Saturday 11th June 1983
40152 Man Vic to Scarborough, 1E19 09.40 off Vic
40152 Scarborough to Man Vic, 1M69 12.00 off Scarborough
Good start to the weekend which appears to have been marked by WCML drags between Crewe and Preston, via Chester. I think the train went round the triangle by going beyond the depot rather than running round. Is that right? Perhaps
@CW2's reference to rare track yesterday.
Yes, when running voa Chester the norm was to arrive from the east end, pass non-stop through the station, and head north towards Birkenhead. Once clear of the junction the train would propel around the triangle and into the tunnel at the west end. Then it would reverse again, and come forward non-stop through the station, and take whichever route was required at the east end of the station.
The triangulation move always took place that way round, regardless of origin / destination of the train. There was a special entry in the Sectional Appendix setting out the details. You couldn't do it the other way round because that would have meant propelling out of the tunnel, which would have caused signal sighting issues.
Anyway, here are my efforts:
Monday 11/06/79
After a weekend spent mainly chasing 40s around Scotland, it was time to head home, and then to college in Harrogate.
81012 0053 Carstairs – Carlisle
40148 0237 Carlisle – York
DMU York – Harrogate, Harrogate – Leeds
I still had the Darlington 3D ticket in my pocket, so I couldn’t resist an evening run over the S&C with a 40:
40018 1807 Leeds – Carlisle
47422 2212 Carlisle – York via Newcastle.
Wednesday 11/06/80
40081 1630 Kings Cross – Peterborough
55012 1854 Peterborough – Kings Cross
A regular 40 working at the time, and a semi-regular move for me.
55006 2015 Kings Cross – York
At York I saw 40062 arrive on the sleepers-only from Newcastle. Despite my pleas, the guard wouldn’t let me travel with him to Doncaster (where the seating portion ex Leeds was attached) so I had to let it go without me …(to be continued)
Friday 11/06/82
An after-work leap to North Wales to pick up 40168 on The Bangor …
87033 1703 Euston – Crewe
47447 1920 Crewe – Flint
25051 2029 Flint – Warrington BQ 30 minutes late, having replaced 40168, which had failed. I alighted at Warrington in the hope that one of the portions in or out of Preston might produce something better.
86229 2140 Warrington BQ – Preston
It didn’t, so I didn’t hang around.
86261 2231 Preston – Warrington BQ
86227 2311 Warrington BQ – Preston
A day of Cans and Duffs, with a rat thrown in for good measure. Let’s hope for better tomorrow …
Saturday 11/06/83
There was a block on the WCML at Hartford, I think replacing the bridge that takes the CLC lines over the WCML. So there were interesting diversions in play, and every chance of a 40 producing on something or other…
47254 0254 Preston – Stockport via Golborne, Parkside, Manchester Piccadilly
85039 04xx Stockport – Crewe
EMU 06xx Crewe – Manchester Piccadilly
Word reached me that 25152 was working the 0930 Liverpool to Glasgow portion as far as Preston, so I headed off to St Helens Jn to intercept it.
45104 0854 Manchester Victoria – St Helens Jn
The 25 on the Glasgow sank without trace – nobody had seen the train, and denied all knowledge of it. Oh well, alternative attractions are calling …
47138 1058 St Helens Jn – Liverpool Lime St
Then salvation in the form of 40096 (my Carnforth to Peteborough Womens Institute loco).
40096 1130 Liverpool Lime St – Barrow (That’ll do nicely) 45 -> 65 minutes late. Just south of Preston we passed required 40090 heading south on a passenger service. Oh well, I can’t be everywhere at once.
40096 1525 Barrow – Crewe via Warrington BQ, Chester Triangle
40096 2010 Crewe – Liverpool Lime St via Middlewich, Hartford CLC Jn, Hartford LNW Jn
40096 was put onto a 47/4 diagram at the last minute, and stayed there all day, so we managed a circular tour Liverpool – St Helens Jn – Preston – Barrow – Preston – Warrington – Chester – Crewe – Sandbach – Middlewich – Hartford Jns – Liverpool. This was my first trip over the Sandbach – Middlewich – Hartford Jns line. Not much loco variety, but plenty of different track. There was one last move before the inevitable overnight:
EMU Liverpool Lime St – Runcorn
40029 2309 Runcorn – Liverpool Lime Street (it didn’t fail me this time).
Monday 11/06/84
I was doubling back off a Sunday night shift onto a Monday late shift. Normally I would go home and sleep solidly for as long as I could manage, before making the journey back to Leeds. Today there was a different plan. 40143 had been turned out on one of the south Trans Pennine 31/4 diagrams, as some of the 31/4s were feeling poorly. I worked out I could get it on its return journey from Hull to Sheffield.
31404 0705 Leeds – Hull
40143 1010 Hull – Sheffield
DMU Sheffield – Leeds
Work
45119 2122 Leeds – York
Sunday 11/06/89
47421 1118 Crewe - Liverpool Lime St via Manchester Piccadilly, Newton le Willows
47424 1430 Liverpool Lime St – Manchester Piccadilly via Newton le Willows
86252 1522 Manchester Piccadilly – Stockport
47450 1540 Stockport – Crewe
85037 1739 Crewe – Birmingham New St
85037 2005 Birmingham New St – Crewe
This has the air of a day spent scratching around on engineering diversions, hoping – in vain – that there might be some interesting traction involved. A round trip to Birmingham with a Roarer finished off the day nicely.