Back in the day...

[Falcon1200]

Monday 30th April 1984 - A day out in Fife

47705 1300 Queen St-Edinburgh
47413 1417 Edinburgh-Dundee (to Kirkcaldy)
47018 1421 Dundee-Edinburgh (Kirkcaldy-Inverkeithing)
47209 1517 Edinburgh-Dundee (from Inverkeithing)
47444 1715 Dundee-Perth
27033 1638 Queen St-Dundee (from Perth)
27033 1918 Dundee-Queen St

Even though the traction is not quite as interesting (although Scotrail's HSTs are not bad) I try and do a trip over the Forth and Tay Bridges every year.

 

[Graeme.Hutchis]

30th April 1983

47508 Crewe - Cardiff 01.47 Crewe - Cardiff
33014 Cardiff - Newport 05.35 Cardiff - Crewe
33064 Newport - Cardiff 05.55 Bristol - Cardiff
33038 Cardiff - Severn Tunnel Jct where it failed on the 07.55 Cardiff - Portsmouth H. 47282 Forward to Bristol
33012 Bristol - Bathspa 07.55 Cardiff - Portsmouth H.
33035 Bathspa - Bristol 06.57 Portsmouth H - Cardiff
37176+37241 Bristol to Bristol via WSM 08.10 Wigan - Bristol L.C.G.B Bristolian Rail Tour {Extension round Bristol}
33025 Bristol - Bathspa 16.15 Cardiff - Brighton
33101 Bathspa - Bristol 15.10 Portsmouth H - Bristol
33113 Bristol - Bathspa 17.15 Cardiff - Weymouth
HST Bathspa - Bristol 17.45 Paddington - Bristol
45145 Bristol - Birmingham New Street 21.24 Bristol - Glasgow 1S19. 37276 Banked up the Lickey.

1st May 1983

86004 Birmingham New Street - Preston as above 1S19
40057 Preston - Carlisle via Settle as above 1S19
81006 Carlisle - Carstairs where it failed and 37028 to the rescue to Glasgow 1S19.

 

[Harvester]

Monday 1st May 1989

47551 12:40 Derby-Birmingham NS
50040 14:41 Birmingham NS-Birmingham Int
47438 15:02 Birmingham Int-Birmingham NS
43023+43??? Birmingham NS-Derby

 

[1971martin]

Friday 1st May 2009

Numbers in brackets denote rear loco in top and tail working

43022+43162 0851 Paddington - Reading
43033+43141 0932 Reading - Taunton
67016+(67030) 1102 Taunton - Cardiff Central
67030+(67016) 1400 Cardiff Central - Filton Abbey Wood
158957 1501 Filton Abbey Wood - Newport
43182+43172 1530 Newport - Cardiff Central
57313 1617 Cardiff Central - Crewe
390020 Crewe - Euston

Bank Holiday Monday 1st May 2017 (Mid Norfolk Railway Diesel Gala)

In use at the gala - 37424, 37688, 47367, 47596, 57007

47596 1205 Wymondham Abbey - Thuxton
37688+(57007) 1225 Thuxton - Wymondham Jn
57007+(37688) 1310 Wymondham Jn - Dereham
37424+37688 1420 Dereham - Thuxton
47367 1445 Thuxton - Dereham
47596+47367 1530 Dereham - Thuxton
37688+37424 1555 Thuxton - Dereham
57007+37424+(37688) 1640 Dereham - Wymondham Abbey

Getting there and back

365522 0914 Kings X - Cambridge
170271 1012 Cambridge - Wymondham
170208 1815 Wymondham - Norwich
90003 1900 Norwich - Ingatestone (GEML closed south of Ingatestone - bus and tube forward)

 

[NorthWestRover]

Sunday 1st May 1983

87032 WBQ to Crewe, 1A37 (don't know what service this was)
87012 Preston to WBQ, 1G03 16.07 Blackpool to Birmingham
87028 Wigan NW to Preston, 1P79 18.05 Euston to Blackpool

Saturday 1st May 2021

Last time I had a 153 on Northern.

 

[CW2]

1st May 1983

86004 Birmingham New Street - Preston as above 1S19
40057 Preston - Carlisle via Settle as above 1S19
81006 Carlisle - Carstairs where it failed and 37028 to the rescue to Glasgow 1S19.

I was on that too.

 

[CW2]

Saturday 29th April 2000

90025 0810 Kings Cross-Leeds
90025 1105 Leeds-Kings Cross

The first and only occasion that I had 90025 for haulage.

It's odd how some locos become rare for haulage. 90025 has always been elusive. I think there may have been some technical reason that kept it off passenger workings for some time - can anybody remember? I haven't had it since 1991, which suddenly seems a very long time ago.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Only 31 years...

 

[Graeme.Hutchis]

I was on that too.

That was when we had decent overnights that ran 7 days a week and when their was engineering works you were not kicked off and put on a bus, happy days indeed compared to what we have now.

 

[xotGD]

30th April 2022

Yesterday I was out of bed at the same time that the Deltic used to leave King's Cross on 1S12 to head down to the GCR for the diesel gala. Sadly Deltic 9 wasn't feeling well and didn't produce, but that would have been a Brucie bonus. This is why I was there...





D6700 takes me to 173 Syphons in the book. I would like to reach 180, but not so badly that I'm about to travel all the way to the south coast next week for 37703 on the Swanage Railway. I'm sure it will appear at a more northerly gala at some point. After all, they are sending a Crompton up to the KWVR...

 

[Harvester]

Saturday 2nd May 1981

A trip to York.

DMU 09:07 Nottingham-Derby
45019 09:43 Derby-Sheffield
DMU 10:39 Sheffield-York
55015 15:50 York-Grantham
DMU 17:41 Grantham-Nottingham

 

[Falcon1200]

Friday 2nd May 1986 - Returning from Loch Eil Outward Bound

37408 1742 Fort William-Euston (to Glasgow Queen St)

 

[NorthWestRover]

Monday 2nd May 1983

87017 WBQ to Crewe, 1A58 08.23 Preston to Euston
87101 Crewe to Preston, 1S47 07.45 Euston to Glasgow
87028 Preston to Crewe, 1A40 10.18 Blackpool to Euston
87016 Crewe to Preston, 1S59 09.35 Euston to Inverness
81013 Preston to WBQ
87013 Preston to Lancaster, 1S68 09.32 Nottingham to Glasgow
40029 Preston to Barrow, 1P27 15.13 Manchester to Barrow
40029 Barrow to Carnforth, 1F32 18.23 Barrow to Liverpool
FAILED!
40034 (dragging 029) Carnforth to Lime St, 1F32 18.23 Barrow to Liverpool

And posted last year...

Thursday 2nd May 1985

I appear to have come out to play around lunchtime (11.37 Shrewsbury to Euston) and stayed out late (18.05 Harwich to Wolverhampton). Lots of short leaps.

86315 Wolverhampton to Coventry
50014 Coventry to Birmingham NS
87034 Birmingham NS to Coventry
47453 Coventry to Birmingham NS
85017 Birmingham NS to Coventry
86235 Coventry to Birmingham NS
85014 Birmingham NS to Coventry
47329 Coventry to Birmingham Int
I then appear to have caught a bus to Solihull
50021 Solihull to Wolverhampton
86237 Wolverhampton to Birmingham NS
50014 Birmingham NS to Coventry
47456 Coventry to Birmingham NS
31401 Birmingham NS to Wolverhampton

The 47/3 was unusual. Couple more Roarers, Hoovers, a goyle to finish the day.

2nd May 1983

One of my isolated moves which was probably tied in with 40 bashing somewhere...

81013 Preston to Warrington BQ

 

[D6130]

TUESDAY 2nd MAY 1978:

Another after-work Crompton bash....this time with the added bonus of a required-for-haulage Hither Green loco:

7818/7732/7710 Petersfield-Waterloo (06 23 from Portsmouth Harbour)
5104/5111 08 12 Waterloo-Wimbledon (to Effingham Junction)
5123/5785/5671 Wimbledon-Waterloo (17 47 Waterloo-Waterloo via Richmond & Kingston)
33 061 19 00 Waterloo-Woking (to Exeter SD. Consist: W5471/5489/5457/14080/14069/1772/3087/5363 Load 8 AB/EH)
7740/5339 Woking-Guildford (18 52 from Waterloo)
7734/7749 Guildford-Petersfield (19 20 Waterloo-Portsmouth Harbour)


SATURDAY 2nd MAY 1981:

A spin on the Highland Main Line for meet-up with some friends from the South of England who were on holiday at Newtonmore....and finishing off with a Tinsley Duff to Perth and a big Healey Mills class 40 back from Perth to Glasgow:

303 062/038 Hyndland-Glasgow QS LL (07 47 Helensburgh Central-Airdrie)
47 274 09 05 Glasgow QS HL-Inverness (Consist: SC9409/5132/5104/5163/1866/13380/14030 Load 7 VB/DH)
47 274 14 48 Inverness-Newtonmore (to Glasgow QS. Consist as above in reverse order)
47 278 Newtonmore-Perth (16 42 Inverness-Edinburgh. Consist: SC9413/13436/1675/5097/5201/5080/9382/M80605 Load 8 VB/DH)
40 056 Perth-Glasgow QS HL (17 50 from Aberdeen. Consist: W80721/5159/5191/5101/1853/13382/9383/4909 Load 8 VB/DH)
303 026 Glasgow QS LL-Hyndland (20 37 Airdrie-Milngavie)

 

[xotGD]

the added bonus of a required-for-haulage Hither Green loco:

So were the Hither Green Cromptons less common on passenger, or just unusual out of Waterloo?

From my vantage point in the North East they were all just 33s!

 

[Peter Sarf]

So were the Hither Green Cromptons less common on passenger, or just unusual out of Waterloo?

From my vantage point in the North East they were all just 33s!

I think you would have had to rely on the London Bridge to Oxted (etc) services for HG 33s.

 

[1971martin]

It's odd how some locos become rare for haulage. 90025 has always been elusive. I think there may have been some technical reason that kept it off passenger workings for some time - can anybody remember? I haven't had it since 1991, which suddenly seems a very long time ago.

Between 1993 & 1998, 90025 was a freight loco as 90125 which should have prevented it doing passenger work then and since early 2004 has been left to rust in peace at Crewe Electric. On the one day I had it, I just turned up at Kings Cross for the then regular class 90 turn and there she was. No advance information.

 

[xotGD]

I think you would have had to rely on the London Bridge to Oxted (etc) services for HG 33s.

Thanks! So a bit trickier to get than the Eastleigh locos.

On the one day I had it, I just turned up at Kings Cross for the then regular class 90 turn and there she was. No advance information.

The best way.

 

[1971martin]

Bank Holiday Monday 2nd May 1988 - Colchester Depot Open Day

86242 1030 Liverpool St - Colchester
86215 1800 Colchester - Liverpool St


Saturday 2nd May 2009

91113 0900 Kings X - Retford
144003 1245 Retford - Cleethorpes via Brigg
185114 1428 Cleethorpes - Doncaster
91118 1555 Doncaster - Kings X


Tuesday 2nd May 2017

90012 0938 Stratford - Ipswich
90008 1108 Ipswich - Norwich
37423+(37403) 1236 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
37403+(37423) 1317 G Yarmouth - Norwich
37423+(37403) 1455 Norwich - Lowestoft
37403+(37423) 1548 Lowestoft - Norwich
68018+(68003) 1638 Norwich - G Yarmouth
68003+(68018) 1717 G Yarmouth - Norwich
68018+(68003) 1804 Norwich - Acle
37403+(37423) 1828 Acle - Norwich
90013 1900 Norwich - Colchester
317651+317662 2012 Colchester - Stratford

 

[NorthWestRover]

Tuesday 3rd May 1983

87010 Crewe to Preston, 1P70 15.00 Euston to Blackpool
81006 Preston to Crewe
87030 Crewe to WBQ, 1P79 18.05 Euston to Blackpool

And posted a year ago, this lovely Goyle trip...

Saturday 3rd May 1986

87003 Wolverhampton to Birmingham NS
31460 Birmingham NS to Norwich
31460 Norwich to Birmingham NS
86218 Birmingham NS to Wolverhampton

Goyle mileage move!! 175.75 miles in each direction. Ticket was £4.50 Special Day Return.

3rd May 1983 I had 81006 from Preston to Crewe.

 

[1971martin]

Saturday 3rd May 1997 - Crewe Electric Depot open day

87023 0755 Euston - Crewe
90011 1725 Crewe - Euston

 

[D6130]

So a bit trickier to get than the Eastleigh locos.

The Waterloo-Salisbury-Exeter services were diagrammed for Eastleigh locos....but Hither Green examples appeared from time to time - usually running-in after overhaul at Eastleigh Works. Hither Green locos also appeared on the Saturdays-only Brighton-Exeter and in the Summer timetable - when this service was booked for 12 coaches instead of 8 - it was double-headed....usually by a Hither Green loco piloted by an Eastleigh-based sister. Moving forward into the 1980s, a Hither Green Crompton was diagrammed to work the 08 30 Brighton-Cardiff, the return working of which was usually a different shedmate. This was to facilitate the changeover for maintenance of the HG Cromptons which - by then - were working the Cardiff-Crewe and some North Wales coast services.

 

[Harvester]

Tuesday 4th May 1993

47807 11:45 Derby-York
47849 16:50 York-Derby

 

[xotGD]

The Waterloo-Salisbury-Exeter services were diagrammed for Eastleigh locos....but Hither Green examples appeared from time to time - usually running-in after overhaul at Eastleigh Works. Hither Green locos also appeared on the Saturdays-only Brighton-Exeter and in the Summer timetable - when this service was booked for 12 coaches instead of 8 - it was double-headed....usually by a Hither Green loco piloted by an Eastleigh-based sister. Moving forward into the 1980s, a Hither Green Crompton was diagrammed to work the 08 30 Brighton-Cardiff, the return working of which was usually a different shedmate. This was to facilitate the changeover for maintenance of the HG Cromptons which - by then - were working the Cardiff-Crewe and some North Wales coast services.

Thanks. So they did get to spread their wings in the 80s.

And of course these days Cromptons can turn up in Yorkshire!

 

[D6130]

SUNDAY 4th MAY 1975:

I was up with the lark to see 74 007 arrive at Petersfield with the 03 40 Passenger and News from Waterloo. The driver gave me a cab ride while running round and even allowed me to drive in one direction. (I was aged 17 1/2 at the time!)

 

[1971martin]

Friday 4th May 2007

90034 1651 Euston - Birmingham New St
90034 1900 Birmingham New St - Euston

Bank Holiday Monday 4th May 2015

90014 0957 Ingatestone - Norwich
90014 1200 Norwich - Ingatestone
90014 1357 Ingatestone - Manningtree
90001 1453 Manningtree - Ingatestone

 

[D6130]

90014 0957 Ingatestone - Norwich
90014 1200 Norwich - Ingatestone
90014 1357 Ingatestone - Manningtree
90001 1453 Manningtree - Ingatestone

As a matter of interest, why were the Liverpool Street-Norwich Inter-Cities stopping at Ingatestone on that occasion? Were there engineering works at Shenfield?

 

[Bald Rick]

As a matter of interest, why were the Liverpool Street-Norwich Inter-Cities stopping at Ingatestone on that occasion? Were there engineering works at Shenfield?

they’d have been Ingatestone - Norwich services, not going to London.

 

[D6130]

they’d have been Ingatestone - Norwich services, not going to London.

Fair enough....but why? I don't recall there ever having been an Ingatestone-Norwich timetabled service!

 

[Magdalia]

As a matter of interest, why were the Liverpool Street-Norwich Inter-Cities stopping at Ingatestone on that occasion? Were there engineering works at Shenfield?

Probably Crossrail related engineering work.

When there is engineering work at the southern end of the GEML the usual arrangement for rail replacement buses is Ingatestone to Newbury Park on the Central Line because it is a simple journey on the A12 and Ingatestone has a big car park with space for the buses. Lots of rail replacement buses at Shenfield would be a nightmare.