Unexpected trains as substitute traction.

[Hooligan]

Was shortage of 101 DMU's at Waverley one morning in late 80's and I had to take empties from Inverness sleeper for rush hour service from Dunbar, so they got a 47, 2 mark 3 sleepers and 2 mark 2 seated coaches.

 

[Cowley]

Was shortage of 101 DMU's at Waverley one morning in late 80's and I had to take empties from Inverness sleeper for rush hour service from Dunbar, so they got a 47, 2 mark 3 sleepers and 2 mark 2 seated coaches.

Very nice!

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

My Grandad grew up in Watford in the 1930s and I remember him telling me about seeing the up Royal Scot coming to a stand on the fast line at Watford Junction with an ailing Stanier Princess Royal, which was promptly replaced by a Fowler 2-6-4 Tank which effortlessly walked away with the 15 coach load towards Euston.

Incidentally I can corroborate the earlier story about 142s replacing an intercity working on the ECML, as I owned a back copy of Rail magazine which reported it. Around 1988, it was the up Flying Scotsman (Aberdeen-Kings Cross at the time) which failed at Doncaster and a pair of Pacers worked non-stop as far as Peterborough for onward connections to London. The report claimed they were clocked at 87mph descending Stoke Bank but I don’t know how that was corroborated, it wouldn’t have done much good to the mechanical transmission they were fitted with at the time!

 

[Class800]

I can't beat the level of interesting subs you report, but I have a couple of somewhat interesting ones in my short experience.

1. At Exeter St Davids, staff said it's a 4 coach Voyager class 221 on XC to Edinburgh, but a double set turned up to their great surprise (though it said 8 coaches on the PIS) - the back set was unreserved, and wasn't on the diagram.
2. At Birmingham New Street, on an XC back to Exeter St Davids, a double set class 221 was expected, but we were told that it had 'partly broken down' and only 2 coaches were available. Staff were trying to arrange assistance passengers when their bookings were for non existent coaches. Then to everyone's surprise, a HST rolled in.
3. Mini HSTs a surprise to me too! But I think they were diagrammed

 

[route101]

Back on 2004 , not 100 percent sure , but expected a GNER HST from Edinburgh to Leuchars but a voyager operated the service . It started at Edinburgh.

 

[Scotrail84]

Back on 2004 , not 100 percent sure , but expected a GNER HST from Edinburgh to Leuchars but a voyager operated the service . It started at Edinburgh.

A 47 hauled an HST set for a couple of days about 5 years ago between Edinburgh and Aberdeen IIRC.

 

[john prytherch]

I recall reading that sometime in the 1980s, Shrewsbury station staff placed a platform seat in a van of a parcels train, as a means of getting some stranded passengers home towards South Wales.

I also recall reading that one day in the 1970s, a Deltic on the up Yorkshire Pullman from Bradford Exchange failed approaching Leeds, blocking or locking up quite a lot of the west end of the station; and that the engine and train were rescued and dragged into the station by a two-car dmu, I think a Cravens one. The din and rattle must have been memorable!

On the WR, the South Wales Pullman failed once or twice, especially in the era when it was diagrammed for a Hymek, which was not really strong enough for the job. Pictures exist of its being run from Newport to Cardiff behind tank engines, at least once a 94xx.

I think the most amazing substitute traction story is related by Adrian Vaughan in one of his trilogy of "Signalman's" books, about the time when the down "Blue Pullman" failed somewhere between Didcot and Swindon, and was rescued by being coupled to a local stopping train hauled by a prairie tank. That train, of course, was vacuum braked only, and the Pullman set was air braked only, but they somehow managed to release its brakes and haul the whole of it very carefully as a "total swinger" behind the local. This probably broke many rules, but at least it got the Pullman passengers rescued as far as Swindon where they would have had to await onward services.

John Prytherch.

 

[EveningStar]

To cover loco shortages, during the Second World War 1940 the SR lent six D1 0-4-2 tanks to the LMS, who employed one in shunting at Ayr. This loco, 2605, gained fame in 1941 when LMS 5X 5565 on a Glasgow to Stranraer express failed at Ayr. All shunting ceased and the diminutive D1 took the failed 5X and 13 coaches over the gradients as far as Glenwhilly. Remember reading about this a long time ago in a very old copy of Railway World and had to search the Railway Magazine archives (February 1942, p62) for confirmation. Impressive work by the tiny Brighton loco.

 

[delt1c]

I recall reading that sometime in the 1980s, Shrewsbury station staff placed a platform seat in a van of a parcels train, as a means of getting some stranded passengers home towards South Wales.

I also recall reading that one day in the 1970s, a Deltic on the up Yorkshire Pullman from Bradford Exchange failed approaching Leeds, blocking or locking up quite a lot of the west end of the station; and that the engine and train were rescued and dragged into the station by a two-car dmu, I think a Cravens one. The din and rattle must have been memorable!

On the WR, the South Wales Pullman failed once or twice, especially in the era when it was diagrammed for a Hymek, which was not really strong enough for the job. Pictures exist of its being run from Newport to Cardiff behind tank engines, at least once a 94xx.

I think the most amazing substitute traction story is related by Adrian Vaughan in one of his trilogy of "Signalman's" books, about the time when the down "Blue Pullman" failed somewhere between Didcot and Swindon, and was rescued by being coupled to a local stopping train hauled by a prairie tank. That train, of course, was vacuum braked only, and the Pullman set was air braked only, but they somehow managed to release its brakes and haul the whole of it very carefully as a "total swinger" behind the local. This probably broke many rules, but at least it got the Pullman passengers rescued as far as Swindon where they would have had to await onward services.

John Prytherch.

I may be wrong , but I am pretty sure the Blue Pullmans were vacum braked

 

[TheSel]

Back in the early 1970s, there was a major failure (explosion?) at the substation at Birkenhead North which provided power to the West Kirby (certainly) and New Brighton (less sure) lines. I was only in my early teens, but I wandered up to Meols station, half a mile or so away, and snapped this DMU class 108 substitution. If I recall correctly, the DMUs ran an emergency service - probably hourly - for two or three days. If anyone remembers more details, I'd love to hear more.

 

[170TurboFan]

Occasional use of Class 158s from East Midlands on the Norwich - Sheringham line, happened a few times in service due to strikes and unit shortage, remember a few years ago having a late night journey to Sheringham from Norwich formed of an East Midlands 158.