• Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Back in the day...

Peter Sarf

Established Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
5,644
Location
Croydon
A bit of a lack of forward planning with several classes, where they got to the end of the batch of available numbers and had to start again elsewhere for the remaining locos: 25, 37, 47.

Of course, we are seeing it again with the 66/7 subclass.

Starting a class with X000 dates back to steam days. It always struck me as a bit odd.
As a person with a mathematical background things should start at zero. On a practical level each locomotive class can only accommodate 999 locos but if you start at zero you get a nice round 1000. A sub class (e.g. 66/7) can only accommodate 99 instead of a nice round 100 !.
Apologies for veering off topic, but why was the renumbering of the 45s and 46s so haphazard?
Not sure about the 46s but the 45s were getting split into two subclasses 45/0 steam heat and 45/1 Electric Train Heat (ETH). I think they were re-numbered as they went through works so in the order they were converted.

Many classes had the DX000 member put at the end of the number range in their new class or inserted in a gap (usually due to a write off). So when D8000-D8227 were renumbered as 20s the first in class D8000 became 20228 iirc. - EDIT bad example !. D400 became 50050. I think D200 went in the middle of a range of 40s where a class mate had been written off.
 
Last edited:
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

Cowley

Forum Staff
Staff Member
Global Moderator
Joined
15 Apr 2016
Messages
15,688
Location
Devon
@Peter Sarf - I think D8000 became 20050, I’m not sure why it took that particular number though?
 

Peter Sarf

Established Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
5,644
Location
Croydon
@Peter Sarf - I think D8000 became 20050, I’m not sure why it took that particular number though?
Ah. Usual reason would be D8050 got written off. But I feel D8050 got numbered elsewhere. They did sometimes do some slightly odd things. Unlike the 45s which were renumbered all over the place.
 

CW2

Established Member
Joined
7 May 2020
Messages
1,922
Location
Crewe
Thursday 02/08/79
Working late shift at Manchester Victoria station buffet, so I went for a little pre-work bash:
40129 1105 Manchester Victoria – Chester
40117 1313 Chester – Manchester Victoria

Saturday 02/08/80
Another day out with the trolley, staying more-or-less on diagram:
86207 1025 Euston – Crewe
40095 1418 Crewe – Chester
40100 1540 Chester – Rhyl
47142 1638 Rhyl – Crewe
86212 1809 Crewe – Euston

Sunday 02/08/81
Normally having arrived at Edinburgh on one of the ECML diversions via Beattock, Sunday tends to be a bit of a black hole. Not today. There was an excursion running from Edinburgh to Oban. The powers that be had decided to use one of their finest Mk 3 push-pull sets for greater comfort of the passengers, and inserted a Mk 1 buffet car into the rake. The only problem was that – pre 37/4 – there was only one class of locomotive with a light enough axle load to run to Oban that was also fitted with ETH to work the air conditioned Mk 3 coaches, namely a Deltic…
Strictly speaking, Deltics can’t work the ETH on Mk 3 coaches, as the Mk 2Ds they normally worked were set to shut down the air con when the Deltic accelerated from a stand, to provide greater control over the power output. This was the first time a Deltic had ever been to Oban, and the first time any Mk 3 coaches had been to Oban. The chosen locomotive was Haymarket allocated 55021 “Argyll and Sutherland Highlander”. The tour had sold out long before I arrived on the scene, so I begged the staff at Waverley station to sell me a priv return to Oban – which they kindly did.
The PA system on the push-pull set had been wired into some form of tape recorder which played accordion music for much of the journey. At one point we came to a halt overlooking Loch Long, with the announcer proclaiming proudly “We have come to a halt here so that you can admire the magnificent view”. If you stuck your head out of the window, the “magnificent view” was one of the driver having a piss against the loco!
A number of the Deltic hardcore bashers from England had planned to do this trip too – but they turned their noses up at the mighty 40069, hoping for something better (i.e. a Deltic) on a later service. Instead they got 474xx, which expired en route. They were rescued by another 47, and arrived at Haymarket West Junction on their way in to Edinburgh just in time to see us waving at them, storming noisily by in the opposite direction.
55021 0915 Edinburgh – Oban via Falkirk Grahamston, Cowlairs North – West curve
55021 1500 Oban – Edinburgh, route reverse of above
After all that excitement, I quietly hoped that 40069 might put in an appearance again. Sorry, no, but 40063 did, all the way to the blocks.
40063 2025 Edinburgh – Kings Cross
On arrival at Kings Cross, 40069 was already there, having worked a parcels train throughout from Edinburgh. Later, 40164 arrived on the 1925 Aberdeen – Kings Cross (although I was safely tucked up in bed by then).
A top weekend.

(Wednesday 01/08/84)
86251 2350 Glasgow Central – Carlisle
Thursday 02/08/84
The Fort William – Euston sleeper had expired on the West Highland Line yesterday evening, with the failed loco being replaced by required 37151. I took the overnight trip to Carlisle to pick up the northbound working, in the hope of scoring a new 37:
86213 0228 Carlisle – Mossend (ages late)
37151 (+97252) 06xx Mossend – Rannoch via Coatbridge Sunnyside, Glasgow Queen Street Low Level (where we stopped to pick up passengers at 0710), Anniesland, Westerton
37014 0948 Rannoch – Glasgow Queen Street
Then home to York before setting off on another Continental trip:
47704 1600 Glasgow Queen Street – Edinburgh
47615 1718 Edinburgh – Newcastle
This train was known to produce some interesting locos on occasions. This was not one of those occasions.
43084 + 43102 1955 Newcastle – York

Friday 02/08/85
86319 1615 Glasgow Central – Carstairs
There was a regular 1041 Exeter –Edinburgh relief running at this time. The traction forward from Carstairs was whatever was lying spare at Motherwell …
20154 + 20206 1813 Carstairs – Edinburgh
We achieved a maximum of 97 mph between Cobbinshaw and Midcalder, although the driver (a noted Motherwell showman) claimed an indicated 100 mph. The ride on the 20s at that speed was distinctly frightening, with the locos bobbing and weaving like crazy. The second man just sat there, white faced, gripping his seat. He was still like that at Edinburgh!
47215 2210 Edinburgh – Carstairs
85011 2250 Carstairs – Carlisle
 

D6130

Established Member
Joined
12 Jan 2021
Messages
5,652
Location
West Yorkshire/Tuscany
THURSDAY 2nd AUGUST 1973:

The fourth day of my second Freedom of Scotland week. Mainly a DMU day and the one loco-hauled trip produced a Duff - admittedly a required no boiler example. At that time the Scottish Region were very adept at hi-jacking other regions' visiting 47s and putting them on the Glasgow-Aberdeen circuits for a few days instead of the diagrammed Haymarket 40s.

EMU Helensburgh Central-Glasgow QS
SC51009/59412/51043 Glasgow Central-Stranraer
SC51044/59412/51009 Stranraer-Glasgow Central
SC51452/59545/51517 Glasgow Central-Haymarket via Shorts
SC51808/59688/51796 Haymarket-Dundee via Kirkcaldy
SC 51277/56411 Dundee-Perth
1826 Perth-Glasgow QS
EMU Glasgow QS-Helensburgh Central
 

CW2

Established Member
Joined
7 May 2020
Messages
1,922
Location
Crewe
THURSDAY 2nd AUGUST 1973:

The fourth day of my second Freedom of Scotland week. Mainly a DMU day and the one loco-hauled trip produced a Duff - admittedly a required no boiler example. At that time the Scottish Region were very adept at hi-jacking other regions' visiting 47s and putting them on the Glasgow-Aberdeen circuits for a few days instead of the diagrammed Haymarket 40s.

EMU Helensburgh Central-Glasgow QS
SC51009/59412/51043 Glasgow Central-Stranraer
SC51044/59412/51009 Stranraer-Glasgow Central
SC51452/59545/51517 Glasgow Central-Haymarket via Shorts
SC51808/59688/51796 Haymarket-Dundee via Kirkcaldy
SC 51277/56411 Dundee-Perth
1826 Perth-Glasgow QS
EMU Glasgow QS-Helensburgh Central
That's more of a DMU marathon that I would care to face - but a DMU on the Stranraer line would have given you some splendid views through the front windows (if the driver left the blinds up).
 

xotGD

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2017
Messages
6,064
More DMU substitutions...

2nd August 1983

31291 Newcastle - Blaydon 2M72 (Far enough on a Goyle!)

2nd August 1985

Having not turned out for massive but unrequired 37216 the previous day to save a few quid, I had to put my hand in my pocket for something equally huge:

37250 Hexham - Dunston 2E48

Here is the beast at Carlisle, looking rather clean for a Gateshead Syphon:

37250 | 37 250 at Carlisle waiting to work a DMU replacement… | Flickr

2nd August 1986

Not the greatest Summer Saturday:

45106 Newcastle - Darlo 1M76
47314 Darlo - Newcastle 1N13
 

The exile

Established Member
Joined
31 Mar 2010
Messages
2,601
Location
Somerset
Ah. Usual reason would be D8050 got written off. But I feel D8050 got numbered elsewhere. They did sometimes do some slightly odd things. Unlike the 45s which were renumbered all over the place.
Class 20 renumbering was logical apart from the following:
D8000 became 20050
D8050 became 20128
D8128 had to fit on the end as 20228

There were no gaps for D8000 to fill as the class was still intact at the time - were there minor batch differences that led to the above?

As to the Class 45 renumbering - presumably eth conversion was just getting under way as renumbering was proposed. Still not clear why it wasn't known in advance which batch were to be converted and which not. Was it perhaps as simple as a desperate need to keep time out of traffic to a minimum, so when a loco was shopped it was "this one needs a hell a lot of work done so it might as well be an eth conversion, whereas we can have that one back out again on Friday if we don't have to convert it"? The same apparently random nature also applies to the last 47/4s that were renumbered direct from pre-TOPS numbers (47 529 up to 47 554 - although some of these did get allocated a 47/0 number) - but at least here the corresponding gap exists in the 47/0 range.

Back on the Peaks, my 1974 Ian Allen book (my first!) shows 45/0 consisting of 45001 - 45009, 45/1 being 45101 to 45118, with the rest still listed under their pre-TOPS numbers - with the note "Locomotives to be reclassified 45/1 or 45/2". Assuming it wasn't an error - what was going to be different about Class 45/2?
 

xotGD

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2017
Messages
6,064
Back on the Peaks, my 1974 Ian Allen book (my first!) shows 45/0 consisting of 45001 - 45009, 45/1 being 45101 to 45118, with the rest still listed under their pre-TOPS numbers - with the note "Locomotives to be reclassified 45/1 or 45/2". Assuming it wasn't an error - what was going to be different about Class 45/2?
Perhaps:
45/0: Steam Heat
45/1: ETH
45/2: No heat

First time I've seen a mention of 45/2!

Unless they mean this sort of thing:1627920671430.png
 

AJM580

Member
Joined
31 Jan 2016
Messages
615
Location
Norwich
Saturday 2 August 1986

DMU 51203/54399 Norwich - Ely
DMU 150101 Ely - Leicester
DMU 150101/102 Leicester - Nuneaton
86411 Nuneaton - Crewe
85016 Crewe - Birmingham New Street
31260 Birmingham New Street - Norwich
 

Tryfan

Member
Joined
4 May 2021
Messages
51
Location
Peak District
Class 20 renumbering was logical apart from the following:
D8000 became 20050
D8050 became 20128
D8128 had to fit on the end as 20228

There were no gaps for D8000 to fill as the class was still intact at the time - were there minor batch differences that led to the above?

As to the Class 45 renumbering - presumably eth conversion was just getting under way as renumbering was proposed. Still not clear why it wasn't known in advance which batch were to be converted and which not. Was it perhaps as simple as a desperate need to keep time out of traffic to a minimum, so when a loco was shopped it was "this one needs a hell a lot of work done so it might as well be an eth conversion, whereas we can have that one back out again on Friday if we don't have to convert it"? The same apparently random nature also applies to the last 47/4s that were renumbered direct from pre-TOPS numbers (47 529 up to 47 554 - although some of these did get allocated a 47/0 number) - but at least here the corresponding gap exists in the 47/0 range.

Back on the Peaks, my 1974 Ian Allen book (my first!) shows 45/0 consisting of 45001 - 45009, 45/1 being 45101 to 45118, with the rest still listed under their pre-TOPS numbers - with the note "Locomotives to be reclassified 45/1 or 45/2". Assuming it wasn't an error - what was going to be different about Class 45/2?

Perhaps:
45/0: Steam Heat
45/1: ETH
45/2: No heat

First time I've seen a mention of 45/2!

Unless they mean this sort of thing:View attachment 100683
I used to be down at Toton Depot every weekend around the time of Peaks being renumbered I do recall it being bloody frustrating spotting something with a 45xxx number and having no idea what it previously was without going going up close and looking to see what old D number was under the paint.

I do remember wrongly assuming they were chronological so D11 became 45001 etc. I wrote out a chart long hand to record everything once I realised that I was wrong. Today it would’ve been an excel spreadsheet.

I’ve never heard of 45/2 either.

Logically it must’ve been luck that determined which 50 got ETH treatment based on the maintenance at the time
 

NorthWestRover

Established Member
Joined
24 Aug 2018
Messages
1,459
Tuesday 3rd August 1982

Return from family wedding

Unit Princes Risborough to Banbury
47513 Banbury to Birmingham NS, 1M37 09.50 Paddington to Lime St
86234 Birmingham NS to Crewe, 1M37
86252 Crewe to WBQ, 1P62 12.00 Euston to Blackpool

Blurggh.

Monday 3rd August 1992

Coasts and Peaks with wife and one year old daughter. Very much day tripping, not bashing...

142051 WBQ to Rhyl
HST Rhyl to Colwyn Bay, only time I had an HST on my old stomping ground, I reckon
156428/156452 Colwyn Bay to WBQ
142023 Warrington C to Padgate.

Eek.
 

CW2

Established Member
Joined
7 May 2020
Messages
1,922
Location
Crewe
Thursday 03/08/72
The start of my first All Line Rover, travelling around with my best friend from school, both of us age 13 (so the last year of child fares). The trip was all pre-planned and agreed with our parents, so no scope for last-minute variations.
1741 (47148) 0811 Tilehurst – Paddington
9008 (55008)1000 Kings Cross – Edinburgh “Flying Scotsman”
1108 (47525) 1600 Edinburgh – Newcastle
DMU Newcastle – Hexham, to stay overnight with my mate’s aunt and uncle.

Wednesday 03/08/77
A day off from my summer job at Butlin’s, Ayr:
DMU Ayr – Glasgow Central
26028 + 26036 1310 Glasgow Queen Street – Cowlairs / Perth
We set off OK from Glasgow Queen Street, but no sooner had we entered Queen Street Tunnel than the multi-working failed, and 26036 dropped to idling speed. This left 26028 to haul dead 26036 plus load 8 up the hill to Cowlairs, which it only just about managed. A fitter came across from Eastfield to try to sort out the problem, but after 20 minutes or so no solution could be found, so 26028 was detached from the front (doubtless for a well-earned rest) and 26036 carried on solo to Perth, where another 26 was waiting to multi up with it for the run to Inverness.
40048 1501 Perth – Edinburgh via Ladybank
40048 1740 Edinburgh – Kirkcaldy
47553 1851 Kirkcaldy – Edinburgh
DMU Edinburgh – Glasgow Central via Shotts
DMU Glasgow Central – Ayr

Friday 03/08/79
I had managed to arrange my shifts at Manchester Victoria station buffet to be early turn Friday, late turn Saturday, with the specific intention of covering the Fridays Only 1805 Blackpool – Stranraer and return working, which were diagrammed for a class 40 from Carlisle.
47429 1530 Manchester Victoria – Liverpool Lime Street
40134 1615 Liverpool Lime Street – Preston via Parkside, Golborne
86028 1846 Preston – Carlisle
40164 2010 Carlisle – Stranraer via Kilmarnock, Ayr

Sunday 03/08/80
Another day out with the trolley:
86236 0855 Euston – Stafford
47406 (+86236 dead) 1113 Stafford – Crewe
47475 1149 Crewe – Chester
I alighted at Chester to refill my urns (and entirely coincidentally to have a better chance of some class 40 mileage).
40143 1314 Chester – Llanfairfechan
40008 1518 Llanfairfechan – Chester
40042 1715 Chester – Prestatyn
40143 1807 Prestatyn – Chester
40183 1945 Chester – Crewe
81002 2026 Crewe – Euston
A very successful day on the 40 front, rounded off nicely by an 81 into Euston.

(Tuesday 02/08/83)
I was in a band that was performing in the Buxton Festival for two nights. Payment was negligible, barely enough to cover the travel costs from York. I decided to make a couple of days on the trains out of it:
45146 1354 York – Stalybridge
DMU Stalybridge – Stockport
DMU Stockport – Buxton and return
EMU Stockport – Crewe

Wednesday 03/08/83
81014 0041 Crewe – Carlisle
87024 0630 Carlisle – Oxenholme
DMU Oxenholme – Windermere and return
87017 0822 Oxenholme – Lancaster
87018 0905 Lancaster – Carlisle
40122 1040 Carlisle – Leeds
47448 1426 Leeds – Manchester Victoria
86210 1613 Manchester Piccadilly – Stockport
DMU Stockport – Buxton and return
EMU Stockport – Crewe

(Thursday 04/08/83)
47589 0011 Crewe – York via Stockport, Guide Bridge, Stalybridge

Saturday 03/08/85
85023 0317 Carlisle – Glasgow Central
… and straight into a shift at work, and then …
47708 1330 Glasgow Queen Street – Haymarket
47194 1418 Haymarket – Kirkcaldy
27001 1518 Kirkcaldy – Haymarket
47714 1603 Haymarket – Glasgow Queen Street
37401 1650 Glasgow Queen Street – Crianlarich
37027 1851 Crianlarich – Gourock via Cowlairs, High St Jn, City Union Line, Shields Jn
This was a return ADEX from Fort William, and was my only rail-borne means of travelling home to Gourock, as the EMU service was suspended because of strike action over the introduction of Driver Only Operation on the Glasgow are EMU lines (Strathclyde Manning Agreement).

Monday 03/08/87
After a weekend at home with the family, I have to commute back to work in Crewe:
87011 1050 Glasgow Central – Preston
I baled out of this at Preston, as it was becoming hideously overcrowded.
86410 1351 Preston – Crewe

(Tuesday 02/08/88)
155 328 2110 Crewe – Abergavenny, with 155 333 attached at Hereford, visiting relatives
Wednesday 03/08/88
37427 1201 Abergavenny – Cardiff Central
37427 1323 Cardiff Central – Crewe

Thursday 03/08/89
Off a night shift, struggling to keep my eyes open. It had to be done!
87027 0950 Euston – Watford Junction
85023 1050 Watford Junction – Southend Central via Camden, Camden Road, Stratford, Barking, Tilbury Town.
This was an ADEX from Carlisle, and was the first ever electric locomotive working on the LT&S route, the line only having been converted from 6.25kV AC a few months previously. There was a fine civic reception awaiting the arrival of the train at Southend, including the mayor, and the local BR Area Manager. The stock was going forward to Shoeburyness Carriage Sidings. Well, why not?
85023 1235 Southend Central – Shoeburyness Carriage Sidings.
There was a good degree of hilarity here as the shunter had never encountered an ETH cable before, and didn’t know how to uncouple it.
308 151 + 302 261 Shoeburyness – Fenchurch Street
… and home for a few hours sleep!

Friday 03/08/90
86204 0810 Euston – Birmingham International
90042 0945 Birmingham International – Crewe
90039 1137 Crewe – Euston
Picking up a couple of freight 90s on passenger work, when I should have been at home in bed (off night shift).
 

D6130

Established Member
Joined
12 Jan 2021
Messages
5,652
Location
West Yorkshire/Tuscany
FRIDAY 3rd AUGUST 1973:

The fifth day of my second Freedom of Scotland week:

After the huge number of spotting 'cops' recorded at Carlisle a couple of days earlier, we decided to repeat the experience and we were not disappointed:

EMU Helensburgh Central-Glasgow QS
1624 Glasgow Central-Carlisle via Beattock
416 Carlisle-Glasgow Central via Dumfries
EMU Glasgow QS-Helensburgh Central
 

SteveM70

Established Member
Joined
11 Jul 2018
Messages
3,802
Class 20 renumbering was logical apart from the following:
D8000 became 20050
D8050 became 20128
D8128 had to fit on the end as 20228

There were no gaps for D8000 to fill as the class was still intact at the time - were there minor batch differences that led to the above?

I *think* D8000 to D8127 were fitted with head code discs whereas D8128 onwards had headcode boxes, so there’s some logic in keeping the two variants as separate runs of TOPS numbers. No idea why D8050 got dragged into it though
 

Peter Sarf

Established Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
5,644
Location
Croydon
Class 20 renumbering was logical apart from the following:
D8000 became 20050
D8050 became 20128
D8128 had to fit on the end as 20228

There were no gaps for D8000 to fill as the class was still intact at the time - were there minor batch differences that led to the above?

As to the Class 45 renumbering - presumably eth conversion was just getting under way as renumbering was proposed. Still not clear why it wasn't known in advance which batch were to be converted and which not. Was it perhaps as simple as a desperate need to keep time out of traffic to a minimum, so when a loco was shopped it was "this one needs a hell a lot of work done so it might as well be an eth conversion, whereas we can have that one back out again on Friday if we don't have to convert it"? The same apparently random nature also applies to the last 47/4s that were renumbered direct from pre-TOPS numbers (47 529 up to 47 554 - although some of these did get allocated a 47/0 number) - but at least here the corresponding gap exists in the 47/0 range.

Back on the Peaks, my 1974 Ian Allen book (my first!) shows 45/0 consisting of 45001 - 45009, 45/1 being 45101 to 45118, with the rest still listed under their pre-TOPS numbers - with the note "Locomotives to be reclassified 45/1 or 45/2". Assuming it wasn't an error - what was going to be different about Class 45/2?
I think that was my first diesel book. Did it have a picture of a class 50 on the front. A mysterious class to me as they never strayed South to London. That was until they ousted my beloved Westerns of course.

I don't remember 45/2 but the two ranges 45/0 and 45/1 seem familiar accompanied by a long list of two and three digit numbers.
I *think* D8000 to D8127 were fitted with head code discs whereas D8128 onwards had headcode boxes, so there’s some logic in keeping the two variants as separate runs of TOPS numbers. No idea why D8050 got dragged into it though
Maybe the first 50 were also different ?. So D8000 needed to be alongside the next 49 to make 20001 - 20050 with D8000 at the end of that range. The last 100 D8128-D8227 must have been different as well ending up as 20129 - 20228 wth D8227 last. Leaving the middle 78 D8050 - D8127 as 20051-20128 with D8051 as the last in that range.

Maybe should have made them three sub classes of course !. But then the differences were not as great as ETH, Steam Heat or No Boiler.
 

The exile

Established Member
Joined
31 Mar 2010
Messages
2,601
Location
Somerset
I think that was my first diesel book. Did it have a picture of a class 50 on the front. A mysterious class to me as they never strayed South to London. That was until they ousted my beloved Westerns of course.

I don't remember 45/2 but the two ranges 45/0 and 45/1 seem familiar accompanied by a long list of two and three digit numbers.

Maybe the first 50 were also different ?. So D8000 needed to be alongside the next 49 to make 20001 - 20050 with D8000 at the end of that range. The last 100 D8128-D8227 must have been different as well ending up as 20129 - 20228 wth D8227 last. Leaving the middle 78 D8050 - D8127 as 20051-20128 with D8051 as the last in that range.

Maybe should have made them three sub classes of course !. But then the differences were not as great as ETH, Steam Heat or No Boiler.
It did indeed - a pair of them, in fact: IMG_2394.JPG

and here's the note in question!IMG_2395.JPG

I would guess sighting records reflect state of play about the end of 1976 as I know I had a 1977 Locoshed book!

As far as the 20s were concerned, D8128 - D8227 were the later batch (with headcode boxes) so there was a logic to moving D8128 to the end to create a gap in the right place (20 128) for D8000, as it couldn't become 20 000. Not sure if the first 50 were noticeably different to the next batch though, though if they were it would make sense. Presumably there was nothing that made enough mechanical / operational difference to warrant separate sub classes.
 

xotGD

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2017
Messages
6,064
3rd August 1985

One highlight this day, and the rest a bit meh:

47120 Newcastle - Durham 1E28
37059 Durham - Newcastle 1N35
45104 Newcastle - Durham 1M76
47349 Durham - Newcastle 1S94
45020 Newcastle - Durham 1M32
47355 Durham - Newcastle 1E99
47240 Newcastle - Durham 1M19
47411 Durham - Newcastle 1E63

Here is the Syphon at the seaside ready to start its trip to the Toon:

37059 | 37 059 was the first of two split-box 37s to work ou… | Flickr


3rd August 1990

One random move:

90032 New St - International

I assume that I got a bus to New Street straight from work, festered before the Skoda rocked up, then got an EMU for a bus home.

3rd August 1991

West Mids Travelcard fun. Haulages were:

90018, 86249, 87034, 86255, 90002, 86225, 90019, 86226
 

AJM580

Member
Joined
31 Jan 2016
Messages
615
Location
Norwich
Saturday 3 August 1996

86228 Norwich - Liverpool Street
LT to Victoria
73202 Victoria - Gatwick Airport
47854 Gatwick Airport - East Croydon
319169 East Croydon - London Bridge
465225/466005 London Bridge - Hither Green
465162/466017 Hither Green - London Bridge
465231/466011 London Bridge - Waterloo East
5904 Waterloo - Vauxhall
5909 Vauxhall - Clapham Jn
1833/1903 Clapham Jn - Victoria
1585/1612 Victoria - Bromley South
1555 Bromley South - Chatham
47749 Chatham - Bromley South
465001 Bromley South - Blackfriars
319164 Blackfriars - Farringdon
LT Farringdon - Euston Square
313034 Euston - Harrow & Wealdstone
321418/321419 Harrow & Wealdstone - Euston
LT Euston Square - Liverpool Street
86215 Liverpool Street - Norwich

A spotting/mileage day in London & surrounding area. 47749 was on the Ramsgate - Birmingham turn that became a regular turn for D9000 in latter years
 

Peter Sarf

Established Member
Joined
12 Oct 2010
Messages
5,644
Location
Croydon
It did indeed - a pair of them, in fact: View attachment 100710

and here's the note in question!View attachment 100711

I would guess sighting records reflect state of play about the end of 1976 as I know I had a 1977 Locoshed book!

As far as the 20s were concerned, D8128 - D8227 were the later batch (with headcode boxes) so there was a logic to moving D8128 to the end to create a gap in the right place (20 128) for D8000, as it couldn't become 20 000. Not sure if the first 50 were noticeably different to the next batch though, though if they were it would make sense. Presumably there was nothing that made enough mechanical / operational difference to warrant separate sub classes.
My goodness that is the book. For me that cover has always summed up the blue and yellow era. I started spotting because a lad that used to live near me visited from Northampton and showed me that book. That was just after a family holiday near Oban and to this day I can still see the locos outside Oban station but I have no idea what they were !.

Well I hardly saw much before Blue and Yellow of course. And the 45s were just an aberration for a young lad where everything else was already re-numbered.

I wonder if that was a typo saying 45/1 and 45/2 as it does not mention 45/0 ?. I cannot remember but that page is very familiar. When I first went to Birmingham New Street in late 1974 I remember wondering what to do with the two digit number I had written down - I was looking around on the loco side for a proper number !. That would have been Christmas 1974 or maybe earlier but after August/September. I seem to remember the old number was not on the cab side but about 1/3rd the way along the body - is that correct ?.

I also switched to the loco shed book later on.
 

NorthWestRover

Established Member
Joined
24 Aug 2018
Messages
1,459
Saturday 4th August 1979

Family holiday to Tenby. Was only into spotting then, so not bothered at all about the haulage. My spotting book is long gone, but my class listings show...

47258 Crewe to Cardiff
47192 Cardiff to Tenby

Monday 4th August 1986

I was spending a couple of weeks with my girlfriend in Slough but she was at work some days. I therefore did some line bashing with what my note book says was a £3.50 one day capital card. Photos from this day (and tomorrow) appear on posts 363 and 364 of this thread. Some of the locations and units are identified by helpful posters subsequently. I will list the moves, although the unit numbers don't really mean a lot to me. Today was Southern Region and I've just been looking at the map to retrace my moves.

DMU (L400) Slough to Paddington, 09.20 off Reading
Bakerloo Line to Waterloo
5843 Waterloo to Twickenham, 11.02 via Brentford
5xxx Twickenham to Waterloo, 11.44 off Kingston
5917 Waterloo to Chessington South, 12.36 off Waterloo
5917 Chessington South to Raynes Park, 13.15 to Waterloo
5902 Raynes Park to Kingston, 13.16 Waterloo to Shepperton
5731 Kingston to Richmond, 13.44 to Waterloo
This was all manoeuvring to get on to the North London Line which I then did throughout...
6316 Richmond to North Woolwich, 14.05 off Richmond
James Newman (ferry) North Woolwich to Woolwich
Free ferry - dreadful!! (as my note book says)
6213 (10 coach train) Woolwich Arsenal to Cannon St, 15.40 off Slade Green
S71 Bank to Waterloo on the Waterloo & City Line
S76 Waterloo to Bank
5022 (and others) Cannon St to Slade Green, 16.58 off Cannon St
5048 Slade Green to Lewisham, 17.52 Gravesend to Charing Cross
5486 (& 5197) Lewisham to Hayes, 18.26 off Cannon St
5197 (& 5486) Hayes to Elmers End, 19.08 to Charing Cross
6224 Elmers End to Addiscombe, 19.24 off Elmers End
6224 Addiscombe to Elmers End, 19.38 off Addiscombe
5048 Elmers End to Charing Cross, 19.38 off Hayes
Bakerloo Line to Paddington
Tram to Slough on the 20.40 Paddington to Bristol

Tuesday 4th August 1992

Day 2 of my family Coasts and Peaks. Obviously showing my wife the sights of Liverpool...

142039 Padgate to Warrington C
158858 Warrington C to Lime St
About 5 hours in Liverpool
158746/156469 Lime St to Warrington C
142039 Warrington C to Padgate
 

The exile

Established Member
Joined
31 Mar 2010
Messages
2,601
Location
Somerset
My goodness that is the book. For me that cover has always summed up the blue and yellow era. I started spotting because a lad that used to live near me visited from Northampton and showed me that book. That was just after a family holiday near Oban and to this day I can still see the locos outside Oban station but I have no idea what they were !.

Well I hardly saw much before Blue and Yellow of course. And the 45s were just an aberration for a young lad where everything else was already re-numbered.

I wonder if that was a typo saying 45/1 and 45/2 as it does not mention 45/0 ?. I cannot remember but that page is very familiar. When I first went to Birmingham New Street in late 1974 I remember wondering what to do with the two digit number I had written down - I was looking around on the loco side for a proper number !. That would have been Christmas 1974 or maybe earlier but after August/September. I seem to remember the old number was not on the cab side but about 1/3rd the way along the body - is that correct ?.

I also switched to the loco shed book later on.
I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s probably a typo as well - for the same reason.
My earliest “loco number” memory is seeing a big fast train ( extent of my 4 year old knowledge) rush through Totnes station with a big engine on the front with “7” on its side. “That’s not Toby! Real engines have long numbers….” There’s even a family photo of the occasion - unfortunately “Toby / Ingleborough” is not in shot.
 

CW2

Established Member
Joined
7 May 2020
Messages
1,922
Location
Crewe
Friday 04/08/72 – All Line Rover Day 2
DMU Hexham – Carlisle
421 (50021) 1029 Carlisle – Glasgow Central via Dumfries
447 + 448 (50047 + 50048) 1355 Glasgow Central – Crewe via Dumfries
E3115 (86603) 1756 Crewe – Euston
DMU Paddington – Tilehurst
My first time round the G&SW – and what a way to do it.

Saturday 04/08/79
40164 0120 Stranraer – Carlisle – cab ride to Ayr.
86039 0511 Carlisle – Preston
40091 0706 Preston – Blackpool North
DMU Blackpool North – Preston
86204 0846 Preston – Warrington Bank Quay
40028 0953 Warrington Bank Quay – Chester
40096 1113 Chester – Warrington Bank Quay
40078 1232 Warrington Bank Quay – Chester
40117 1313 Chester – Manchester Victoria
… and straight back to work the afternoon shift in Manchester Victoria Station Buffet. That afternoon I was in the Coastal Buffet and Bar, on the island platform, so I was on hand to see the 1503 ex Holyhead arrive rather late behind 40185, dragging a failed 47442.
I needed 40185, so I hoped it might work back on the 2225 Manchester Victoria – Holyhead.
40185 2225 Manchester Victoria – Llandudno Junction
I got chatting with the driver at Manchester Victoria, and was offered a cab ride to Chester. The 10 minute late start from Manchester was all recovered by Chester, as the appallingly dim instrument lights made reading the speedometer almost impossible (so faster speeds over Chat Moss regained all the late start).
At Chester we changed drivers, so I alighted, but the new Holyhead driver invited me to climb back in – along with his wife who had been shopping in Chester for the day! Suddenly 40185 started feeling poorly, with the driver constantly pumping the power handle, but no Amps being delivered. We made it to Flint, but restarting from there was another major performance, with several fits of overloading and tripping out, but once up to 20 mph we seemed to be OK. Approaching Prestatyn the driver was so concentrated on the problems of getting going that he neglected the need to come to a controlled stop, approaching the turnout points way too fast, with the brakes in emergency. We ground to a halt 200 feet short of the platform, then sputtered our way in. The driver advised us a fresh engine would be provided at Llandudno Junction, so – along with his wife – I made my way back to the train.
(Sunday 05 August 1979)
The Inspector at Llandudno Junction advised me the boat was running over an hour late, so I had time to take the train through to Holyhead and return, rather than waiting at Llandudno Junction.
47439 0038 Llandudno Junction – Holyhead
47501 0109 Holyhead – Crewe (90’ late)
EMU Crewe – Manchester Piccadilly

Wednesday 04/08/82
87035 1500 Euston – Crewe
40172 1727 Crewe – Bangor
40008 1925 Bangor – Manchester Victoria
40192 2240 Manchester Victoria – Holyhead

Thursday 04/08/88
37430 1900 Crewe – Abergavenny

Monday 04/08/97
RH&DR 12 1320 Hythe – New Romney
RH&DR 5 1443 New Romney – Dungeness
RH&DR 5 1525 Dungeness – Hythe
I’ve an idea I was attending a regular 3-monthly meeting with SNCF and Eurotunnel in Folkestone, and this was by way of some light entertainment after the meeting.
 

xotGD

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2017
Messages
6,064
James Newman (ferry) North Woolwich to Woolwich
Free ferry - dreadful!! (as my note book says)
The time I did a similar move (yellow penning the North London Line then crossing the river) it was a case of walking through the foot tunnel.
 

AJM580

Member
Joined
31 Jan 2016
Messages
615
Location
Norwich
Saturday 4 August 1990 - first day of a holiday in the Peak District

31187 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
37797 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
47463 Norwich - Peterborough
156 x 2 Peterborough - Sheffield via Oakham, Syston & Loughborough
108 DMU Sheffield - Grindleford
 

xotGD

Established Member
Joined
4 Feb 2017
Messages
6,064
Saturday 4 August 1990 - first day of a holiday in the Peak District

31187 Norwich - Great Yarmouth
37797 Great Yarmouth - Norwich
Understandable why you set off in the wrong direction!
 

Top