What was longest running (in years) loco hauled service by same class of loco

[Taunton]

Personal observation would suggest around 40% Brush, rest 45/46 West of Exeter on XC early 70s

Up to the mid-late 1960s west of Bristol was always WR hydraulics, locos were changed at Bristol. Then progressively the 45/46s ran through from the North to the WofE. This was apparently a BR HQ idea to improve utilisation, overriding the longstanding Western Region approach back to steam days that trains continuing west of Bristol should have GWR-pattern AWS (ATC) fitted. This went on until the 1974 fatal accident at Bridgwater where an overnight 45-hauled train ran through signals and crashed into the train ahead. Within days (and long before the accident report came out) things were changed. I believe the union was otherwise going to refuse locos with the "wrong" AWS. WR Class 47s took over a number of the turns west of Bristol, but there were some 45/46 that had it fitted as well, the original Bristol allocation of ten from new, D33-42, and some Class 46. It was not long afterwards that the ATC was replaced by AWS for the arrival of HSTs, there were further switch-rounds during this transition.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

The Hythe Pier locos were built in 1918 for a mustard gasworks and their centenary was celebrated four years ago. 2022 marks 100 years of the pier railway

Yes, but they only started hauling the pier service in 1922; so prior to that it's a different service based on the thread title.

 

[johnnychips]

The Hythe Pier locos were built in 1918 for a mustard gasworks …

Can’t beat the romance of the railways!

Seriously, how fascinating!

 

[Taunton]

The Cornish Riviera must be up there for a prominent express. Kings were introduced in 1927, and they were still doing one, maybe two a week in 1962, their last year.

Paddington to Worcester/Hereford will have been getting a Castle on the principal train in 1923/4, and still had in 1964, the last WR steam express line. That's 40 years. The 1964 high speed attempt on Paddington to Plymouth, steam's swansong on the route, able to use the pick of the crop, used 4079 westbound, which was 41 years old at the time and had been on the line throughout.

 

[peteb]

Class 26/27 hauled services in Scotland? Some eg: Glasgow to Fort William must have run for 25 years?

 

[Magdalia]

Class 26/27 hauled services in Scotland? Some eg: Glasgow to Fort William must have run for 25 years?

No. From Inverness to the Far North and Kyle were mostly class 24 until the mid 1970s. The West Highland and Oban had a significant amount of class 21/29 activity until 1971.

 

[Harvester]

The Cornish Riviera must be up there for a prominent express. Kings were introduced in 1927, and they were still doing one, maybe two a week in 1962, their last year.

Paddington to Worcester/Hereford will have been getting a Castle on the principal train in 1923/4, and still had in 1964, the last WR steam express line. That's 40 years. The 1964 high speed attempt on Paddington to Plymouth, steam's swansong on the route, able to use the pick of the crop, used 4079 westbound, which was 41 years old at the time and had been on the line throughout.

The Paddington to Wolverhampton route was also seeing Castles, as diesel substitutes, well into 1964. In August of that year I noted 7014 arriving with a train from Wolverhampton, instead of the expected Western diesel, on what turned out to be my last visit to the station in the steam era.

 

[alangla]

No mention of class 91s yet? Kings X to Leeds every day since 1989 (as far as I can see) surely a record for a non-steam locomotive on a single route

 

[sprinterguy]

No mention of class 91s yet? Kings X to Leeds every day since 1989 (as far as I can see) surely a record for a non-steam locomotive on a single route

Still behind the class 86s on passenger services on the West Coast (1965-2003), unless the remaining 91s survive in service until 2028.

 

[30907]

Still behind the class 86s on passenger services on the West Coast (1965-2003), unless the remaining 91s survive in service until 2028.

True, but how many scheduled trains per day are class 86? The sleepers are booked 92 - when did an 86 last cover?

Edit - Oops, 2003 was regular service. Ignore me

 

[pieguyrob]

True, but how many scheduled trains per day are class 86? The sleepers are booked 92 - when did an 86 last cover?

38 years for the class 86's on the WCML vs 33 years for the class 91's on the ECML.

 

[30907]

38 years for the class 86's on the WCML vs 33 years for the class 91's on the ECML.

apologies, didn't read the 86 post properly.

 

[Wilts Wanderer]

The Douglas Bay Horse Tramway on the Isle of Man has been operated by 0-4-0 hay-burners (1HP) since it’s opening in 1876.

(Not a serious suggestion!)

 

[Captain Bigwig]

I think we need some definitions here. Based on the OP's initial post it seems they're thinking of:

• locomotives
• hauling passenger services
• on main lines

Which eliminates branch lines and narrow gauge.

Based on that here's everything (I think) has been mentioned in this thread so far that meets those criteria:

Class	Route	Years in service	Dates
LSWR T9	London Waterloo - Plymouth*	64	1899-1963
GWR Iron Duke/ Rover†	Great Western	45	1847-92
GWR Castle Class	Great Western	41	1923-64
LNER A1/A3	East Coast Main Line	41	1922-63
Class 86	West Coast Main Line	38	1965-2003
Class 47	Cross Country	37	1965-2002
Class 91	East Coast Main Line (to Leeds)	33 (as of 2022)	1989-present
Class 45	Midland Main Line	29	1960-89
Class 33	London Waterloo - Weymouth	?? (25 ish?)	Early '60s to late '80s?
Class 47	Great Eastern Main Line (London- Norwich)	22	1965-87
Class 55 'Deltic'	East Coast Main Line	21	1961-82

*Debatable if LSWR route to Plymouth is a main line or not.
† Rover Class was upgrade of the Iron Dukes. If counted as a separate class the original Iron Dukes only worked 1847-84 (37 years)

 

[Magdalia]

Brush Type 4s started on the Liverpool Street-Norwich line in 1965. Their replacement by class 86 was in two phases. Liverpool Street-Ipswich in 1985 and Ipswich-Norwich in 1987, with loco changes at Ipswich for 2 years.

On the other hand Brush Type 4s on cross country goes back to 1965 too, at least between Birmingham and Oxford.

 

[Captain Bigwig]

Thank you @Magdalia. I've updated my table with corrections accordingly.

 

[xotGD]

Class 87 beats a few on the list. Over 30 years on the WCML.

 

[D6130]

From Inverness to the Far North and Kyle were mostly class 24 until the mid 1970s.

Actually a mix of 24s and 26s....sometimes running in multiple with each other.

The West Highland and Oban had a significant amount of class 21/29 activity until 1971.

The last 21s were withdrawn or converted to 29s in 1967, but hadn't worked regularly on the West Highland lines since about 1963, when the 27s took over all the regular passenger workings. The class 29 rebuilds started to appear again in about 1966-67, but were gone by the end of 1971.

Class 33

London Waterloo - Weymouth

?? (25 ish?)

Early '60s to late '80s

1967-1988....so 21 years.

 

[30907]

1967-1988....so 21 years.

Class 33s were in use out of Waterloo about 5 years before that, though whether they went to Weymouth I don't know - Bournemouth and Swanage certainly by about 1963.

The T9s on Exeter-Plymouth expresses are a bit of an anomaly, having been relegated from more demanding duties nearer London by about 1939 (so much nearer the typical 40 years), but carrying on until 1961 on shorter trains.

 

[Cowley]

I think we need some definitions here. Based on the OP's initial post it seems they're thinking of:

• locomotives
• hauling passenger services
• on main lines

Which eliminates branch lines and narrow gauge.

Based on that here's everything (I think) has been mentioned in this thread so far that meets those criteria:

Class	Route	Years in service	Dates
LSWR T9	London Waterloo - Plymouth*	64	1899-1963
GWR Iron Duke/ Rover†	Great Western	45	1847-92
GWR Castle Class	Great Western	41	1923-64
LNER A1/A3	East Coast Main Line	41	1922-63
Class 86	West Coast Main Line	38	1965-2003
Class 47	Cross Country	37	1965-2002
Class 91	East Coast Main Line (to Leeds)	33 (as of 2022)	1989-present
Class 45	Midland Main Line	29	1960-89
Class 33	London Waterloo - Weymouth	?? (25 ish?)	Early '60s to late '80s?
Class 47	Great Eastern Main Line (London- Norwich)	22	1965-87
Class 55 'Deltic'	East Coast Main Line	21	1961-82

*Debatable if LSWR route to Plymouth is a main line or not.
† Rover Class was upgrade of the Iron Dukes. If counted as a separate class the original Iron Dukes only worked 1847-84 (37 years)

I feel I should offer a thank you for putting this together @Captain Bigwig. Great work.

 

[Harvester]

Thank you @Magdalia. I've updated my table with corrections accordingly.

I think you could stretch the LNER A1/A3 figures in your table to 42 years. The A3s had diagramed passenger workings north of Peterborough on the ECML during 1964. In fact New England shed had a regular turn to York for it’s surviving A3s, on the Sunday Colchester-Glasgow train during the autumn of 1964.

 

[Bevan Price]

Longish period for some diesel locos:
Class 30/31, London Liverpool St. to Cambridge, 1957 to 1987. Whilst 47's dominated the final years until electrification, Classes 31 & 37 still appeared on a few services.

Class 40 worked some ECML services from 1958 until about 1984, and for slightly less on the North Wales Coast line.

 

[Magdalia]

Longish period for some diesel locos:
Class 30/31, London Liverpool St. to Cambridge, 1957 to 1987. Whilst 47's dominated the final years until electrification, Classes 31 & 37 still appeared on a few services.

From first to last known workings the range for Brush Type 2s on the Liverpool Street-Cambridge line is December 1957 to May 1990. Booked workings started in 1958 and ended in 1987 but I'm not sure that there would have been booked workings in all of the intervening years.