Sometimes known as "look and book" - i.e. you could check out various hotels/ guest houses in those pre Trip Advisor days.
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BR Adexes and Merrymakers
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Masbroughlad
Established Member
Merrymaker trips were awesome. My Dad used to take us on loads from Rotherham. They were run by the Sheffield Division of BR. Pick up stations were usually in Rotherham, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Barnsley, Mexborough areas. Later included Conisbrough I think.
When Sheffield stopped running them, we went on some from Worksop and Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway.
Loads of great days out. First one was a Class 45 (Manchester Regiment) on a very lo brake of mark ones. I remember a buffet car with plastic, orange chairs!
We did Torquay many times, Plymouth, Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Norfolk Broads, Diss, Dunoon, Isle of Arran, Loch Lomond, Blackpool, Clacton and others. Usually mark one open carriages, occasionally compartments. We went on one from Worksop that was mk2a stock I think.
Usual loco from Sheffield was a Tinsley 47 or 45. 47 175 was a usual suspect. I remember a 40 to Isle of Arran. I recall a 45 being taken off a train at Bristol once for refuelling. They put a 31 on the front but decided it wouldn't make the Lickey Incline with a massive train. Eventually the Peak reappeared.
So many memories and stories!
Didn't a Derby based company set up a series of Merrymakers, but don't think they were a success - in th 90s maybe?
First time we went to Torquay, it was £4.50 for adults, £2.25 for kids. August 1976 I think! Awesome.
Thanks for kindling the memories! Would live to see some old pics of these trips, if people have them.
When Sheffield stopped running them, we went on some from Worksop and Alfreton and Mansfield Parkway.
Loads of great days out. First one was a Class 45 (Manchester Regiment) on a very lo brake of mark ones. I remember a buffet car with plastic, orange chairs!
We did Torquay many times, Plymouth, Edinburgh, Portsmouth, Norfolk Broads, Diss, Dunoon, Isle of Arran, Loch Lomond, Blackpool, Clacton and others. Usually mark one open carriages, occasionally compartments. We went on one from Worksop that was mk2a stock I think.
Usual loco from Sheffield was a Tinsley 47 or 45. 47 175 was a usual suspect. I remember a 40 to Isle of Arran. I recall a 45 being taken off a train at Bristol once for refuelling. They put a 31 on the front but decided it wouldn't make the Lickey Incline with a massive train. Eventually the Peak reappeared.
So many memories and stories!
Didn't a Derby based company set up a series of Merrymakers, but don't think they were a success - in th 90s maybe?
First time we went to Torquay, it was £4.50 for adults, £2.25 for kids. August 1976 I think! Awesome.
Thanks for kindling the memories! Would live to see some old pics of these trips, if people have them.
Ardrossan I hope, not sure a loco would have made it across the Firth of Clyde!
Aberystwyth and back in early 1971 for £1.50, under 14s free, appealed to a South London school Railway Society - a special on the VoR was arranged as well, after an enquiry (costing extra, of course). I am sure we were well behaved
Masbroughlad
Established Member
Indeed, Ardrossan Harbour. It left Rotherham at some ungodly hour in what seemed like the middle of the night to an 8 year old. (Possibly 40 081, IIRC)
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I did a Merrymaker from the GE to Barnstaple circa 1980. Stratford Duff to Exeter where a single 25 took over on load 10.
At Barnstaple a large fleet of Bristol REs and LHs took us to Bude and then my first ever visit to Clovelly.
Something for everyone.
At Barnstaple a large fleet of Bristol REs and LHs took us to Bude and then my first ever visit to Clovelly.
Something for everyone.
That reminds me of one we did from Temple Meads to Lands End, I think the train ran to St Ives, again for transfer to a fleet of buses. Train home from Penzance?
xotGD
Established Member
- Joined
- 4 Feb 2017
- Messages
- 6,778
I did five Merrymakers from Newcastle:
Inverness
Fort William
Llandudno
Birmingham (and Stratford on Avon)
Oxford (and Didcot)
Reposted from the "Back in the Day" thread:
10th April 1982
A Merrymaker to the seaside...
In it rolled from Heaton with a Peak on the front. Not what we were expecting. One 40 basher rejected the train outright. This proved not to have been a good move.
45023 Newcastle - Leeds 1Z94
Hello, what's this? The Wagon has been removed! And look what is taking its place...
40044 Leeds - Llandudno 1Z94
40044 Llandudno - Newcastle 1Z94
A memorable day out.
22nd May 1982
I was on a Merrymaker to Brum and Stratford upon Avon:
46029 Newcastle - York
45070 York - New St
45070 New St - Newcastle
While I spent the day spotting at New St with some other north east neds my Mam and Auntie did the train throughout.
I still have a record of everything I saw that day. Those in bold were required for sight:
03021
08062, 08064, 08067, 08096, 08159, 08170, 08210, 08249, 08339, 08501, 08597, 08605, 08625, 08647, 08657, 08671, 08678, 08774, 08805, 08878, 08879
20005, 20031, 20070, 20077, 20135, 20153, 20173, 20187, 20192
25044, 25151, 25221, 25287, 25304
31124, 31147, 31185, 31205, 31214, 31260, 31262, 31277, 31287, 31300, 31325, 31404, 31409, 31414
37052, 37078, 37079, 37094, 37151
40027, 40035
45020, 45033, 45041, 45051, 45065, 45070, 45102, 45106, 45113, 45116, 45149
46006, 46021, 46023, 46027, 46029, 46031, 46044, 46046, 46052
47055, 47140, 47145, 47160, 47166, 47288, 47319, 47322, 47335, 47339, 47352, 47357, 47376, 47406, 47410, 47462, 47466, 47478, 47490, 47502, 47509, 47512, 47515, 47525, 47560
50014, 50023, 50031, 50036, 50044
81012
85007, 85021, 85024, 85039
86102, 86103, 86212, 86214, 86215, 86218, 86226, 86230, 86232, 86233, 86237, 86241, 86244, 86245, 86250, 86252, 86259, 86314, 86319
87007, 87008, 87010, 87015, 87018, 87022, 87023, 87028, 87030, 87101
So that was 141 locos sighted, 62 of which were 'cops'. Try doing that today
12th June 1982
Merrymaker to Inverness.
The previous year the equivalent trip had been a Deltic to Perth, pair of MacRats to Inverness, 40 to Aberdeen and the Deltic back to Newcastle, so we had high hopes...
47289 Newcastle - Inverness
Oh well. At Perth there seemed to be some sort of issue with the Duff. Fingers crossed it would be declared a failure and replaced by a pair of Type 2s. No, they fixed it.
Once at Inverness we had a permit for a depot visit and spent the rest of the time festering and coming up with a plan to get rid of the Duff. But not yet...
47289 Inverness - Waverley
The plan was working. Several people had complained to the guard that the train was far too cold and could he do anything about it. He took heed and phoned ahead. Fortunately Haymarket were able to find a replacement loco with a boiler...
40068 Waverley - Newcastle
The train would have been much warmer, if it wasn't for the fact that we now had all the windows wide open. A good end to the day!
I have a listing of sightings that day. I won't list everything, but it includes 26001/27/32/33/41/42/43/44/45 27012/17/18/27/38/107/08/09/10/11 37005/17/25/35/58/260
25th September 1982
There was a Merrymaker to Oxford and Didcot. Normals could visit the dreaming spires while kettle fans could visit the railway centre. We chose to sample some Hoovers:
47196 Newcastle - Oxford 1Z??
50042 Oxford - Reading 1V88
50022 Reading - Oxford 1A38
47196 Oxford - Newcastle 1Z??
11th May 1985
Merrymaker from the Toon:
47418 Newcastle - Waverley (Thank you Gateshead)
37121 + 37259 Waverley - Fort William & back
47016 Waverley - Newcastle (Thank you Haymarket)
Actually, a proper thank you for whoever found the NB pair of 37s rather than two of Eastfield's boilered examples.
Inverness
Fort William
Llandudno
Birmingham (and Stratford on Avon)
Oxford (and Didcot)
Reposted from the "Back in the Day" thread:
10th April 1982
A Merrymaker to the seaside...
In it rolled from Heaton with a Peak on the front. Not what we were expecting. One 40 basher rejected the train outright. This proved not to have been a good move.
45023 Newcastle - Leeds 1Z94
Hello, what's this? The Wagon has been removed! And look what is taking its place...
40044 Leeds - Llandudno 1Z94
40044 Llandudno - Newcastle 1Z94
A memorable day out.
22nd May 1982
I was on a Merrymaker to Brum and Stratford upon Avon:
46029 Newcastle - York
45070 York - New St
45070 New St - Newcastle
While I spent the day spotting at New St with some other north east neds my Mam and Auntie did the train throughout.
I still have a record of everything I saw that day. Those in bold were required for sight:
03021
08062, 08064, 08067, 08096, 08159, 08170, 08210, 08249, 08339, 08501, 08597, 08605, 08625, 08647, 08657, 08671, 08678, 08774, 08805, 08878, 08879
20005, 20031, 20070, 20077, 20135, 20153, 20173, 20187, 20192
25044, 25151, 25221, 25287, 25304
31124, 31147, 31185, 31205, 31214, 31260, 31262, 31277, 31287, 31300, 31325, 31404, 31409, 31414
37052, 37078, 37079, 37094, 37151
40027, 40035
45020, 45033, 45041, 45051, 45065, 45070, 45102, 45106, 45113, 45116, 45149
46006, 46021, 46023, 46027, 46029, 46031, 46044, 46046, 46052
47055, 47140, 47145, 47160, 47166, 47288, 47319, 47322, 47335, 47339, 47352, 47357, 47376, 47406, 47410, 47462, 47466, 47478, 47490, 47502, 47509, 47512, 47515, 47525, 47560
50014, 50023, 50031, 50036, 50044
81012
85007, 85021, 85024, 85039
86102, 86103, 86212, 86214, 86215, 86218, 86226, 86230, 86232, 86233, 86237, 86241, 86244, 86245, 86250, 86252, 86259, 86314, 86319
87007, 87008, 87010, 87015, 87018, 87022, 87023, 87028, 87030, 87101
So that was 141 locos sighted, 62 of which were 'cops'. Try doing that today
12th June 1982
Merrymaker to Inverness.
The previous year the equivalent trip had been a Deltic to Perth, pair of MacRats to Inverness, 40 to Aberdeen and the Deltic back to Newcastle, so we had high hopes...
47289 Newcastle - Inverness
Oh well. At Perth there seemed to be some sort of issue with the Duff. Fingers crossed it would be declared a failure and replaced by a pair of Type 2s. No, they fixed it.
Once at Inverness we had a permit for a depot visit and spent the rest of the time festering and coming up with a plan to get rid of the Duff. But not yet...
47289 Inverness - Waverley
The plan was working. Several people had complained to the guard that the train was far too cold and could he do anything about it. He took heed and phoned ahead. Fortunately Haymarket were able to find a replacement loco with a boiler...
40068 Waverley - Newcastle
The train would have been much warmer, if it wasn't for the fact that we now had all the windows wide open. A good end to the day!
I have a listing of sightings that day. I won't list everything, but it includes 26001/27/32/33/41/42/43/44/45 27012/17/18/27/38/107/08/09/10/11 37005/17/25/35/58/260
25th September 1982
There was a Merrymaker to Oxford and Didcot. Normals could visit the dreaming spires while kettle fans could visit the railway centre. We chose to sample some Hoovers:
47196 Newcastle - Oxford 1Z??
50042 Oxford - Reading 1V88
50022 Reading - Oxford 1A38
47196 Oxford - Newcastle 1Z??
11th May 1985
Merrymaker from the Toon:
47418 Newcastle - Waverley (Thank you Gateshead)
37121 + 37259 Waverley - Fort William & back
47016 Waverley - Newcastle (Thank you Haymarket)
Actually, a proper thank you for whoever found the NB pair of 37s rather than two of Eastfield's boilered examples.
D6130
Established Member
Could it perchance have been @Falcon1200 ? I believe he was working in Glasgow Control by then.
Somewhere deep in the Back in the Day thread, that Newcastle to Fort William train features. There was also a Skirl o' the Pipes tour the same day, which took in Balloch Pier en route to Oban with 37256 top and tail with 26036 + 26027. I worked Saturday early shift, then did the Skirl to Balloch and Crianlarich, picking up 37121 + 37259 on the Adex from there back to Dalreoch, alighting from the guard's van door as we crawled slowly through the platform (with the help of a cooperative driver and guard).
No, I didn't allocate the locos, I just thanked the person who did. That's the only time I had those two 37s for haulage.
Happy days!
Falcon1200
Established Member
Not me sadly, I was never a Power (ie loco) Controller; My allocation powers were limited to EMUs and DMUs!
ian1944
Member
Inspired by a 5 November railtour many years ago which came up Lickey in the early evening and gave a good view of bonfires all over the place, I suggest Pyrex.
I did wonder how these worked commercially. I wrote here previously about seeing a 'Football Special' arrive one Saturday lunchtime into Haymarket from Glasgow Queen Street in 1972, among other things the last set of BR maroon stock I ever saw, it being the Cowlairs Last Resort set. I presume the supporters had just bought normal tickets at Glasgow, where the police had adroitly segregated the football crowd from normal travellers on the mainstream Edinburgh service. Would the clubs have any financial involvement in arranging this, or would it be a wholly railway decision?
I seem to remember some wit naming the nuclear waste train which used to run from Wylfa to Sellafield the glowex
Sun Chariot
Established Member
Excursions in Mk2 stock with inoperable air conditioning, on a hot day. The discomfort and perspiration. So... PerspEx 
‘The bomb’ seemed to be the general term at certain boxes.
"The bombs" was very widely used, and the stainless steel wagons were nicknamed "Silver Bullets!"
SargeNpton
Established Member
- Joined
- 19 Nov 2018
- Messages
- 1,388
On the LM Euston Division in the 1980s the split was...
Football charter trains were organised by the football clubs themselves (or the accredited supporters club) and tickets would only be sold to season ticket holders/registered supporters. The organisers would steward the train.
Footexes were relief trains on which all other supporters travelled, at the normal fares, to keep them away from the general public. These would usually have a contingent of BTP officers in an attempt to keep order.
I'm guessing that the other BR divisional offices did much the same.
Peter Sarf
Established Member
I remember in the late 70s seeing what was probably a Footex relief at Birmingham New Street. It was after a game at Aston Villa and the away supporters were leaving on it. I think they had lost. I happened to be on an adjacent island platform (4&5 maybe). There was a lot of shouting, banging and the sound of smashing glass just before departure. Once it left I could see that the platform (3 maybe) was covered in glass. The railways probably save a lot of money by not carrying football supporters.
The York control log often put a smile on my face. It dryly stated that ‘some collision damage occurred’ after two opposing teams’ trains were platformed on an island at Peterborough.
xotGD
Established Member
- Joined
- 4 Feb 2017
- Messages
- 6,778
We used the less imaginative Nukex.
In the 70s and 80s I did dozens of AdExs (Merrymakers) from the Birmingham area. Norwich, Skegness, Stirling, Worthing, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Blackpool, Torquay, York were the best. They were usually MK1 carriages with whatever locos ran that route. The Scottish trips were electric 80s to Carstairs then diesel to Edinburgh (Deltic Tulyar on one occasion) or Mossend then 26x2 to Stirling. However trips to London could produce a rake of Mk1s or Mk2s and on at least two occasions an EMU (class 310) which caused a lot of grumbling. Several slightly shorter excursions used Swindon Cross Country DMUs, with consequent rush for the first class saloon, destinations included Ely, Lincoln, Chester, Matlock. I can recall a returning excursion from Scarborough to Leicester via Hull (but actually that might have been a SO service train) formed of three Suburban Units (with corridor and WC in compo coach in middle).
That Glasgow to Edinburgh football train I described arrived with just about every naked bodily part imaginable being displayed from various droplights, while from one a pair of some unfortunate's trousers was being held at arms' length outside. It seemed the Glasgow BTP had likely put in a valiant but not wholly successful effort. And that was before the game ...
Dave W
Member
In the spirit of this discussion what might we call the Cheltenham specials? Nagex?
D6130
Established Member
Racex? Steeplechasex? Flatex? Jumpex?
Sun Chariot
Established Member
EquinEx? Because HorsesEx has a vulgar double meaning...
Western 52
Established Member
When the Pope visited Cardiff around 1982 I seem to remember additional trains being referred to as POPEXs!
D6130
Established Member
Likewise when he visited Glasgow on the same tour. I was involved in the organisation of them.
GRALISTAIR
Established Member
I regularly went on Merrymakers in the early 1980s. I always started from Preston. I loved them immensely.