End of London steam

[L+Y]

Inspired by the King's Cross in 1965 thread...

When were the last regular steam hauled workings to each London terminal? And for how long after that date were there ad hoc steam movements to cover for failed diesels, ECS, or other?

 

[steamybrian]

The last regular steam hauled services out of any of the London Terminal stations ran on 9th July 1967 from Waterloo. There were no further ad hoc services after that date.

 

[Bevan Price]

Inspired by the King's Cross in 1965 thread...

When were the last regular steam hauled workings to each London terminal? And for how long after that date were there ad hoc steam movements to cover for failed diesels, ECS, or other?

There were still a handful of steam workings at London Marylebone until the GC London Extension closed south of Rugby on 5 September 1966.

 

[Harvester]

The last scheduled steam hauled train from Paddington was the 16:15 to Banbury on Friday 11 June 1965 hauled by 7029 Clun Castle. The steam hauled empty stock workings had ceased with the closure of Old Oak Common to steam a few months earlier.

 

[Cowley]

This is an interesting topic and it might be worth doing a list of the final dates of steam at all of the termini going clockwise from somewhere like Paddington once we’ve got them all?

Which station eliminated steam first though, does anyone know?

 

[Gloster]

This is an interesting topic and it might be worth doing a list of the final dates of steam at all of the termini going clockwise from somewhere like Paddington once we’ve got them all?

Which station eliminated steam first though, does anyone know?

I would guess Fenchurch Street. Failing that, Broad Street.

London’s Termini by Alan A. Jackson gives June 13 1958 for Cannon Street, 1963 for Victoria and 1964 for London Bridge.

 

[Cowley]

I would guess Fenchurch Street. Failing that, Broad Street.

London’s Termini by Alan A. Jackson gives June 13 1958 for Cannon Street, 1963 for Victoria and 1964 for London Bridge.

Thanks @Gloster.

 

[Harvester]

The last regular steam hauled services out of any of the London Terminal stations ran on 9th July 1967 from Waterloo. There were no further ad hoc services after that date.

There were only two steam hauled trains into Waterloo on Sunday 9th July 1967, and I guess they could be classed as ad hoc, as the authorities decided at short notice to veto steam on that last day.

However on the 9th, WC 34021 arrived around mid-day with a Boat Train from Southampton, and MN 35030 arrived with the 14:07 from Weymouth. 35030 was only expected to work to Bournemouth and on arrival the crew uncoupled it, intending to go back light engine to Weymouth. It then had to be reattached because there was no replacement diesel at Bournemouth.

 

[Gloster]

Holborn Viaduct lost its last workings in 1959, although since July 1939 they had only been a handful of nighttime trains. Charing Cross lost its steam in June 1961, Fenchurch Street from 17 June 1962 and Liverpool Street at the end of 1962, (Source as #6.)

 

[D6130]

However on the 9th, WC 34021 arrived around mid-day with a Boat Train from Southampton, and MN 35030 arrived with the 14:07 from Weymouth. 35030 was only expected to work to Bournemouth and on arrival the crew uncoupled it, intending to go back light engine to Weymouth. It then had to be reattached because there was no replacement diesel at Bournemouth.

....and after arrival at Waterloo, it was driven back light engine to Nine Elms depot by Nine Elms (ex-Bournemouth and Stewarts Lane) driver Jim Evans. If you can get hold of a copy of his book "Man of the Southern" it's a very good read. I seem to remember reading somewhere - possibly in that book, or maybe Keith Widdowson's book "Chasing Southern Steam" - that the following morning's Waterloo-Portsmouth & Southsea passenger and news service was steam-hauled at short notice by Standard Class 5 no. 73029, which then returned the empty stock to Clapham Yard, due to a shortage of diesel locos. However, I may be mistaken.

 

[Harvester]

....and after arrival at Waterloo, it was driven back light engine to Nine Elms depot by Nine Elms (ex-Bournemouth and Stewarts Lane) driver Jim Evans. If you can get hold of a copy of his book "Man of the Southern" it's a very good read. I seem to remember reading somewhere - possibly in that book, or maybe Keith Widdowson's book "Chasing Southern Steam" - that the following morning's Waterloo-Portsmouth & Southsea passenger and news service was steam-hauled at short notice by Standard Class 5 no. 73029, which then returned the empty stock to Clapham Yard, due to a shortage of diesel locos. However, I may be mistaken.

I have both books and agree that they are good reads. Jim Evans had just come back on the 9th, from a three week course and thought he had missed the end of steam. He now has the distinction of driving the last steam loco out of Waterloo, on the last day of Southern Steam.

Standard Class 5 73029 worked empty stock from Fratton to Clapham Yard on Sunday 9th not the following day. The distinction of working the last steam train on Southern metals on July 9th, goes to Standard Class 3 77014 on the 21:20 Bournemouth to Weymouth vans.

 

[Snow1964]

Blackfriars lost daytime steam very early (late 1920s ?), but nighttime newspaper trains, and night trains for workers at Fleet Street and Smithfield continued about another 30 years

 

[D6130]

I have both books and agree that they are good reads. Jim Evans had just come back on the 9th, from a three week course and thought he had missed the end of steam. He now has the distinction of driving the last steam loco out of Waterloo, on the last day of Southern Steam.

Standard Class 5 73029 worked empty stock from Fratton to Clapham Yard on Sunday 9th not the following day. The distinction of working the last steam train on Southern metals on July 9th, goes to Standard Class 3 77014 on the 21:20 Bournemouth to Weymouth vans.

Thanks for clarifying that. I'm still currently in Italy and don't have access to either of those books....and I've reached the stage in life when my memory sometimes plays tricks on me!

For anyone who is interested in the history, locomotives and men of Nine Elms motive power depot 1838-1967, I can thoroughly recommend this excellent website: www.nineelms.svsfilm.com .....weeks of fascinating reading and photographs.

 

[RT4038]

I have both books and agree that they are good reads. Jim Evans had just come back on the 9th, from a three week course and thought he had missed the end of steam. He now has the distinction of driving the last steam loco out of Waterloo, on the last day of Southern Steam.

Standard Class 5 73029 worked empty stock from Fratton to Clapham Yard on Sunday 9th not the following day. The distinction of working the last steam train on Southern metals on July 9th, goes to Standard Class 3 77014 on the 21:20 Bournemouth to Weymouth vans.

So the last departure from Waterloo was on Saturday 8th July, presumably the 08h30 to Weymouth hauled by MN 35023 ? How did that engine get back to London, as it was apparently on shed at Nine Elms on the following day?

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

So the last departure from Waterloo was on Saturday 8th July, presumably the 08h30 to Weymouth hauled by MN 35023 ? How did that engine get back to London, as it was apparently on shed at Nine Elms on the following day?

35023 worked a boat train from Weymouth (15h55) on the afternoon of the 8th. dad and I had travelled down on the 08h35 that morning and were lucky enough to return with 35030 the following afternoon. Jim Evans signed Dad's notebook on return to Waterloo, for years I thought he had driven up from Bournemouth....he didn't let on that he hadn't!

 

[Harvester]

35023 worked a boat train from Weymouth (15h55) on the afternoon of the 8th. dad and I had travelled down on the 08h35 that morning and were lucky enough to return with 35030 the following afternoon. Jim Evans signed Dad's notebook on return to Waterloo, for years I thought he had driven up from Bournemouth....he didn't let on that he hadn't!

In is book “Man of the Southern” Jim Evans states that driver Ray Hardy of Bournemouth drove 35030 from Bournemouth to Waterloo. He then took over at Waterloo with fireman John Cottee, and drove the engine to Nine Elms.

So the last departure from Waterloo was on Saturday 8th July, presumably the 08h30 to Weymouth hauled by MN 35023 ? How did that engine get back to London, as it was apparently on shed at Nine Elms on the following day?

It returned on the 15:55 from Weymouth that afternoon as mentioned up thread.

The last steam departure from Waterloo was WC Pacific 34037 Clovelly on the 18:20 Waterloo-Southampton Docks boat train on Saturday 8th July.

 

[341o2]

The last regular steam hauled services out of any of the London Terminal stations ran on 9th July 1967 from Waterloo. There were no further ad hoc services after that date.

There couldn't be because following the withdrawal of the last steam locos on the Southern, mainline steam was confined to the former London Midland lines north of Crewe

 

[Flying Phil]

Interesting thread, I recall seeing MN 35030 Ellerman Lines (corrected to Elder Dempster Lines) on the last day, through train to London, on the Great Central Sat 3rd Sept 1966. So was that the last Steam engine at Marylebone? ( Pre preservation steam)
Also when was the last BR steam at St Pancras?

 

[D6130]

MN 35030 Ellerman Lines

Small point of pedantry: 35030 was named "Elder Dempster Line". 35029 - now sectioned in the NRM at York - was named "Ellerman Lines" and was withdrawn in September 1966, so it could have been the loco which worked into Marylebone.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Interesting thread, I recall seeing MN 35030 Ellerman Lines on the last day, through train to London, on the Great Central Sat 3rd Sept 1966. So was that the last Steam engine at Marylebone? ( Pre preservation steam)
Also when was the last BR steam at St Pancras?

Slight Correction...it was 'Elder Dempster Lines'...not quite the last, we were on that tour also and I remember going into the cab on return to Marylebone about 21h30 ....Black Five 44984 departed with a Manchester train an hour or so later

 

[RT4038]

Interesting thread, I recall seeing MN 35030 Ellerman Lines on the last day, through train to London, on the Great Central Sat 3rd Sept 1966. So was that the last Steam engine at Marylebone? ( Pre preservation steam)
Also when was the last BR steam at St Pancras?

As mentioned in #20, 44984 worked the final 17h15 Nottingham V to Marylebone, returning on the 22h45 Marylebone-Manchester Piccadilly (How far to I am not sure!)

The special was definitely 35030

 

[Flying Phil]

Thanks for the correction re 35030......I had got my Els mixed up

 

[D6130]

As mentioned in #20, 44984 worked the final 17h15 Nottingham V to Marylebone, returning on the 22h45 Marylebone-Manchester Piccadilly (How far to I am not sure!

As 44984's final depot was Colwick, I suspect that it probably came off the Manchester train at Nottingham....to be replaced by a diesel (class 37 or 47?) as far as Sheffield Victoria, then an EM1 or EM2 (class 76 or 77) from there to Manchester Piccadilly via Woodhead.

 

[Flying Phil]

Well I keep trying to add a correction to my original post but the website keeps deleting my addition??

 

[Harvester]

Also when was the last BR steam at St Pancras?

I don’t think there was a cut off date, it was just gradually phased out south of Bedford as diesels flooded in.

There was a railtour on 24th April 1965 from St Pancras to the Notts and Lincolnshire area using Britannia 70052 Firth of Tay, but steam had ended at St Pancras, even as diesels substitutes, well before then.

 

[D6130]

When did steam haulage of the Mon-Fri peak hour London Bridge-East Grinstead and Uckfield services finish?

 

[Gloster]

When did steam haulage of the Mon-Fri peak hour London Bridge-East Grinstead and Uckfield services finish?

Jackson isn’t entirely clear, but it looks like 1964. However, Stewart’s Lane and Tunbridge Wells West lost their Standard 2-6-4T around September 1963, Brighton had a few until mid-1964 and Redhill some until around May 1965. (Source: Shed by Shed, Part 5, Walmsley.)

 

[D6130]

Jackson isn’t entirely clear, but it looks like 1964. However, Stewart’s Lane and Tunbridge Wells West lost their Standard 2-6-4T around September 1963, Brighton had a few until mid-1964 and Redhill some until around May 1965.

Thanks. I hadn't realised it was as late as that, as I have seen photos of some of those services being hauled by class 33s in original green and white livery without yellow warning panels - which I believe were first introduced in 1962. However, I believe that some Cromptons were still running in that condition up until 1967, when converted to class 33/1 and repainted in Rail Blue.

 

[Bevan Price]

Camden & Kentish Town Motive Power Depots both closed during 1963, so there are unlikely to have been many regular booked steam workings out of Euston & St. Pancras after then -- although diesels had worked most of the services for a few years before that. Euston retained a handful of steam workings (railtours or diesel substitutions) until at least 1965.

 

[Bovverboy]

Camden & Kentish Town Motive Power Depots both closed during 1963, so there are unlikely to have been many regular booked steam workings out of Euston & St. Pancras after then -- although diesels had worked most of the services for a few years before that. Euston retained a handful of steam workings (railtours or diesel substitutions) until at least 1965.

It's my recollection that, when Camden closed, the work simply transferred to Willesden, which, initially, continued as a predominantly steam depot. Camden was already 50% diesel at the end. So I doubt that Camden's closure had any effect on the general run-down of steam at the time.
I've less knowledge of Kentish Town, but Cricklewood survived it by about eighteen months, I think, so a similar situation may have prevailed there.