 26 made it to Newcastle dragging one such service. Turns out it was true!

A 26 came across from Carlisle dragging a failed dmu. It then did a return trip to Durham!

Alas, I was at home.

 

[Cowley]

Alas, I was at home.

Ouch!

 

[hexagon789]

See post #73! 47312.

I meant location and service. My 1986 edition has captions for front and back cover photos inside it.

 

[hexagon789]

That was a screenshot of one for sale Hexagon. I haven’t got my copy anymore.

Apologies, I thought perhaps they'd omitted captions for the cover photos which does sometimes happen even with new books!

 

[Western 52]

I would say that using 20s was just a case of making use of freight locos that were spare at the weekend. Same thing with 47/3s on the Birmingham - Yarmouth, 37s on the Yarmouth - Newcastle, etc. Also the use of 58s on Birmingham - Nuneaton drags on Sundays.

20s were used on weekdays too in the mid 80s. An example was the summer dated Leicester to Skegness service.

 

[John Hunt]

A nice trip out on summer weekday evening was -
Leicester to Nottingham 45/1
Nottingham to Beeston 2 x 20 (which carried on to Derby)
Beeston to Leicester 2 x 20 (Leicester Skeggies coming home)

Ready for 1M25 mail, coffee then TPO from P'Boro.

 

[xotGD]

20s were used on weekdays too in the mid 80s. An example was the summer dated Leicester to Skegness service.

Was that during the miners' strike? Plenty of spare freight locos then. Gateshead were happily turning out 37s on DMU replacement turns.

 

[Taunton]

Had 46008 (LA allocated) on a merrymaker Huntingdon to Waverley when I was a mere slip of a lad. Probably not put on for enthusiasts I reckon- maybe FP were struggling for a 47 and it happened to be around!

Back when these locos were still current (1970s-80s) they were notably common at the south end of the ECML, maybe not Laira ones that much but certainly those from Gateshead. I was surprised to get one on a Cambridge to Kings Cross fast one afternoon. There were a couple of others at Finsbury Park as we passed.

 

[marsker]

A train I particularly remember was on New Year's Eve, 1965. BR organised a special service train from York to Newcastle and back using 60145 St Mungo (though without nameplates) as a s mainline steam farewell. Ordinary fares applied and the footplate crew really went for it. On the return run average over the 21 miles approx. from Otterington to Benningborough (Where adverse signals were sighted) was 93.5 mph. Friends and I reckoned that speed just failed to reach 100, but mileposts were difficult in the dark!
A good thread to start would be for specials (rather than service trains) operated by BR and aimed at the enthusiast market, the early Scarborough Spa Expresses, the farewell trains on the Waverley route both spring to mind. - I'm fairly new to this forum, so it might have been done already though.

 

[D1537]

I meant location and service. My 1986 edition has captions for front and back cover photos inside it.

That's in post 73 as well!

 

[hexagon789]

That's in post 73 as well!

My apologies, I totally missed that. Interesting that not just a no-heat 47 but one with slow-speed control as well, can't have been too common.