Wednesday 29/08/79
1540 Manchester Victoria – Llandudno Junction
DMU Llandudno Junction – Deganwy
40137 1822 Deganwy – Manchester Victoria
The usual after-work leap on the Bangor, but I had the following day off work, so instead of heading back to my flat once I got to Manchester, instead I headed across the Pennines to York, to pick up a 40 on the 2000 Kings Cross – Aberdeen:
47523 2125 Manchester Victoria – York
40071 2317 York – Edinburgh
This was already 20 minutes late leaving York, but much worse was to follow. We were overtime at Newcastle detaching a defective van, then stood in rural Northumberland because of a suspected body on the line. Finally we got stopped at Dunbar by a hot box detector, so we had to wait for a C&W man to come from Edinburgh by van to pass it fit to travel. All this put us into Edinburgh 200 minutes late.
This was my first run over the new Penmanshiel alignment (I’d deliberately waited until I could get a 40 over it to christen it). The route had opened on 20th August, bringing all the weekday Beattock diversions of ECML services to an end.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penmanshiel_Tunnel
Monday 29/08/83
Carrying on the All Line Rover:
86323 0010 Carstairs – Carlisle
81009 0149 Carlisle – Mossend
37157 0328 Mossend – Cowlairs
37022 04xx Cowlairs – Glasgow Queen Street
37012 + 20045 0600 Glasgow Queen Street – Spean Bridge
A fine selection of locos on the Euston – Fort William overnight, with an 81, a required NB 37, a couple of Eastfield boilered 37s, and a class 20 all involved. I passed the 1000 mile mark with 81009 on this trip. Arriving at Spean Bridge behind our 37+20 combo, I was delighted to see a pair on the train we were crossing:
37112 0934 Spean Bridge – Glasgow Queen Street
37026 0934 Spean Bridge - Ardlui (where it was detached to work a freight)
There didn’t seem to be much of interest at Queen Street, so I walked across to Central to see what might produce. A required NB 37 on the 1350 to Carlisle was my reward:
37032 1350 Glasgow Central – Carlisle via Dumfries
I did a round trip to Penrith for a fill-in, then headed back via the main line to Glasgow, and on out to Dumbarton Central to pick up the Fort William – Euston portion, which was detached at Dumbarton Central from the through train to Queen Street. (The practice of detaching the up Fort William portion at Dumbarton instead of Cowlairs had come about after the portion had been stopped by force and robbed on a couple of occasions when running late at night between Cowlairs / Springburn and Mossend. The train often carried fresh salmon for sale in London, and that was a good cash crop for the scheme bandits).
87034 1651 Carlisle – Penrith
86318 1817 Penrith – Carlisle
86229 2042 Carlisle – Glasgow Central
EMU Glasgow Central LL – Dumbarton Central
27014 2303 Dumbarton Central – Mossend via Clydebank, Glasgow Queen Street Low Level, Sunnyside, Whifflet South Jn
Wednesday 29/08/84
I’d worked the early shift in Glasgow Control, and noted that required NB 37018 was active on the Stranraer line. I set out to have it:
27211 1545 Glasgow Central – Kilmarnock
This train from Euston to Stranraer was running an hour late, which upset my plans somewhat. Instead of running through to Stranraer I’d have to get off short to pick up 37018. Checking my timetable I saw the train had a request stop at Barrhill, so planned to alight there, informing the guard as required. The guard told me that the Barrhill stop had been withdrawn in a timetable supplement – and he was right! Hmm tricky. This looks like I’m going through to Stranraer Harbour with a 47, and am going to miss 37018 then. The guard took pity on me, and arranged for me to stand in his inward-opening doorway as we approached Barrhill. As the train slowed for the token exchange, I did a flying leap from the non-stop train, rather to the surprise of the signalman standing at the end of the platform.
47536 1637 Kilmarnock – Barrhill
37018 1909 Barrhill – Glasgow Central
Tuesday 29/08/89
A shiny new class 90 on a passenger turn:
90020 1531 Crewe – Stafford
85028 1557 Stafford – Crewe
Thursday 29/08/91
47849 1422 Dover Western Docks – Reading via Canterbury East, Dartford, Sidcup, Hither Green, Nunhead, Kensington Olympia, Willesden SW Sidings, Acton Main Line.
Returning from a work trip to Zeebrugge – a journey I made quite often at this time – there was an unadvertised short connection off the Jetfoil from Oostende into the once-daily Cross Country service from Dover Western Docks to Liverpool via Reading. If I had to wait for the boat train to Victoria, cross London to Paddington, then catch a train to Reading, it would take me at least an hour longer.
Monday 29/08/94
47828 1144 Plymouth – Totnes
68011* 1320 Totnes Littlehempston – Buckfastleigh
68011* 1505 Buckfastleigh – Totnes Littlehempston
43005 + 43019 1637 Totnes – Plymouth
* A small steam loco, not a big CAT Diesel!
A day trip out with the family.
Tuesday 29/08/95
Family holiday in Morar. What better way to get there than the Fort William sleeper?
43141 + 43003 1856 Reading – Paddington
86219 2025 Euston – Edinburgh
Wednesday 29/08/79
1540 Manchester Victoria – Llandudno Junction
DMU Llandudno Junction – Deganwy
40137 1822 Deganwy – Manchester Victoria
The usual after-work leap on the Bangor, but I had the following day off work, so instead of heading back to my flat once I got to Manchester, instead I headed across the Pennines to York, to pick up a 40 on the 2000 Kings Cross – Aberdeen:
47523 2125 Manchester Victoria – York
40071 2317 York – Edinburgh
This was already 20 minutes late leaving York, but much worse was to follow. We were overtime at Newcastle detaching a defective van, then stood in rural Northumberland because of a suspected body on the line. Finally we got stopped at Dunbar by a hot box detector, so we had to wait for a C&W man to come from Edinburgh by van to pass it fit to travel. All this put us into Edinburgh 200 minutes late.
This was my first run over the new Penmanshiel alignment (I’d deliberately waited until I could get a 40 over it to christen it). The route had opened on 20th August, bringing all the weekday Beattock diversions of ECML services to an end.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penmanshiel_Tunnel
Monday 29/08/83
Carrying on the All Line Rover:
86323 0010 Carstairs – Carlisle
81009 0149 Carlisle – Mossend
37157 0328 Mossend – Cowlairs
37022 04xx Cowlairs – Glasgow Queen Street
37012 + 20045 0600 Glasgow Queen Street – Spean Bridge
A fine selection of locos on the Euston – Fort William overnight, with an 81, a required NB 37, a couple of Eastfield boilered 37s, and a class 20 all involved. I passed the 1000 mile mark with 81009 on this trip. Arriving at Spean Bridge behind our 37+20 combo, I was delighted to see a pair on the train we were crossing:
37112 0934 Spean Bridge – Glasgow Queen Street
37026 0934 Spean Bridge - Ardlui (where it was detached to work a freight)
There didn’t seem to be much of interest at Queen Street, so I walked across to Central to see what might produce. A required NB 37 on the 1350 to Carlisle was my reward:
37032 1350 Glasgow Central – Carlisle via Dumfries
I did a round trip to Penrith for a fill-in, then headed back via the main line to Glasgow, and on out to Dumbarton Central to pick up the Fort William – Euston portion, which was detached at Dumbarton Central from the through train to Queen Street. (The practice of detaching the up Fort William portion at Dumbarton instead of Cowlairs had come about after the portion had been stopped by force and robbed on a couple of occasions when running late at night between Cowlairs / Springburn and Mossend. The train often carried fresh salmon for sale in London, and that was a good cash crop for the scheme bandits).
87034 1651 Carlisle – Penrith
86318 1817 Penrith – Carlisle
86229 2042 Carlisle – Glasgow Central
EMU Glasgow Central LL – Dumbarton Central
27014 2303 Dumbarton Central – Mossend via Clydebank, Glasgow Queen Street Low Level, Sunnyside, Whifflet South Jn
Wednesday 29/08/84
I’d worked the early shift in Glasgow Control, and noted that required NB 37018 was active on the Stranraer line. I set out to have it:
27211 1545 Glasgow Central – Kilmarnock
This train from Euston to Stranraer was running an hour late, which upset my plans somewhat. Instead of running through to Stranraer I’d have to get off short to pick up 37018. Checking my timetable I saw the train had a request stop at Barrhill, so planned to alight there, informing the guard as required. The guard told me that the Barrhill stop had been withdrawn in a timetable supplement – and he was right! Hmm tricky. This looks like I’m going through to Stranraer Harbour with a 47, and am going to miss 37018 then. The guard took pity on me, and arranged for me to stand in his inward-opening doorway as we approached Barrhill. As the train slowed for the token exchange, I did a flying leap from the non-stop train, rather to the surprise of the signalman standing at the end of the platform.
47536 1637 Kilmarnock – Barrhill
37018 1909 Barrhill – Glasgow Central
Tuesday 29/08/89
A shiny new class 90 on a passenger turn:
90020 1531 Crewe – Stafford
85028 1557 Stafford – Crewe
Thursday 29/08/91
47849 1422 Dover Western Docks – Reading via Canterbury East, Dartford, Sidcup, Hither Green, Nunhead, Kensington Olympia, Willesden SW Sidings, Acton Main Line.
Returning from a work trip to Zeebrugge – a journey I made quite often at this time – there was an unadvertised short connection off the Jetfoil from Oostende into the once-daily Cross Country service from Dover Western Docks to Liverpool via Reading. If I had to wait for the boat train to Victoria, cross London to Paddington, then catch a train to Reading, it would take me at least an hour longer.
Monday 29/08/94
47828 1144 Plymouth – Totnes
68011* 1320 Totnes Littlehempston – Buckfastleigh
68011* 1505 Buckfastleigh – Totnes Littlehempston
43005 + 43019 1637 Totnes – Plymouth
* A small steam loco, not a big CAT Diesel!
A day trip out with the family.
Tuesday 29/08/95
Family holiday in Morar. What better way to get there than the Fort William sleeper?
43141 + 43003 1856 Reading – Paddington
86219 2025 Euston – Edinburgh
