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Rare Loco Substitutions

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Whistler40145

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What has been the rarest loco(s) acting as substitutes on a Class 1 or Class 2 train any of you have had, either due to a failure, booked loco being used to rescue a failure or a driver refusing a loco, getting locos back to depot without a light engine cavalcade?

Your posts will be very welcome.


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andrewg70

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pair of 20s out of Blackpool on the SO Blackpool - Euston (1988?)(back in the day)
Mk3 stock . The stock used to go empty from Longsite as was usually a duff or occasionaly a ped. That morning it was a ped but failed en-route to Blackpool, so a few us took a flyer to Blackpool because we knew it had not gone in but didnt know what was on it & it was non stop Preston out of Blackpool.

Also 45108 on the SuO Leeds -Morecambe (1987?) , this was usually a ped. This was the only time it was a peak.
 

themiller

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I seem to remember a pair of Eurotunnel BoBos hauling a failed Eurostar into St Pancras in Dec 09. The diesels are built to UIC gauge so it became the first deep penetration of such a large loco onto the UK system.
 
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In 1999 I think, a pair of 73's took a virgin cross country Mk2 set from Reading/Guildford Area to Birmingham International. Seamingly the small diesel engines were thrashed after that, and needed help to get back south onto the juice
 

DarloRich

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In 1999 I think, a pair of 73's took a virgin cross country Mk2 set from Reading/Guildford Area to Birmingham International. Seamingly the small diesel engines were thrashed after that, and needed help to get back south onto the juice

they did indeed run to Birmingham. It was covered in a publication (i forget which one) a little while ago
 

Anon Mouse

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I had a 60 a few years back dragging a 225 set away from a possesion to be further rescued by a 67 south of Northallerton
 

33056

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On a train somewhere in Europe
Best one I have actually been on; 11th November 1997, 47818 from Gatwick Airport to Pangbourne area, rescued by 56056 which only went to Didcot (shame, as the 56s driver was up for a trip to Birmingham but had other work :( ).

In a past life as an AOC and before that, have been involved / responsible for several lots of shenanigans involving various items of motive power but can't recall the finer details right now.
 

Crimson_Quiff

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31427, 37351, 37505, 47488 and 58005 all on VXC Class 1 workings.

I've also had a Great Western Class 47 complete with Great Western stock on VXC service!
 

60163

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SVR 2011 Diesel Gala, a car scraped a bridge just as the Bridgenorth - Kidd train I was on was about to pass it.

A Rat was hauling the train, but when we pulled into Kidd the class 11 was on the front.



That's all I got :/
 

NIMBUS

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In 1999 I think, a pair of 73's took a virgin cross country Mk2 set from Reading/Guildford Area to Birmingham International. Seamingly the small diesel engines were thrashed after that, and needed help to get back south onto the juice

It happened more than once. The rarest, though, was probably when the afternoon Brighton - Manchester failed at Brighton. The rescue 37 also failed and EPS turned out 73 118 and 73 130 from North Pole to work the train from Brighton through to Reading, from where the 73s ran LE back to North Pole (I was on it).
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
10th August 1977 was a very rare one (which I observed but wasn't on) which doesn't get reported much. On the ECML, 50 010 and 50 041 were put on an up service train (1A34 IIRC) to get them back to OOC. It wasn't unusual to get a pair of 31s on that service, so a pair of roof mounted marker lights approaching didn't raise too much suspicion until the body profile became obvious and we realised that it was a 50 heading the train. Then when it got closer and we realised that it was actually a PAIR!!!

The couple of occasions when a single 50 worked on the ECML often get mentioned but, for some reason (perhaps as it was mid- to late evening) the pair gets overlooked. I've never, ever seen a photograph of the working.
 

TGVDUDE

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A 56 worked a turn back during the rhymney line loco hauld days, owing to loco shortage at Canton I think, sparking much debate as the class are banned on the valley lines its understood!
 

Martin nx

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When I was at OOC in the 70's I remember we worked a freight from Acton Yd to Stratford on nights and we used a "1000" hydraulic as the inbound loco was a failure. We had to bring it back light as SF running foreman had a fit when we turned up with it! Not sure which one it was as we only had about 3 or 4 left at the time but 1010 in shocking condition rings a bell.
 

theblackwatch

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56009 on the Derby-Scarborough/Scarborough-Swansea on a Summer Saturday in 1992 was rather interesting - when I first received the 'gen', I didn't believe it! I also had 56010 on a Cross Country out of York to Doncaster after work a few years later and another Eastern European 56, 56019, on VXC from Manchester - I'm pretty sure it worked Preston-Birmingham and then carried on south to Bournemouth.
 

theblackwatch

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I seem to recall a Crompton working through to Leeds too in the early 80s - 33046 if I remember correctly.
 

Chester025

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56009 on the Derby-Scarborough/Scarborough-Swansea on a Summer Saturday in 1992 was rather interesting - when I first received the 'gen', I didn't believe it! I also had 56010 on a Cross Country out of York to Doncaster after work a few years later and another Eastern European 56, 56019, on VXC from Manchester - I'm pretty sure it worked Preston-Birmingham and then carried on south to Bournemouth.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/67036025@N02/6910547339/
 

Anon Mouse

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didn't a Deltic run for Cross Country between York and Leeds during the early days of privitization?
 

12CSVT

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western D1023 working plymouth / leeds all the way i think it was 1977

I think that was upstaged by D1015 rescuing a HST outside Swindon not long after it returned to the main line.
 

Tim R-T-C

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The Porterbrook liveried Deltic was involved in the S&C WCML diversions back in the early 2000s, got a photo of it somewhere.
 

Anon Mouse

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And Ramsgate and Edinburgh and Glasgow...

The Birmingham to Ramsgate was booked the Deltic (I regret losing interest round about that time and never doing it). But I'm sure any other destinations would have been an unusual destination
 

43167

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The Porterbrook liveried Deltic was involved in the S&C WCML diversions back in the early 2000s, got a photo of it somewhere.

I know D9000 worked S&C diversions in 99, though I dont remember D9016 working, plus it was out of action for a while after it had an exhaust fire in December 1999 and didnt return until late 2001/early 2002.

Not disputing, just dont remember.

My big working will always be 56105 dragging an 87 between Preston & Carlisle following a major wires shambles, which also involved 37608 & 37609.

Had afew no heat 37's on North Wales.

Rugby days in Cardiff used to see lots of loco-hauled additional workings.

The 0719 Crewe-Manchester & 0833 Manchester-Cardiff was top & tailed 2 weekends in August 99. 47705 worked the Manc-Cardiff, while the 0719 was worked the 1st week by 57003, then the following week by 47301.
 

Tim R-T-C

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I know D9000 worked S&C diversions in 99, though I dont remember D9016 working, plus it was out of action for a while after it had an exhaust fire in December 1999 and didnt return until late 2001/early 2002.

Not disputing, just dont remember.

I am 90% sure I saw it on the run, looking through my photo albums I don't seem to have a picture of it, but my dad would have snapped it if it had, so next time I'm round there I will have a trawl through and find the picture.
 

D6975

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In the days when inter regionals changed from 33s to 47s at Reading, I once saw a 33 at Coventry heading towards New St, obviously due to non availability of a 47. I didn't get on because it was heaving.
 

theblackwatch

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Poerwerbrook D9016 didn't work any service trains - any photos of it will have been during the 15 months or so it spent on charter work during 2002/3. As others have said, D9000 did quite a bit of Corss Country work though.

Mention of the 07.33 Crewe-Manchester has made me think that Class 46 D172 Ixion worked this train on one occasion as well.
 
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