Back in the day...

[Techniquest]

It's a very personal hobby.

I completely agree. Over the years I've added and taken out things in the hobby many times. I even started spotting wagons (of the freight variety, not Peaks!) in 2005, I was in Newport that often it made a bit of sense. Thankfully that didn't last long!

It's been a long time now since I stopped bothering with visiting all the stations, much longer still since I gave up my mission to ride in every individual carriage of MUs (I was nearly done on a couple of 390s surprisingly). I stopped logging mileage years ago, all those long hours on RailMiles are not missed!

Quite, for a time a few years back I was out of the scene pretty much altogether. That's happened a few times, to be fair, in pursuit of other things but let's not go there I chucked all my atlases, Trackmaps books, spotting books and all that in the recycling a couple of years back, the decision was made at the time to move on and try something new.

Even so, I've been back in the scene for however long it's been and I'm pretty satisfied with my occasional hunt for required trains. I even have the 2021 edition of the NREA, which admittedly doesn't get used as much as I'd like it to. Red pen fests are few and far between!

I'm reasonably satisfied though with the balance between keeping in touch with the railway and my primary passion, cycling. Indeed, I'm combining the two interests in a couple of weeks time when I go to Greater Anglia territory, with a visit to West Yorkshire also on the cards. Being able to do both is excellent

As for the comments others have made about Holyhead and the weird things we do for the hobby, if it leads to a pleasureable experience then who really cares why we do it? Granted, too much time at Holyhead is bad for the soul, but we've all done some weird and wonderful overnight moves. Back in December 2007, for example, I did a tour of Exeter overnight that includes a Stagecoach bus depot for spotting purposes. Yes, at one time I was also a bus spotter! All for the sake of riding the official farewell day on FGW HSTs with Valenta engines. Summer 2004, I also did Holyhead into the small hours. My chariot was 47810 from Crewe, which I still remember making a great impression! The early morning train back was a 3 car 175, hardly exciting but getting out of Holyhead was key!

End of the day, we all do the hobby differently but as long as we enjoy it, then it's all gravy. Lush, thick, homemade gravy...*drools*

 

[irish_rail]

Leave Holyhead alone! Gateway to Ireland, though must admit not sure id risk the pubs there again anytime soon!!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Just to avoid any confusion, I wasn't dissing Holyhead at all. I was a little amused that @CW2 has often commented on the rancid overnights at Holyhead from his 40 bashing jaunts and then he goes there on a 37 without question having wondered about his trip to Didcot and his change at Coventry.

Just made me smile is all. No negative connotations on Holyhead, @CW2 or 37s.

 

[Tryfan]

Hopefully because we enjoy it. When I stopped enjoying it, I stopped doing it. Now I enjoy it again, on my own terms - and if I start to feel angst due to missing out on something, I just try to remind myself that I'm trying to have some fun. There isn't a person in charge keeping score.

Totally agree. I didn’t exactly stop enjoying it but found other things that I enjoyed more, so I did that instead.

I got my “railway fix” as I became an apprentice at BREL. When that ended I helped design and build HST / Mk3 Carriages working on various projects. I enjoyed my priv travel to the max, without really recording the moves.

When I left the railway I became a normal fare paying passenger occasionally. I don’t need to use the train but in recent years I find excuses to do so. I love it! If I have to travel to London from the East Midlands I rarely use EMR. I prefer a convoluted route. I’ve done the Chiltern Line to get Mk3’s and a 67 quite often. My “go to” is drive to Newark for LNER into KGX just because I can and they’re better than EMR. I’ll travel 1st class mostly as it’s just nicer.

Eventually I found myself seeking out this forum and I found this thread. It strikes so many chords for me. Yes I’m annoyed that I don’t have my records as some of you guys do. In fact my moves are fairly insignificant compared to some of you. It takes me back to my youth: days (and some nights) spent on cold stations, diesel hauled trains, mk1 stock with compartments, often more or less empty, cursing if some clown had removed the blind stays (so the blind didn’t do it’s job - nothing quite like a retail park lights to wake you up in the dead of night), taking the bulbs out the ceiling lamps to make it dark rather than dim, negative connection times, guards with a humanity chip, the inefficient cross country services that would throw up unusual locos from time to time, bleaching and restamping dates on Rover Tickets, trying to avoid the grippers, wishing you were ten years older so you could have done this with steam engines and actually done the GCR properly, the occasional cab ride that I was offered and, lastly, that buzz of being around trains and some of the **** we all got up to when things didn’t work out as you planned.

And, if I stop enjoying railways again, I’ll move on to something else that I do enjoy

 

[CW2]

Just to avoid any confusion, I wasn't dissing Holyhead at all. I was a little amused that @CW2 has often commented on the rancid overnights at Holyhead from his 40 bashing jaunts and then he goes there on a 37 without question having wondered about his trip to Didcot and his change at Coventry.

Just made me smile is all. No negative connotations on Holyhead, @CW2 or 37s.

Let me reassure you, an overnight at Holyhead was just as rancid chasing 37sa s it is chasing 40s. If anything, it was even worse, as you were pretty much guaranteed to have the same loco in and out.

Totally agree. I didn’t exactly stop enjoying it but found other things that I enjoyed more, so I did that instead.

I got my “railway fix” as I became an apprentice at BREL. When that ended I helped design and build HST / Mk3 Carriages working on various projects. I enjoyed my priv travel to the max, without really recording the moves.

When I left the railway I became a normal fare paying passenger occasionally. I don’t need to use the train but in recent years I find excuses to do so. I love it! If I have to travel to London from the East Midlands I rarely use EMR. I prefer a convoluted route. I’ve done the Chiltern Line to get Mk3’s and a 67 quite often. My “go to” is drive to Newark for LNER into KGX just because I can and they’re better than EMR. I’ll travel 1st class mostly as it’s just nicer.

Eventually I found myself seeking out this forum and I found this thread. It strikes so many chords for me. Yes I’m annoyed that I don’t have my records as some of you guys do. In fact my moves are fairly insignificant compared to some of you. It takes me back to my youth: days (and some nights) spent on cold stations, diesel hauled trains, mk1 stock with compartments, often more or less empty, cursing if some clown had removed the blind stays (so the blind didn’t do it’s job - nothing quite like a retail park lights to wake you up in the dead of night), taking the bulbs out the ceiling lamps to make it dark rather than dim, negative connection times, guards with a humanity chip, the inefficient cross country services that would throw up unusual locos from time to time, bleaching and restamping dates on Rover Tickets, trying to avoid the grippers, wishing you were ten years older so you could have done this with steam engines and actually done the GCR properly, the occasional cab ride that I was offered and, lastly, that buzz of being around trains and some of the **** we all got up to when things didn’t work out as you planned.

And, if I stop enjoying railways again, I’ll move on to something else that I do enjoy

... and a heart "Hear, Hear" from me!

 

[MDB1images]

THU 20TH AUG 87

47598 08:08 Manchester Piccadilly-Stafford

85015 10:27 Stafford-Birmingham NST

50031 14:40 Birmingham NST-Leamington Spa

47547 16:04 Leamington Spa-Birmingham NST

87007 17:55 Birmingham NST-Stafford

86253 20:05 Stafford-Manchester Piccadilly.

Others noted….
47406 07:30 Manchester Victoria-Liverpool LST
47434 ‘ex works’ at Crewe, worked the Crewe works test train.

A trip out with my Dad around the West Midlands(no doubt a Midline day rover after Stafford!), The aim was to scratch a few in but also visit Bescot and Saltley, it being a midweek some graphable freight would be out.
Actually a decent day for winners considering today was literally a chill out day, NSE livery 47598 started the ball rolling and was followed by 50031, 85015 was a winner for the year.

Sight wise 142017 set the ball rolling at Manchester Piccadilly followed by 37207 and 58035 at Stafford, DMU M51862 at Birmingham New St was next, Bescot had 97203(Class 31)amongst the many locos noted. At Leamington Spa 58033 was gratefully received as it trundled through on a MGR before another DMU at Birmingham NST (M51867)completed the work of the red pen today.

 

[Techniquest]

Leave Holyhead alone! Gateway to Ireland, though must admit not sure id risk the pubs there again anytime soon!!

Sounds like someone hasn't spent hours and hours trying to fill time on Holyhead's platforms overnight Sat next to a 47 with that ticking sound (can't remember what it actually is) which gets frustrating quickly...

I've been to Holyhead itself since then, numerous times for the ferries but I've also been around the town itself. Nice little place, but so far from anywhere really that I'm glad I don't live there!

For connecting into ferries, yes it's fine but otherwise I can think of better places to overnight!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Saturday 21st August 1982

Trip home from holiday. First train as boring as it could be. Second one YES!

47423 Cardiff to Birmingham NS, 1E55 10.00 Cardiff to Newcastle
87101 Birmingham NS to WBQ, 1S39 07.55 Paignton to Glasgow

Thursday 21st August 1986

Coasts and Peaks Day 1...

86239 WBQ to Crewe, 1M33 07.20 Glasgow to Birmingham
33060 Crewe to Stockport, 1M70 07.50 Swansea to Man Picc
31444 Stockport to Sheffield, 1E42 11.45 Liverpool to Cleethorpes
31147 Sheffield to Lime St, 1M33 12.18 Cleethorpes to Liverpool
31147 Lime St to Man Picc, 1E57 17.45 Liverpool to Hull
304027 Man Picc to Oxford Road, 17.42 Crewe to Oxford Road
Met Cam unit Oxford Road to Chester, 19.00 Oxford Road to Chester (via Knutsford)
45044 Chester to WBQ, 1J31 19.20 Bangor to Man Vic

The 33, 31147 and the Peak were all required.

Wednesday 21st August 1991

First daughter less than a month old, first train for her. Taking her to see grandparents, cousins, aunties, uncles...

47828 Oxford to Birmingham NS
86214 Birmingham NS to Crewe
87018 Crewe to WBQ

 

[Falcon1200]

Regarding Holyhead.... In June 1983 I took the 0238 (!) Crewe-Holyhead, intending to take the Summer-only morning sailing to Dun Laoghaire, only to find, along with a handful of other passengers, that the TT had been changed at short notice and that sailing did not start for another couple of weeks. So I had a choice of several hours in Holyhead until the afternoon sailing, or a train trip to Llandudno Jc and back.... I chose the latter ! (with the bonus of 47342 on the 1010 Holyhead-Euston).

 

[CW2]

Tuesday 21/08/79
A repeat of the little pre-work leap, same move, slightly different locos:
40106 1105 Manchester Victoria – Chester
40004 1313 Chester – Manchester Victoria

Thursday 21/08/80
Returning to London from my sister’s house in York. What a fine specimen:
46055 0341 York – Kings Cross

Friday 21/08/81
The purpose of the previous evening’s hideous 47555 into Holyhead was to cover the 0035 Holyhead – Euston relief, a good bet for a class 40:
40158 0035 Holyhead – Crewe
83001 02xx Crewe – Euston
… and I could hardly complain about the choice of onward power from Crewe either, which was big required 83001.

Sunday 21/08/83
45038 1015 York – Leeds
47488 1057 Leeds – York
47307 1159 York – Leeds
45034 1145 Leeds – York (35’ late)
A curious day. I needed both 45s and the 47/3 for haulage, so maybe that was my excuse.

Thursday 21/08/86
I knew that ex-Cornish 37247 was allocated to the 1820 Glasgow – Oban, so I decided to have an evening bash on the West Highland Line, filling in first with some shove duffs to pass the time in air-conditioned comfort:
47714 1630 Glasgow Queen Street – Falkirk High
47716 1654 Falkirk High – Glasgow Queen Street
37247 1820 Glasgow Queen Street – Arrochar & Tarbet
37035 1949 Arrochar & Tarbet – Glasgow Queen Street
37247 was later reincarnated as 37671, returning to the clay land of Cornwall from whence it had come after its brief pre-refurbishment holiday in Scotland.

Sunday 21/08/88
Returning home from a family visit to my parents in Plymouth:
47590 1306 Plymouth – Birmingham New Street
87002 1800 Birmingham New Street – Crewe

Sunday 21/08/94
37505 + 37510 0335 Carstairs – Perth via Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy, Ladybank
Fast Car Perth – Stirling
60532 0920 Stirling – Aberdeen
60532 1540 Aberdeen – Falkirk Grahamston via Stirling
158 713 Falkirk Grahamston – Edinburgh
47557 2320 Edinburgh – Carstairs
(Monday 22/08/94)
87013 0120 Carstairs – Euston, 80’ late.

Saturday 21/08/99
There is some sort of event taking place in Cardiff, so trains on the Marches and in the Valleys are being strengthened, so the overnight in Holyhead was part of an overnight positioning move:
37429 0422 Holyhead – Crewe
57003 0719 Crewe – Manchester Piccadilly (my first 57/0 for haulage)
47705 0833 Manchester Piccadilly – Cardiff
150 281 Cardiff (Central) – Cardiff Queen Street
37371 1256 Cardiff Queen Street – Bargoed
50044 1416 Bargoed – Cardiff
50031 1506 Cardiff – Bargoed
50044 1616 Bargoed – Gilfach Fargoed
37371 1634 Gilfach Fargoed – Rhymney

 

[xotGD]

33060 Crewe to Stockport, 1M70 07.50 Swansea to Man Picc

You left the confines of Crewe station after all those Crompton stock shunt moves!

First daughter less than a month old, first train for her....

47828

Child cruelty!

I hope you started a moves book for her, just in case she became a crank...

 

[NorthWestRover]

I only recorded moves for another year or so... Until 2018.

 

[MDB1images]

FRI 21ST AUG 87
47401 13:30 Manchester Victoria-Liverpool LST(Newcastle-Liverpool LST

47411 15:03 Liverpool LST-Manchester Victoria(15:03 Liverpool LST-Newcastle 1E53)

47447 16:20 Manchester Victoria-Bolton(16:20 Manchester Victoria-Blackpool N)

47436 18:35 Bolton-Preston(15:44 Nottingham-Blackpool N 1M26)

86436 19:13 Preston-Carlisle

Others noted….
31312 12:22 Sheffield-Liverpool LST

Another overnight at Carlisle, primarily going with a mate of mine who had also wanted to ‘acquire’ some of the window labels, particularly ‘The Night rider’ one!
The day in terms of haulage had offered little, 47401 was new for the year and that was that!
Sight wise it was also a blank (and that includes the overnight stuff)with just 3 Mark 3 Sleepers troubling the scorers to account for the night at Carlisle.

 

[xotGD]

21st August 1982

40061 Sunderland - Newcastle 1N04
45046 Sunderland - Newcastle 1N35
37104 Newcastle - Cramlington 1S15

I assume my budget didn't stretch as far as Morpeth!

21st August 1988

Keeping it simple:

47550 Perth - Inverness 1H01
37421 Inverness - Wick 2H63
37421 Wick - Inverness 2H64
47539 Inverness - Stirling 1T04

21st August 2021

I've been out and about on a West Yorkshire Day Saver today.

(Incidentally, 'Day Ranger', 'Day Rover', 'Day Tripper', 'Day Saver'. Can't we have consistent names for these pieces?)

Both my yellow pen and red pen have been in use. Here is a comprehensive listing of the day:

331110 Bingley - Bradford FS 2S17

I rejected the nought-nought onto 333010 and wandered round for:

331112 Bradford FS - Ilkley 2D46
331103 Ilkley - Leeds 2V27

The purpose of this 331-fest was to finally cover the two routes to Ilkley. The embarrassment of required track within walking distance of home dealt with!

I got to Leeds with plenty of time to spare before getting a few phots of 66791 on 6D50 Hull to Rylstone. Then it was time for the first loco-hauled move of the day:

91130 Leeds - Wakefield W 1A30

Time for a walk to Kirkgate. In the rain. Fortunately I had a brolly with me. I've never wandered through Wakefield before today. My conclusion is that I haven't missed much.

I reached Kirkgate just in time to phot 60021 on 6E09 Liverpool to Drax biomass in the driving rain. Naturally, as soon as it had gone through the rain stopped.

150275 Wakefield K - Leeds 2L16

I took the stopper so that I could see the new facilities at Castleford. It looks very smart.

185131 + 185132 Leeds - Huddersfield 1P74

Time for a pint in the Head of Steam before the main purpose of the day arrived:

68020 Huddersfield - Garforth 1E41

Required Cat! Yay! Who would have thought we'd be doing moves to Garforth back when the Trans-Pennine services went over to units?

68024 Garforth - Huddersfield 1F72

Not required, but some pleasing thrash through Morley tunnel.

158903 Huddersfield - Bradford Int 2W22

We passed 60096 on 6E17 Liverpool to Drax biomass near Brighouse. I then did the usual cross-Bradford walk, with a slight detour via the shopping mall.

333011 Bradford FS - Bingley 2S50

Not bad for just over eight quid! Hopefully we won't have to wait too long before there are Cats crossing the Pennines twice an hour all day long and then the ticket will be even better value.

BTW, Leeds station was very busy - people going to the football, people going to the races, stag and hen groups going on the lash. And just a handful of cranks.

 

[NorthWestRover]

That answers my question on the TPE 68 thread.

 

[Harvester]

A trip to York from Teesside with some friends in 1962. One of our group had acquired a permit for York Shed. I also experienced my first Deltic haulage that day.

Wednesday 22nd August 1962

D393 08:09 West Hartlepool-York (07:40 Sunderland-Kings Cross)

Just before departure A1 60124 Kenilworth passed on a northbound freight. At Stockton 2-6-4T 42085 was waiting with through coaches from Saltburn to Kings Cross, which were promptly attached to the rear of our train.

A pair of Thornaby’s BRCW Sulzer Type 2 diesels (later class 27) D5374/D5377 were on a freight at Egglescliffe, and as we joined the ECML at Northallerton 9F 92062 passed on a freight. The steam shed (51J) was still open, adjacent to the low level avoiding line, and two 2-6-0s 78011 and 78012 were visible on shed.

As we approached York a pair of Cromptons D6515/D6570 were noted at the north end of the shed. They must have come north on the Cliffe(Kent)-Uddingston cement train, and should return on up cement empties. Jubilee 45602 British Honduras and A3 60100 Spearment (ex works) were also noted on shed.

Arrival at York was on time, and the practically new D393 (later to become 40193) soon left for Kings Cross. A1 60138 Boswell was the up main line pilot, but I don’t think it was used. I recorded D345 on the North Briton, D34 on the Newcastle-Cardiff, and A1 60142 Edward Fletcher on the Newcastle-Bournemouth soon afterwards. The latter went forward to Sheffield behind V2 60879.

Other interesting sightings during the morning were A4 60014 Silver Link, A3 60073 St Gatin, B1 61017 Bushbuck, Jubilee 45612 Jamaica, D231 Sylvania, D9018 Ballymoss and the uprated D5835, but I didn’t record the workings.

I did note the down Elizabethan (D9003) and Flying Scotsman (D9020) and A4 60010 Dominion of Canada on the down Norseman. A1 60122 Curlew was on the 09:40 Kings Cross-Newcastle, and B1 61275 brought in a Race Special from Teesside. The B1 offered the chance to return home by steam.

At around two o’clock we left the station for our afternoon tour of York Shed. I recorded 82 locos there, all but 7 were steam. The diesels were all Type 4s in the servicing bay. Most of York’s A2s (60515,516,518,522,524,526) were on shed along with A1s (60121,60146,60153,60154) and A3 60083 Sir Hugo. There were also 14 V2, 15 B1, 9 B16, 7 K1 and 2 Black Fives. Also recorded was Malton allocated 2-6-2T 82029, which was later transferred to Nine Elms and survived to the very end of Southern steam.

Back at the station A3 60071 Tranquil rolled in on a late running Newcastle-Kings Cross, that had suffered a diesel failure in the Newcastle area. After that it was a stream of diesel Type 4 hauled trains. Then at 17:10 D9004 arrived a few minutes early on the down Heart of Midlothian. As it stood waiting time, travelling home by the B1 was forgotten, and we all jumped aboard. This was the eleventh Deltic seen that day, and my first Deltic haulage.

D9004 17:16 York-Darlington

The run was done in 35 minutes which was pretty quick back then.
At Darlington I noted Q6 63395. This was the fourth steam engine seen that day that survived into preservation out of 130 steam sightings. The others were 42085, A4 60010 and 65894.

DMU 18:15 Darlington-Thornaby

Would have caught a connection at Thornaby, but have not recorded this in my notebook. The day’s last entries were two freights at Thornaby, one hauled by WD 90098, and the other by another pair of BRCW Type 2s D5371/D5372.

 

[NorthWestRover]

Monday 22nd August 1983

85039 WBQ to Wigan NW, 1P18 Euston to Blackpool
Roarer failed...
47187 (required) Wigan NW to Preston, 1P18.
87008 Preston to Lancaster, 1S59 09.30 Euston to Inverness
86318 Lancaster to Preston, 1M20 11.10 Glasgow to Euston
85002 Preston to Oxenholme, 1S85 07.17 Harwich to Glasgow/Edinburgh
87022 Oxenholme to Wigan NW, 1M06 10.38 Stranraer to Euston
87010 Wigan NW to Lancaster, 1P63 14.00 Euston to Carlisle
87025 Lancaster to Preston, 1M87 15.20 Glasgow to Nottingham
40126 Preston to Lime St, 1M22 16.20 Glasgow to Liverpool
Unit home to Padgate

Thursday 22nd August 1985

Interrail Amsterdam Centraal to Hannover Hbf and then to Copenhagen H (via Hamburg)

Friday 22nd August 1986

Day 2 of Coasts and Peaks...

Lots of Goyles...

31452 Warrington C to Stockport, 1E34 08.45 Lime St to Sheffield
31437 Stockport to Warrington C, 07.12 Cleethorpes to Lime St
31464 Warrington C to Man Picc, 1E85 10.45 Lime St to Yarmouth
87026 Man Picc to Stafford, 1A?? 12.00 Man Picc to Euston
87019 Stafford to Wigan NW, 1S39 08.34 Poole to Glasgow
86227 Wigan NW to WBQ, 1A?? 14.16 Blackpool to Euston
31449 (only required loco of the day) Warrington C to Stockport, 1E47 15.45 Lime St to Hull
31448 Stockport to Man Picc, 1M34 16.22 Sheffield to Lime St
31445 Man Picc to Sheffield (via New Mills), 1E52 16.45 Lime St to Sheffield
31455 Sheffield to Warrington C, 1M61 Sheffield to Lime St

 

[Falcon1200]

Sunday 21st August 1983 (a day late, sorry !)
47254 1055 Manchester-Paddington (from Oxford)
47450 1730 Liverpool St-Norwich (to Colchester)

Monday 22nd August 1983
47576 0828 Norwich-Liverpool St (from Colchester)
47478 1307 Paddington-Liverpool (to Oxford)

 

[NorthWestRover]

That answers my question on the TPE 68 thread.

I'll probably do it with a combination of day return to Manchester and then a South Pennines Day Ranger. Get some units in the book beforehand and some beer at one (or more) of Sheffield Tap, Dewsbury, Huddersfield or Stalybridge Buffet Bars across the day.

 

[CW2]

Wednesday 22/08/79
A slight variation on my usual pre-work move:
40120 1105 Manchester Victoria – Warrington Bank Quay
Fast Car to Warrington Central, DMU to Liverpool Lime Street
55018 1305 Liverpool Lime Street – Stalybridge
This train was formed by a set of vac stock off a scratch relief from Leeds, which had arrived behind 40187, in place of the through service from Newcastle which had failed en route.
47542 1412 Stalybridge – Manchester Victoria
This was 40’ late, so I could have made the connection off 55018 at Huddersfield, had I known.

Friday 22/08/80
Bank Holiday weekend, so there are several relief trains running:
40075 1403 Kings Cross – Darlington (relief to Edinburgh)
43xxx + 43xxx 1731 Darlington – York
40117 1931 York – Newcastle (Manchester Victoria – Newcastle relief)
55019 2058 Newcastle – Edinburgh (1703 relief from Kings Cross)
47705 2340 Edinburgh – Carstairs
I had to get back to Euston so I could do my trolley job the following morning, so much as I would have liked to stay in Scotland for a while longer, I headed south overnight.

Monday 22/08/83
Another evening trip to Scarborough:
31404 1713 York – Scarborough
37046 1910 Scarborough – York

Wednesday 22/08/84
After working a night shift, I’m off to Dundee to cover a Dundee – Ayr ADEX:
47705 0725 Glasgow Queen Street – Dundee
37067 0915 Dundee – Ayr, via Cowlairs, City Union Line, Shields Jn
DMU Ayr – Glasgow Central

(Wednesday 21/08/85)
87006 2305 Glasgow Central – Carlisle
I had to stand in the vestibule of a sleeper vehicle to Carstairs, where the Edinburgh portion (including some seating vehicles) was attached.
Thursday 22/08/85
Four weeks previously I’d had 40122 from Carlisle to Stranraer on a Dover Western Docks to Stranraer “Eurochildren” charter, returning kids to Ireland after a holiday in Europe. The train was running again, but 40122 wasn’t available (I think it was under repairs at Kingmoor at the time). So what would Kingmoor put out in its place?
37036 0014 Carlisle – Stranraer
This was a very full load 12, the biggest load I’ve ever had with a 37 on the Stranraer road. At Stranraer I could have waited for the 0730 to Glasgow Central, but instead I negotiated a run to Ayr on the return ECS:
37036 0535 Stranraer – Ayr
Time for some breakfast in Ayr, then:
47451 0903 Ayr – Glasgow Central

Friday 22/08/86
I had worked the night shift on Traction Control covering the West Highland Line, Glasgow, Perth, Inverness, and Far North. Some friends were staying in Stirling, and had asked me to give them a call if there was anything interesting working. As it happened, when I started checking the position at the beginning of my night shift I saw that 37008 and 37117 had worked a special freight into Inverness, and were spare there. On the other hand, Eastfield and Motherwell were a bit short, so I had a legitimate excuse to move the extra loco south from Inverness. The best way of doing that would obviously be to leave the locos as a pair, and put them on an Inverness – Glasgow service. I allocated them to the 1030 Inverness – Queen Street and hoped my early shift colleague wouldn’t undo the allocation. Meanwhile, 37247 was coming in from Oban, so I decided to intercept that first:
37424 0820 Glasgow Queen Street – Arrochar & Tarbet
37247 0945 Arrochar & Tarbet – Glasgow Queen Street
47707 1125 Glasgow Queen Street – Perth
37008 + 37117 1300 Perth – Glasgow Queen Street
My friends got all the way to Inverness to have them throughout, whereas I could only have them from Perth – but it was still a lot of fun.

Thursday 22/08/91
A work trip to Harwich, followed by a lengthy trip home:
43006 (+43169 completely dead) 0730 Reading – Paddington
86232 0925 Liverpool Street – Harwich Parkeston Quay
86232 1310 Harwich Parkeston Quay – Liverpool Street
EMU 56 Bank – Waterloo
33102 + 33118 1730 Waterloo – Salisbury
These locos were limited to 60 mph, which the driver adhered to strictly, resulting in us being overtaken by stopping EMUs on the Slow Lines after Woking. 36’ late.
50017 2000 Salisbury – Basingstoke
207 010 Basingstoke – Reading

Saturday 22/08/93
47817 1203 Reading – Didcot
6024 1257 Didcot – Worcester Shrub Hill via Oxford
6024 1600 Worcester Shrub Hill – Didcot via Gloucester, Swindon
Ran tender first to Gloucester.
43197 + 43134 (not powering) 2219 Didcot – Reading

Sunday 22/08/99
37424 + 37407 0811 Rhymney – Cardiff Central
50044 + 50031 0916 Cardiff Central – Shrewsbury
50031 + 50044 1440 Shrewsbury – Rhymney
A very fine day out.

 

[SteveM70]

As it happened, when I started checking the position at the beginning of my night shift I saw that 37008 and 37117 had worked a special freight into Inverness, and were spare there. On the other hand, Eastfield and Motherwell were a bit short, so I had a legitimate excuse to move the extra loco south from Inverness. The best way of doing that would obviously be to leave the locos as a pair, and put them on an Inverness – Glasgow service. I allocated them to the 1030 Inverness – Queen Street and hoped my early shift colleague wouldn’t undo the allocation

How often, in that sort of job, did make “interesting” allocations like this intending to be on the train yourself later on?

 

[CW2]

How often, in that sort of job, did make “interesting” allocations like this intending to be on the train yourself later on?

Very rarely actually. There was one (very good) controller I worked with who had the unspoken aim of getting photographs of the rare workings he had arranged into the railway press, but he never travelled on those trains he "fixed". For myself as a relief controller - i.e. covering many different jobs within the office - I needed constantly to (re)demonstrate my competence in each area, as the regular shift controllers were (mostly) highly skilled at their jobs and quite quick to criticise when us relief staff came in and "messed things up" (as they saw it). It was more a case of being in a prime position to find out what unusual workings were happening and then - after work - coming out to take advantage of them. At this time most locos normally engaged in coal traffic were lying idle in the aftermath of the miners' strike, so class 26/0s and 37s that hadn't worked a passenger train for years were suddenly making appearances in the place of unavailable locos of other classes. You didn't need to actively fix anything, it was just a question of waiting for it to happen, and being there when it did.

One other occasion when I went out and caught a loco I had allocated was 37168 on n Edinburgh - Kings Cross relief, on 05/07/86, which I covered in some detail (i.e. all the arguments and justification for it) earlier in this thread.

 

[SteveM70]

Very rarely actually. There was one (very good) controller I worked with who had the unspoken aim of getting photographs of the rare workings he had arranged into the railway press, but he never travelled on those trains he "fixed". For myself as a relief controller - i.e. covering many different jobs within the office - I needed constantly to (re)demonstrate my competence in each area, as the regular shift controllers were (mostly) highly skilled at their jobs and quite quick to criticise when us relief staff came in and "messed things up" (as they saw it). It was more a case of being in a prime position to find out what unusual workings were happening and then - after work - coming out to take advantage of them. At this time most locos normally engaged in coal traffic were lying idle in the aftermath of the miners' strike, so class 26/0s and 37s that hadn't worked a passenger train for years were suddenly making appearances in the place of unavailable locos of other classes. You didn't need to actively fix anything, it was just a question of waiting for it to happen, and being there when it did.

One other occasion when I went out and caught a loco I had allocated was 37168 on n Edinburgh - Kings Cross relief, on 05/07/86, which I covered in some detail (i.e. all the arguments and justification for it) earlier in this thread.

Thanks, that’s really interesting

 

[xotGD]

22nd August 1984

Gateshead still sending out spare 37s on DMU replacement turns:

37253 Hexham - Newcastle 2E48

22nd August 1986

Gateshead not sending out spare 37s on DMU replacement turns:

47112 Newcastle - Sunderland 2B07

22nd August 1987

The DMU situation had clearly got worse:

47228 Newcastle - Sunderland 2J07
47308 Sunderland - Heworth 2M37
47566 Heworth - Sunderland 2E36
47012 Sunderland - Heworth 2B10

Where was Gateshead finding all those Duffs from?

22nd August 1988

Syphons all day long:

37405 Stirling - Queen Street 1T04
37413 Queen Street - Tulloch 1Y01
37423 Tulloch - Ardlui 1T18
37402 Ardlui - Oban 1Y11
37402 Oban - Dumbarton C 1T28
37405 Dumbarton C - Crianlarich 1Y23
37404 Crianlarich - Arrochar & Tarbet 1T44
37402 Arrochar & Tarbet - Crianlarich 1Yxx
37406 Crianlarich - Queen Street 1D15
47550 Queen Street - Perth 1L71

 

[barrowjack]

Most years on this day appear to have been ‘Preserved’ days, all involving in the latter two cases lots of driving get to them!

22/08/2011 Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway
Repulse Haverthwaite - Lakeside
Repulse Lakeside - Haverthwaite

22/08/2013 Wensleydale Railway
Had seen this one on the Ade Edmondson TV show The Dales, and despite being af air trek decided to sample it. Obviously it had to be for the J72,

69023 Leyburn - Redmire
69023 Redmire - Leemings Bar
69023 Leemings Bar - Leyburn

22/08/2017 – Eden Valley Railway
205009 Warcop – Sandford Bridge and return

 

[MDB1images]

SAT 22ND AUG 87
After completing the overnight it was time to get a few locos in!
The earlier Rover validity on the weekend allowed an earlier start

86434 07:25 Carlisle-Penrith

47644 08:08 Penrith-Carlisle

45037 08:33 Carlisle-Hexham(08:33 Carlisle-Newcastle 2E34)

47635 12:37 Carlisle-Lazonby(12:37 Carlisle-Leeds)

47475 13:15 Lazonby-Carlisle(Leeds-Carlisle)

86403 14:54 Carlisle-Preston

142003 Preston-Manchester Victoria, Diverted via Wigan

47237 18:20 Manchester Victoria-Blackpool N(15:44 Nottingham-Blackpool N 1M26)

47237 19:44 Blackpool N-Bolton(19:44 Blackpool N-Derby 1M54)

Haulage wise of the winners 45037 was a good start, Eastfields 47635 added to the list and 47237 completed the trio of red pen requirements.
Whilst not a winner 47644 wasn’t exactly run of the mill on a morning Anglo Scot on a Saturday, I made a rare note of travelling on a Unit(didn’t record any Unit or HST back then)as it was diverted via Wigan NW(must have bounced down the WCML).
My mate on getting on 86434 at Carlisle on Saturday morning had seriously flagged with overnight fatigue so missed out on 45037(a loco he was never to ride behind)before re-appearing for 47237 later that evening, light weight!
Sight wise 143001 troubled the scorers at Carlisle so another good day out.

 

[xotGD]

45037 08:33 Carlisle-Hexham(08:33 Carlisle-Newcastle 2E34)

So four Duffs and a Peak all on DMU replacement services out of Newcastle that day.

If you'd festered in Hexham you could have had 47308 back!

 

[MDB1images]

So four Duffs and a Peak all on DMU replacement services out of Newcastle that day.

If you'd festered in Hexham you could have had 47308 back!

Must admit when I've looked back at moves when typing in this thread and then looking on websites which show what else was recorded on a particular day it's a bit gutting to see things that got missed if Gen wasn't known!
47308 would have been better than the unit!

 

[NorthWestRover]

Friday 23rd August 1985

Interrail... Not sure why we went to Brondby.

Copenhagen H to Brondbyoster and back

Saturday 23rd August 1986

Coasts and Peaks day 3. More Goyles and a rogue Peak...

31429 Warrington C to Stockport, 1E29 07.38 Lime St to Cleethorpes
31433 Stockport to Lime St, 1M16 06.40 Hull to Lime St
45033 (required) Lime St to Stockport, 1E85 10.45 Lime St to Yarmouth
31202 (required) Stockport to Lime St, 1M30 11.22 Sheffield to Lime St
31202 Lime St to Stockport, 1E46 14.45 Lime St to Hull
31448 Stockport to Warrington C, 1M39 15.22 Sheffield to Lime St
31430 (required) & 31464 Warrington C to Sheffield, 1E52 16.45 Lime St to Sheffield
31437 Sheffield to Warrington C, 1M61 19.22 Sheffield to Lime St

 

[Falcon1200]

Tuesday 23rd August 1983 - A trip to Scotland !

50038 0820 Liverpool-Paddington (from Oxford)
HST Kings X-Newcastle
47051 1538 Carlisle-Edinburgh (from Newcastle)
27012 2017 Edinburgh-Dundee (to Inverkeithing)
DMU Inverkeithing-Edinburgh
47704 2130 Edinburgh-Queen St (to Haymarket)
47420 1920 Aberdeen-Kings X (Haymarket-Edinburgh)
47468 2310 Edinburgh-Inverness